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Research papers on african american religious tradition
How does culture impact our lives
How does culture impact our lives
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prejudice or discrimination, she shared a story of when she was in high school having a best friend tell her she could not invite her to her wedding because she was black and her parents did not like black people. I saw how this story still brought intense emotions (S.E. personal communication, 9-6-16). Even though she experienced this, today she remembers how she felt at that moment and encourages all ethnicities and background to respect, accept, and learn from each other. Now I see how I have grown to accept and appreciate diversity, it was how I was raised despite how my mother was raise and experience intense discrimination and hatred. Religion, discrimination, and family are culturally-relevant areas in my upbringing. After interviewing some of my family members, I have gotten a better understanding of my personal history and the African American culture. Research, interviews, and personal experiences have assisted in gaining a better understanding of my cultural beliefs and values. I am more aware of my social, cultural, and family background.
African American Culture My sister described our family and cultural background as
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As cited in Brown et. Al (2013), African American value extended family connections. It also states that the well-being of the family is emphasized in African American. My family is a prime example of how this statement is true. For instance, most of the answers provided by my family member via interview emphasis our family as a whole. My mother expressed how she values how our family “takes care of each other no matter what, we protect each other” (S.E. personal communication, 9-6-16). My aunt states “I feel fortunate to have a group of people backing me at all times” when describing how she felt towards her family and cultural identity (T.W., personal communication, 9-6-16). One can say, when one family member is struggling, we all are
The African-American family is defined as networks of households related by blood, marriage, or function that provide basic instrumental and expressive functions of the family to the members of those networks (Hill, 1999). It is one of the strongest institutions throughout history, and still today. Family strengths are considered to be cultural assets that are transmitted through socialization from generation to generation and not merely adaptations or coping responses to contemporary racial or economic oppression (McDaniel 1994; Hill 1999). This definition is contrary to the belief that the Black family is an adaptation to harsh conditions, instead of an ongoing establishment. Hill (1999) discusses some of the qualities as effective for the survival of black families: strong achievement and work orientation, flexible family roles and strong kinship bonds, and strong religious orientation. These strengths, along with others can be emphasized in schools and used to motivate African-American students to succeed.
Africanisms in America are a highly surveyed topic for the black community. Joseph E. Holloway describes Africanisms as “those elements of culture found in the New World that are traceable to an African origin” (Holloway 2). I believe, that africanisms are the traditions and cultural behaviors of African Americans that resemble the some of the same traditions and cultures in Africa. Which makes you ponder about what current elements does our culture use that ties back to Africa. Which in fact there are several africanisms that still exist. African Americans have retained an essence of Africa in their speech, hair care, clothing, preparation of foods, and music by over centuries of separation from the Dark Continent.
African-American is a politically correct term used to refer to blacks within the United States. The roots of many African-American rites can be traced back to African cultural rites. However, it is important to note that not all blacks in America identify with African cultural roots. Therefore, some of the rites found within what many in the United States call African-American culture stem from Caribbean and other cultural traditions. For this reason, when making end of life decisions or funeral arrangements the “cultural identification, spirituality and the social class” the individual identifies with must be taken into account. The black majority within the United States identifies with Afrocentric traditions and perspectives. For this reason the term African-American will be used within this paper to denote the black population found in America as comparisons are made regarding how end of life decisions are viewed and made by African-American culture verses the traditional western European beliefs of American culture (Barrett, 2002).
African-American parents and grandparents play a pivotal role in the socialization of children as they help
My status as a young African-American Muslim female, has impacted the way I view certain situations. I was born and raised in Canada, but was raised by immigrants from Somalia. This has provided me with the ability to see situations from a Canadian perspective, as well as the perspective of my parents, who were raised
While I never knew my father, I did grow to know the challenges faced by African Americans. I first began to feel different when I transferred from public to private middle school. People began asking about my ethnicity for the first time in my life. Until this time, it had never seemed important. Although I had never been overly fond of my curly hair, it, along with other traits deemed too 'ethnic' looking, now became a source of shame. I had a few not so affectionate nicknames because of those curls. I was shocked to realize that people considered me different or less desirable because of these physical traits. Being turned away from an open house in my twenties was just as shocking as being ...
There’s an Igbo and Yoruba proverb that states, “It takes a whole village to raise a child” (cite). This quote explains that a strong support system that is extended to relatives and family friends assists with an individual’s human behavior development and social environment. With African American culture, the relationship with religion entails that we possess a strong spiritual belief. Therefore shows that religion provides a sense of power and purpose greater than self through worship and praise as a substitute for mental and medical assistance in the African-American community. Hispanic cultures beliefs about health and illness The essence of both family and religion contributes similarities within these cultures because it helps with (idek). However, one of the differences of African-American and Hispanic cultures is their verbal and non-verbal communication (). For instance, Hispanics will not make direct eye contact as a sign of respect, uses a medium to high-level gestures, and their intrapersonal distance is less than an arm’s length. Alternatively, African-Americans typically convey themselves directly and lengthy for dialogue, uses frequent and sporadic large gestures, and interpersonal distance extends from appromixely four to twelve feet
...w subjects, but there were two statements that I shall forever play over and over in my mind. She said: “It takes a village to raise a child” and the second statement she made:”When we recognize our talents we need to share them with our communities and the country.” We also discussed my African ancestors, and I shared with her that because of this research, I would not only like to have my DNA tested to see where my roots began but I would like to conduct research of my family tree. Everyone should know not only where they come from but who they come from.
