The Black History Of Dreaming

black woman sleeping on a bed with a pillow
Briona Lamback
August 22, 2024

We know what it means to look for signs, often in dreams. Our intuition urges us to make the next move. Loved ones who have passed on visit us. Dreams are a powerful portal that we've been tapped into for as long as time.

Historically, interpretation of dream meanings varied across African regions and ethnicities. The Zulu people believed that ancestors revealed themselves to their descendants through dreams. They thought ancestors entered the mouths of sleeping descendants to bring good news. When people didn’t dream, they worried that their ancestors had lost interest in them.

The Berti of Sudan kept their dream interpretations close to their hearts, believing they shouldn't be widely shared. One common belief was that dreaming of goats was a portent of wealth and prosperity. We brought this deep belief in the power of dreams across the Atlantic.

In Hoodoo, fish dreams are a popular sign of pregnancy in the family. Profound dreams, interpreted as messages from God, urged Harriet Tubman to help free so many enslaved people.

We've always known how to dream. How can you tap into this ancestral gift and use your dreams for the collective good of our people?

We have a quick favor to ask:

PushBlack is a nonprofit dedicated to raising up Black voices. We are a small team but we have an outsized impact:

  • We reach tens of millions of people with our BLACK NEWS & HISTORY STORIES every year.
  • We fight for CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM to protect our community.
  • We run VOTING CAMPAIGNS that reach over 10 million African-Americans across the country.

And as a nonprofit, we rely on small donations from subscribers like you.

With as little as $5 a month, you can help PushBlack raise up Black voices. It only takes a minute, so will you please ?

Share This Article: