As far as name goes, as individuals we should call it what we want. Unlike the Jews who have strong ties to their ancient heritage, black Americans do not have any real cultural ties to Africa (as evident by the fact we generally do not celebrate African holidays, speak any of the languages, etc.) In fact, most of us are not 100% African decent anyway.

If you want to emphasize the “cultural” thing, my suggestion would be one of two: Have the family create their own culture in the celebration. We do this all the time at family reunions. Have “unc” so-and-so tell one of his funny stories, the “techie” in the family to put together a short video, Uncles and Aunts who are known for their cooking–have them cook. Yu could also have the “historian” of the family give a brief synopsis of where the family came from, what they had to endure, etc.

The other thing you could do is kinda the same as I mentioned above, but also incorporate some African traditions and any other ethnicity your family identifies with (for example, many blacks who can trace their roots back to the south have Native American in their blood.)

The greatest thing you can do is doing the “create your own culture” route. This will be a lot more memorable than all the African chants in the world. Save the “African” piece for another time. Chances are, they will forget most of it in that forum;however, they will remember grandmama telling one of those stories she has never told before.

Again, be free to call the ceremony whatever you like. The last I checked, there isn’t a “black” name for spaghetti. Calling it a “Bar” or “Bat” Mitzvah should not be an issue.

Thatnks for the reminder. I have to ask about them…