Dare to Ask: Do blacks wait longer to bury dead?

By Phillip Milano

Question

Why do black Americans wait at least a week after death before burying the deceased?

D., 52, white male, Jacksonville

Replies

A lot of my family is spread across the East Coast. It takes time for those able to attend to get the time off work and travel.

Rosemary, black, Nashville

My mother works at a funeral home. The longer white people sit out after they are dead, they start changing colors.

Alicia, 15, black, Atlanta

Why was the Pope buried four days after his death? Religious statutes. Skin color has nothing to do with it.

D.M., 21, black female, Richmond, Va.

Many blacks depend on insurance policies to finance burial. The insurance company doesn't always distribute the funds in a timely manner; hence the wait. Also, my extended family prefers to celebrate the life of the deceased prior to funeral services.

Sherry, 24, black, Bakersfield, Calif.

It's stupid to base the reason on money. It's because of the skin colors. White people ... are going to begin changing color after death. African-Americans are already brown, and it's not as fast a process.

Camille, 18, black, Ohio

Expert says

Yes, we're going to talk about the discoloration stuff. You may be dying to know, but please be patient.

It would be "odd" for African-Americans to hold a funeral earlier than seven to 10 days after death, with much of that traced to West African traditions, said professor Ronald Barrett of Loyola Marymount University, an expert on African-American funeral customs.

In West Africa, out of respect for the dead, and to honor their life (whether commoner or royalty) plus have time to gather family and relatives, funerals were and still are put off.

This all had a lasting impact once Africans were taken to the U.S. as slaves. Unlike some ethnicities, many black people still view funeral services as "primary rituals," so time is taken to arrange and gather finances, make preparations and inform friends and relatives (often via word of mouth).

Loved ones may be scattered geographically, but "in the African-American tradition ... there's a high communal value in having everyone there," so services are delayed to allow for travel time, Barrett said.

As far as whites getting buried faster because otherwise they might turn a non-whiter shade of pale: Fairer skin in some cases can appear to discolor or darken a bit quicker after death, said Audrey Throckmorton of C.L. Page Mortuary in Jacksonville (although Barrett disagreed).

But, well, there's this thing called embalming, which can give a more natural skin tone - for any race.

"We have chemicals and can add dyes with the body fluid," Throckmorton said, "so for white people, it keeps the skin pinkish and more natural, so that's not really an issue."

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Phillip Milano, author of I Can't Believe You Asked That! (Perigee), moderates cross-cultural dialogue at Y? The National Forum on People's Differences. Visit www.yforum.com to submit questions and answers. Send general column comments to phillip.milano@jacksonville.com. You can also hear his podcasts or watch his TV spots.