Oh, No! Not the Dap…

My dude. My guy. What up, Son? What it do? How you living, Fam? What’s poppin’, Bruh. Comrade. And, when life really has ahold of you, it’s simply, ‘Dawg!’

We utter these greetings with numerous inflections, and I would submit it is the inflection in the greeting that sets the tone for the conversation that ensues.  Beyond the verbal greeting, there are other vital parts: the head nod where a slight rising of the chin is the ultimate ‘I see you.’ But no greeting says more than the dap.

The dap is defined simply as the handshake of the times.  Delightfully, the dap has taken on many forms over the years whether it is finished in a snap of the fingers, immediately follows a handshake with enough momentum in it to warm a heart or soothe a bad day, or the embrace where only one arm is used while the hands meet in the middle of the chest area so as to turn this simple yet effective method into a compound movement requiring both grace and balance.  Now, my friends this is where things take an interesting twist as we wrestle with COVID-19.

It is rare we find ourselves at odds with our heroes.  Dr. Anthony Fauci has been a very welcome surprise in our nation’s fight to FLATTEN the curve.  His steadfast beliefs backed by an impressive body of work is bolstered by successfully helping us navigate various infectious outbreaks over the years. But the good doctor is recommending that once we have declared victory over Corona LaShay D’Virus we should put an end to handshakes.  My first thought was, ‘Ok, that’s cool’, but it hit me he was also including the dap, the thing we have used for years to solidify our greetings!  Interestingly enough, I was reminded of times when my folks would give me much needed advice that didn’t align with my thoughts on the subject, yet somehow I knew they, too, like Dr. Fauci had a pretty amazing body of work in matters foreign to me.

Distraught, I immediately began to look for the remedy to the conundrum we find ourselves in.  As I reflect on the numerous early Thursday barber shop appointments where daps are plentiful and the shop is not yet bustling and offering redemption through the perfect cut, it hit me. The answer is in plain sight.  I was reminded how we greet when we see our barbers’ hands pre-occupied in the cut.  Today I deem the new dap, the handshake of the time, will simply be the touching of the elbows.  For all of us, I plan to submit my plan to Dr. Fauci for his approval.  Stay safe and be well!

Nikki Newton is the President, Private Wealth Management UMB and was recently selected by Savoy Magazine as one of the Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America. He is married to fiber artist, Kimberly Newton, and they have a daughter. He is an avid golfer and owner of a new grill on repeat during self-isolation.