‘Why We’re Late’: Fawn Weaver Breaks Down the Cultural Roots Of ‘Colored People Time’ In Insightful Video

by Gee NY

Entrepreneur, author, and The People’s CEO, Fawn Weaver, is flipping the script on a long-standing stereotype in a viral Instagram video that’s getting people to rethink what it really means to run on “CP Time.”

The phrase, short for “Colored People’s Time,” has long been the punchline to jokes about lateness in Black communities. But as Weaver explains in the powerful video as part of her ongoing series Nightcap with Fawn Weaver, the roots of this cultural phenomenon run much deeper than calendar mix-ups or casual delays.

“There was a time when Black people didn’t control their time,” Weaver says. “Time was something done to us—not something we owned.”

The Historical Weight of CP Time

Weaver’s video, posted by her husband, entrepreneur Shawn Weaver, begins with a question that many have asked: Why does it seem like Black folks are always running late? Her answer is not only rooted in personal reflection but in history.

During slavery, Black people’s schedules were dictated by the demands of others. They labored sunup to sundown, with no autonomy. And when slavery ended, systemic inequities didn’t disappear—they simply morphed.

“Most Black families didn’t have cars, and the bus didn’t come every ten minutes—maybe once an hour,” Weaver notes. “If you missed it, whether it was late or you were late, you were just late.”

In addition to limited access to transportation, Black people often faced harassment and physical danger simply walking through certain neighborhoods. This forced detours and delays, making punctuality less about professionalism and more about survival.

Beyond Black Culture: Shared Experiences Across Communities

Weaver expands the conversation to include other cultural timeframes like “JP Time” (Jewish People Time), “Mañana Culture” in Latinx communities, and the well-known Nigerian auntie phrase, “I’m on my way”—often delivered from a bathtub rather than a car.

Each of these phrases, she says, are not indicators of laziness or disorganization—but legacies of communities that have had to navigate inflexible systems and structural inequity.

“Time became relational because survival demanded flexibility,” she explains. “We moved when it was safe, when it was possible.”

Choosing Growth Over Excuses

Weaver’s conclusion is both hopeful and challenging. While honoring ancestral rhythms, she points out the importance of intentionality.

“Let’s stop using it as a crutch,” she says. “If we’re late, let it be intentional, not inherited. Because growth is knowing our history and choosing how we carry it forward.”

The post is the latest installment in Weaver’s Nightcap series, which she describes as a space to “strip away the drama and politics” and add “truth, history, and a little hope—served straight up, no chaser.”

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