African American Culture
Culture is not a fixed phenomenon, nor is it the same in all places or to all people. It is relative to time, place, and particular people. Learning about other people can help us to understand ourselves and to be better world citizens. One of the most common ways of studying culture is to focus on the differences within and among cultures. Although their specifics may vary form one culture to another, sociologists refer to those elements or characteristics that can be found in every know society as cultural universals. For example, in all societies, funeral rites include expression of grief, disposing of the dead, and rituals that define the relations of the dead with the living. And on the most
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Many of our life lessons were often given by our elders in the form of stories, jokes, and the spirituals which serve often song in the fields, as well as, on Sunday mornings. Yet, as a people, we thought it necessary to hold on these priceless teachings because it has served as the only link to our African ancestry. African American culture is both part of and distinct from American culture. African Americans have contributed literature, agricultural skills, foods, clothing, dance, and language to American culture. There are distinctive patterns of language use among African Americans that arose as creative responses to the hardships imposed on the African American community. Slave-owners forced African Americans to create a language that allowed them to communicate effectively with one another. Slaves were not allowed the opportunity to read and write because most slave owners thought they would find a way to buy their freedom if they knew how to read and write. Significant numbers of people still speak some of the Creole languages they used to communicate so many years ago. Agriculture and food is also a unique aspect of African American culture. The cultivation and use of many agricultural products, such as yams, peanuts, rice, okra, grits, and cotton, can be traced to African and African American influences. African American foods reflect creative
African Americans fought to keep their culture when they were brought over to America. Slaves were not given education because the slave owners believed that the knowledge would give them too much power (“Celebrate”, 2016). Many African American stories and traditions have been passed down orally since their ancestors did not know how to read or write. Music is important to the African American culture. Music was and is a way to pass on history, teaches lessons, and relay messages. Some popular types of music are ragtime, jazz, blues, swing, and R&B although African Americans enjoy all types of music (“Celebrating”, 2016). African Americans have fought for centuries to keep their cultural traditions alive and some have remained, but their unique culture is not as prevalent as
Individuality was not stressed but rather the importance of the extended family. I believe that African Americans suffering through the hardships of slavery strengthened the idea of kinship even further. The unity of the African culture became strong due to a series of trials and tribulations.
In order to provide culturally appropriate care, an examination of one's personal views, beliefs, and prejudices must be examined. The first portion of this paper will examine my personal values, beliefs, biases, and prejudices. The remaining paper will analyze the African American culture relating to the Ginger and Davidhizar's Transcultural Assessment Model cited in Hood (2010). This model uses six key cultural elements that include communication, space, social organization, time, environment, and biological variations. This model provides a systematic approach for assessing culturally diverse clients. I will also discuss an aspect of care that I would
“Culture is sometimes described as a lens through which we view the world, meaning that one’s culture influences their perceptions and interactions in everyday life” (Davis, 2006). Every culture has different beliefs and customs
Artwork has been an imperative part of Black culture, and many artist share their inspirations coming from African origins. From the beginning of slave societies to present day, African America artwork has contributed to large parts of United States artistic collection. Beginning in the early 1600 to 1800 “black art took the form of small drums, quilts, wrought-iron figures and ceramic vessels in the southern United States. These artifacts have similarities with comparable crafts in West and Central Africa.” The significance of the
African American, also known Black American, is a very mixed and compacted culture. From history to present day, traditions taken back from slavery to the hip hop age. Incorporating details from all different times in history. Starting with the Music, African Americans have a very intellectual way of expressing their feelings, pain, history and teaching lessons, which really started from old hymns sung by slaves. From Jazz, to blues, to hip hop, all different forms of music to express the way of their lives. Music isn’t the only thing African Americans have to be proud of, they also so have a strong background of cultural food. Soul Food is very common and eaten by many across the world, and is used a lot with another tradition of African
While this is true, I grew up in a neighborhood where the majority of residents were all African-American. When I was at home and around my family I ate Nigerian food, answered by my Nigerian name, went to Nigerian events and was raised in a Nigerian way. However, when I went to school African-American people surrounded me and their culture soon became a part of my culture as well. I grew an affinity towards Flamin’ Hots and a deep craving for Krunchy Kurls. Clothing has a prominent place in African-American culture and that impacted me as I started to wear Nike Air Force One’s so that my classmates knew that I was keeping up with the trends. Having a Baby Phat coat was a deep and unfulfilled longing of mine while in junior high. Watching hip-hop music videos on 106 & Park and learning the dances in them became an after school activity of mine. To this day I still know how to crank that Soulja Boy. Identifying with the African-American culture was the linking factor between my friends and me. We would watch the BET awards and go to school the next day and rave about Bow Wow’s performance. We all believed that our mother made the best macaroni and cheese and we’d mock anyone who made it from a box. If I didn’t identify with their culture I’d have nothing to talk about with my friends and I would’ve been shunned to hang amongst the
Culture is the characteristics of group that contain their language, religion, music, food, social habits, and arts. Culture can be learned or transmitted by experience and participation. African American culture has been passed through many generations, and still contains many elements like those of a ring shout. African American culture has been changed, but like a tree still contains its roots. From call-and-response to a simple rift or guitar being strung without African American much of today’s music would be much different.
When figuring out where African American culture derived from many ideas may come to mind. Culture is a set of values, customs, or beliefs held by a group of people. African American culture is composed of many things when it comes to the musical aspect. Today’s music and African American music from slavery days are related. Dances, songs, and performance habits are well alive and being weaved into todays culture.
A small number of themes are present over time, from America’s first settlements of the English to the present day. Of course race is one of these themes, which includes the contact between the natives and the European explorers, along with the issues of multiple ethnicities in America. Over the years, the people in American were becoming more and more conscious about a number of extremely important issues on the topic of ethnicity. The one theme that I think is the most important to single out is the story of the relationship of African Americans to the South, as well as to the rest of the country. There is a significant amount of irony, as well as tragedy, during this period of African American history, but also much perseverance and success.
The Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Kofi Annan, once said, “We may have different religions, different languages, different colored skin, but we only belong to one human race”. When someone is given advantages or disadvantages because of their skin color, that is racial inequality. African Americans have a disadvantage when it comes to police, jobs, and even education. It is not right for people to be treated different just because of their skin color. America has not yet received racial equality, even after hundreds of years.
There are so many more food that relate to other cultures. I just discussed the one I have seen. I have African and Native American friends and I have tried their cultural foods. I would think the food are delicious. Plus, they are quite similar to the food I grew up with. This assignment helped me to see the cross cultural between all the cultures especially in
African American culture in the United States refers to the cultural contributions of Americans African descent to the culture of the United States, either as part of or distinct from American culture. The distinct identity of African American culture is rooted in the historical experience of the African American people. The culture is both distinct and enormously influential to American culture as a whole. African-American culture is rooted in Africa. It is a blend of chiefly sub-Saharan African and Sahelean cultures. Although slavery greatly restricted the ability of Americans of African descent to practice their
African-American culture is primarily rooted in West and Central Africa, and the majority of African-Americans have ancestry among the Yoruba people. Doing
In the present time the African American culture changed quite a bit in being removed from where they as a people originated or should I say their homeland from whence they came. African American people are a people who are influenced tremendously from their fore fathers and mothers who lived in the southern part of the United States. The nomenclature for this group is to include African American, Black Americans or people of color. I prefer to use African American at this time since I am preferably writing about my own cultural background.