African American Culture Essay example - 963 Words

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†¦show more content†¦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, ri ce, okra, grits, and cotton, can be traced to African and African American influences. African American foods reflect creativeShow MoreRelatedAfrican Of African American Culture1572 Words   |  7 PagesThere is no doubt that African Americans have a rich cultural background and history like the many different ethnic groups who settled in the New World, whose origins lie in another country. For this reason, America was known as the melting pot. However, the backgrounds of each of these cultures were not always understood or, in the case of African Americans, accepted among the New World society and culture. Americans were ignorant to the possibility of differences among groups of people until informationRead MoreAfrican Americans And African American Culture953 Words   |  4 Pagesand perception of the African American culture. One common characteristic is that African Americans are much more likely to live in poverty and poverty stricken areas than White Americans (McNamara Bu rns, 2009). What I have learned it is not as simple as African Americans are poorer than White Americans. While the statement is true, it is simplistic. There are many reasons and. causes for the disparity in wealth and income between African Americans and White American. One explanation givenRead MoreAfrican Americans And African American Culture Essay1804 Words   |  8 Pagesblack America? African American culture in the United States has evolved continuously throughout United States history carrying on various cultural traditions of African ethnic groups brought here during slavery. The U.S. Census Bureau defines African Americans as a person having origins in any of the Black race groups of Africa.[1]. African American culture is derived chiefly from people originated from sub-Saharan and Sahelian cultures in Africa. Over hundreds of years, black culture has partiallyRead MoreAfrican Americans And The American Culture Essay1630 Words   |  7 PagesThe American culture is define to everyone in their own way. Everyone grows up differently in a particular community that shares the same languages, values, rules, and customs. The American Culture on that is consider to be a â€Å"melting pot†, because of all the different cultures that reside inside of it making it so diverse. Race in this country has never been a great topic throughout history. African Americans play a huge role into defining what our culture is as a whole, as well as being a partRead MoreThe Evolution Of African American Culture1508 Words   |  7 PagesMy NHD research paper is about the evolution of African American culture. I choose this topic because I have always curious about my culture and I wanted to learn more about my history and where I came from. I’ve seen a couple of movies and read a few things, but this time it is actual research the facts and I get to understand and interpret all of the information. Some of the movies that I’ve seen are 12 Years a Slave, Roots and a few other ones. Those movies helped me think about the topicsRead MoreAppropriation Of African American Culture1119 Words   |  5 Pagesdisrespectful and harmful to the culture being appropriated. In everyday society, African-American culture is being used to be â€Å"cool† and â€Å"different†. The fact that society values a white person for doing the same things black people having being doing for decades, â€Å"everyone wants to be black until it’s time to be black†, and allowing people to remain prejudice and/or ignore the racism the black community deals with, has led me to believe that the appropriation of African-American culture is significant and itsRead MoreThe Segregation Of African American Culture835 Words   |  4 PagesI feel for the most part the characteristics in this united or consistent with my experience in the African American culture. Slavery did set us back some years, but I have to say it has made us stronger. Most of us had to face great obstacles to get in a good place, but no matter what we keep making it through the adversity. After slavery, we as a culture had to make it through the jim crow laws. This sparked the civil right movement that gave blacks a voice to speak out against the injustice thatRead More Essay on African American Culture2045 Words   |  9 PagesEssay on African American Culture Works Cited Missing African American culture is defined as the learned, shared and transmitted values, beliefs, norms, and life ways carried by this group of people, which guides their decisions, thinking, and actions in patterned ways. The individual in society is bound by rules of their culture. Culture of people are different in that the same events that maybe fear- inducing in one culture, maybe anger-inducing in another culture (Leiningers, 1991). Read MoreOverview of African-American Culture1898 Words   |  8 PagesBeing a resident of South Carolina, African-American Culture was chosen as part of the applied learning project for the Intercultural Nursing class, because African-Americans make up more than a quarter of this state’s population. According to the 2010 United States Census Bureau, the total population for South Carolina (S.C.) is 4,625,364, with 27.9% being of African-American descent. The purpose of this paper is to develop an understanding and sensitivity to issues and cultural variances or phenomenaRead MoreBody Image : The African American Culture1667 Words   |  7 PagesImage in the African American Culture Today we live in a society that over the years has become so obsessed with body image and how an individual should look. Different cultures have different standards and norms that help to define their ideal body image. African Americans because of their differences in culture have gone against most cultural norms and have set their own definitions of beauty, body image, and body satisfaction. Because of these key differences, the African American community