African American Culture and Traditions

Marcus Garvey, a ‘proponent of Black Nationalism and Pan-Africanism movements” (), once stated that “a people without knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” (Good Reads Quotes) He was in fact very much so right. Most people in this world care about where they come from, who they descended from and where the backbone of their identity lies. Have you ever wondered why almost most orphans tend to look for their family lines or go out in search of where they belong? It is with this very essence my quest to look for answers and investigate about two very distinct yet similar groups. The groups I examine throughout this paper are Africans and African-Americans. What I seek to find out is why two very ‘distinct’ yet similar groups of people fail to see eye to eye, judging from the fact that Africans and African-Americans look alike, originated from Africa and their histories and culture somehow intertwine with each other. The main question here really is: what are the factors that hinder the relationship between Africans and African-American people.

Still between 1865 and 1876, there was a culture identity crisis for African Americans. We cannot explain the roots of African American culture without

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.

Since the beginning of slavery, there has always been a distinct line drawn between African Americans and whites. Whites were known as the superior group in all areas of life in the 19th century. From life to death, whites have always had the greatest authority in any given issue. Even after slavery ended, segregation laws were created to keep African Americans in their ‘place’. To help get a better look into what African Americans did to survive spiritually and socially we must use the cultural and social lenses.

There are myriad reasons that some diverse informal elder caregivers do not self-identify as caregivers, but the most common reason in the African American community is their eldercare ethos. Anderson and Turner (2010) assert that the West African legacy of strong kinship bonds combined with historical factors of discrimination, has shaped the lives of African Americans and has greatly influenced their later-life caregiving decision-making process. Studies have also shown that African Americans prefer to rely on family and fictive kin or kinship networks (nonrelatives) and avoid using former eldercare services because of distrust of their services (Apesoa-Varano et al., 2015). Anderson and Turner (2010) concur and share their research reveals

The documentary, The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross, allows one to experience African American history through key historical sites, and interviews with living eyewitnesses such as those who fought during the well-known civil-rights movement. The documentary sheds light on the experience of African Americans, both in the past and today. The information presented in class further aids in detailing how African American history shaped the African American community in regards to support systems, crises, but most importantly, how these individuals used resiliency to overcome their trials and tribulations towards a fights for rights, freedom, and respect. During the six episodes, one will see that the road and battle to freedom for blacks in America was not linear, but rather complex and difficult- it was much like the course of a river, full of loops and turns, sometimes slow, and sometimes reversing the current of advancement. Although enslavement led to the creation of the African American people, it manifested into the multiplicity of cultural institution, beliefs, and religion and social institutions that the African American people have established- along with their strength and resiliency. From slavery, lynching’s, and the many marches and protests led by phenomenal black leaders, to the gained freedoms and the first black president in the White House, the documentary, The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross, details an engaging journey through African-American history from a perspective that thoroughly reflects the lives of African-Americans and the community in its

the United States against their free will. Blacks from the Caribbean and other areas of the world

African American identity was established during the slavery period producing a dynamic culture that has had and continues to have a profound impact on American culture. According to research, African American culture developed separately from European American culture both slavery and the persistence of racial discrimination in America. African American slaves desire to create and maintain their own traditions. We

The culture back then still impacts us today, because the unique pottery and grass baskets are still made today by African Americans that are trying to preserve that way of life and sharing it.They also had unique dances and songs that they would sing and still do. They believed that the drums and songs and also the dancing pleased the gods. They used herbs for medicine, but mostly just prayed to their god to heal the sick man or

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.

After interpreting each participant responses to each question, I consider influences that could affect respondents such as; society values, cultural/ subcultural values, and personal values. Starting with question number one all respondents answered in similar ways by starting with introducing body parts with their children. Each introduce anatomy with proper terms. Respondent number two said “silly names” shows society not being comfortable talking about sex. Respondents one and two are both sexual health educators which has affected how they raise their children. Depending on culture, sex is not easy topic for parent or children be open and comfortable. Respondent one and three is African American women. In this sub-cultural, sex it not something you discuss with parents until you are much older. But personal I see it as they are breaking habits in African American culture. Respondent number three in my opinion answered in fear of someone touching her children. I believe that her responses were hyper-sensitive and could relate to trauma or personal experience. We’ve talked about fear in our class and how powerful it can be. Although, each participant started having the sex talk with their kids the ages slightly differed in a year or two when the sex talk was delivered to children.

The group was influenced by white Americans early in history, but recently African Americans have begun influencing white Americans. Since African Americans have a relatively negative past, there are many articles and journals throughout American history written on the effect of African American culture on America and the world, and vice versa. This vast documentation of the group is found everywhere. Cultural changes of African Americans are found in many newspaper articles, history books, memoirs, and journals of academic study. The university library has a vast array of historical references of African Americans, and student journals from universities are available through the internet. The internet allowed me to find many university journals written throughout the late 19th century. The fact that African American culture is very prominent and diverse also gives the opportunity for personal experiences and stories from historians and survivors of oppression throughout history. This oral source of information would give a more personalized version of how experience of culture has affected an individual. This source would be useful because the personal view of someone in a certain culture is essential to understanding that culture and its effects from the inside out. This availability of information about African American culture makes it a topic that allows for a lot of freedom in

Who are we, where did we come from, what has been our experience since we landed on United States soil? The migration of Africans has been very significant in the making of African Americans history and culture. Today's 35 million African Americans are heirs to all the migrations that have formed and transformed African America, the United States, and the Western Hemisphere (The New York Public Library, n.d.). African American history starts in the 1500s with the first Africans coming from Mexico and the Caribbean to the Spanish territories of Florida, Texas, and other parts of the South (The New York Public Library, n.d.). Although

Scholars have dedicated their time and attention to furthering the discipline of African American Studies and can define the field with many different definitions. Through looking at the origins and development in the study we can see how it became a legitimate academic field. As we study the writings of the African American intellect, it will fully explain the importance of the discipline. Their work will justify the study of cultural and historical experiences of Africans living in Africa or the African Diaspora. When examining the scholar’s arguments we can develop our own intellectually informed rationalization of the field of African American Studies.

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.