- Decorate the celebration location with traditional African Adinkra symbols of love and commitment, such as Akoma Ntoso, which represents linked hearts, Fihanka, representing home and security, Me Ware Wo, meaning marriage, or Odo Nnyew Fie Kwan, which represents the power of love. Include these symbols on invitations, in paper chains cut from lace or the favorite colors of the celebrating couple or gold (the color associated with 50th wedding anniversaries) to hang on doorways and above windows, as a design on a cake, or as decals on candles and favors.
- Jump the broom! Especially if a couple did not get to take part in this traditional element of black weddings at their own wedding, this is a wonderful homage to African-American history. To jump the broom for a 50th anniversary, present the couple with a decorative broom covered with photos and other reminders of their married life together, ribbons from the woman's dress or other wedding clothes, or flowers from her bouquet if it was preserved. Have someone tell the story of jumping the broom--that it was the method by which slave couples married themselves when marriage between slaves was illegal. The celebrating couple can hold the broom together and sweep it in a circle, representing the creation and ongoing status of hearth and home. Place the broom on the floor and have the guests count to three, with the couple jumping--or stepping--over the broom together.
- Have custom cake toppers created for the anniversary cake, representing the happy couple and dressing them in kente cloth or other materials that represent their heritage. You could even use photographs to have a quartet of toppers made--one each of the bride and groom at the time of their wedding and as they are as they celebrate their anniversary, with the younger couple passing a golden broom or raising a glass to the older version of themselves.
- Finally, include readings and music by your favorite African-American writers, poets, musicians and other artists. Invite African drummers to perform, have friends and family read works by Maya Angelou and other writers, play recordings of Marian Anderson or other singers, and use reproductions of artworks like those by Robert Colescott, Laura Wheeler Waring and Selma Burke as centerpieces.