Everyone is raised within a culture with a set of customs and morals handed down by those generations before them. Most individual’s view and experience identity in different ways. During history, different ethnic groups have struggled with finding their place within society. In the mid-nineteen hundreds, African Americans faced a great deal of political and social discrimination based on the tone of their skin. After the Civil Rights Movement, many African Americans no longer wanted to be identified by their African American lifestyle, so they began to practice African culture by taking on African hairdos, African-influenced clothing, and adopting African names. By turning away from their roots, many African Americans embraced a culture that was not inherited, thus putting behind the unique and significant characteristics of their own inherited culture. Therefore, in an African American society, a search for self identity is a pervasive theme.
Women of the blues brought the black culture to a new chapter of recognition. They made blues as a popular music, and gave an opportunity to black culture to be accepted and also gave the people a chance to do something (a job) beyond the scope of plantation. They brought the blues to a performance stage and make it more universal so they can fit in not just to black listeners but also the white. Although on their first performance their blues were not considered as the real blues, because blues was considered to be man culture and in order to be able to sing the blues, a man should experience a journey mostly a bitter journey. Actually the women also experienced a journey and it was not a merely sweet and easy journey. Women had to sing from one club to another, from one city to another, they were live on the road. Living such life was not easy at all; women also had to deal with the dark side of an entertainment world.
Black culture in our society has come to the point where it is allied with pop culture. The most popular music genres, slang terms, to dance forms it all comes from black culture. Hip hop emerged from black culture, becoming the soul of it that is seen in the media. Hip hop helped the black community by creating new ways of expressing themselves, from breakdance, graffiti, rap and other music, to slang. This culture was rooted in their tradition and created from something new. Hip hop created a new form of music that required the use of turn tables, ‘cuts’, loops, rhythm, rhyme, stories, and deep-rooted emotions, but also incorporated black oral forms of storytelling using communal authors.
Traditions are practices/beliefs that are passed down from generation to generation. In traditional African societies, a kinship ties people through birth or marriage. There are two kinds of relationships in customary African tradition; those bound by blood, which are called consanguine, and those constructed by marriage, called affilial. There are four key descents that determine inheritance and marriage. However, the most common descent is patrilineal, which traces ancestry through one's father. While in America, we are vary tolerant of tracing our descent from both parents.
To me, family is the most important thing in my life. They always encourage me to be the best I can be and nothing more. A quote that I think describes family to me is one by Alex Haley that states, “In every conceivable manner, the family is the link to our past, and bridge to our future.” Through the stories I hear from my mother and grandmother, I have a clear link to my families past and the generation of women that led to me. All the values these women held close to them throughout the years have led to the formation of myself and my values. Over the past three generations, the women in my family have overcome oppression. My mother, growing up in a time where women could never have aspirations to be CEO’s or politicians, somehow came out stronger. She saw what she didn’t want for her future, and jumped at the chance to start a new life in America. No single model of family life characterizes the American family, despite ideological beliefs to the contrary (Andersen). My family couldn’t be labeled an “Italian family” or an “American family.” We are a mix of the two cultures and ideologies, which is what makes us different. I am the first women in my mother’s family to be born and raised in America. My great grandmother had a complete different childhood and adolescence experience than I yet we still have a common cultural base. All her ideals were passed onto my grandmother, than all the down to me, a hundred years in the making to become who I am
I grew up in a large extended family with my brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, and uncles being a significant part of my life. My parents taught me that family, related or not related, would always be there to support you. They instilled in me that family does not just consist of my blood relatives but the people I invited into my life. They also taught me what it means to be loyal and no matter what your family will always stand beside you. These are the kind of values that I want to instill in my children to become productive members of society. Growing up in a military environment helped shape my moral philosophy of respect for everyone’s culture while still understanding that there are some common principles that should be understood across cultures. My father would always say “Wrong is wrong is wrong no matter how you want to flip that bird.” I never understood that saying until I was older and realize that some things are just inherently wrong. Dealing with racism, challenged me to keep true to my values by allowing me to accept that some people believed that the races should not mix but also recognizing that that particular belief is misguided. Facing people with those types of beliefs was extremely difficult because I was fearful of how they would treat my daughter or my family. With so
Having a strong foundation is something that has been passed down from our ancestors post slavery, which was used to help my family form their ethnic identity as African Americans. Ethnicity refers to a social group’s distinct sense of belongingness as a result of common culture and descent (Organista, Marin, & Chun, 2010). This influenced my family to raise me with awareness of family structure, old fashion southern culture, and valuable beliefs that molded me into the woman that I am today. Along with my family’s ethnic identity, I also have my own self -identity, which is my identity as a mother and a student. However, my family’s ethnic identity along with my own self-identity was not always seen as socially excepted or