Posted by: Sister Regina A.
I know you’ve asked the question at one point or another. Why do people always bow their heads and hold up one finger when they want to move about during service? You only see this in the black church and there’s a reason for that, the One Finger Hall Pass dates back to slavery.
A historian explains, “During the slavery days when the masters took their slaves with them to public gatherings, the slaves would always sit in the balcony. When the slave had to go to the bathroom or wanted to be excused for any reason, they would hold their hand up and keep it up until their master acknowledged that they saw their hand and gave them permission to leave or in other words “excused them to leave.”
After the slave was given permission to leave, they would hold up one finger as they were leaving to inform anyone that saw them leave that they had been excused. So it means, “My Master has excused me.”
Well I’m here to inform the black church, that we’s free now! (Just in case someone missed the memo. …) Can’t we just say excuse me and keep it moving? Why do I have to hunch over with my index finger pointed to the heavens feeling like Chicken George, all because I have to use the bathroom? And I’m here to tell you Sister Johnson, you holding up that one finger does not excuse the fact that you put your butt in my face and stepped on my feet! But I digress, tradition is big in the black church and I don’t see them letting go of this for generations to come.