Essay On African American Ethnic Identity

There are two different dimensions of our identities: ethnicity and race. Ethnicity refers to one’s belonging to a specific cultural, or racial group that makes up culture, race language, and/or place of origin. For example, one can be African-American but have different ethnicities, one African-American and the other African-Caribbean decent. Race is a social construct that can be changed over time. Historically, referring to its specific characteristics one possesses based on: ethnicity, religion, or language; today's its classified solely based upon the color of one’s skin. Nevertheless, ethnic and racial identities are important and instill a sense of belonging and identifying with that specific group through attitude, behaviors. Moreover,

African American Studies is a very complex subject. To confuse African American studies with black history is a common occurrence. African American studies is much deeper and more profound than just Black history alone. There are many unanswered and unasked questions among the Black American culture which causes confusion and misunderstanding in modern day society. In unit one there were many themes, concepts, and significant issues in the discipline of Africana studies. Both W.E.B Du Bois and Vivian V. Gordan touched on many concerns.

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

1 . What issues most concerned black political leaders during Reconstruction? Reconstruction brought important social changes to former slaves. Families that had been separated before and during the Civil War were reunited, and slave marriages were formalized through legally recognized ceremonies. Families also took advantage of the schools established by the Freedmen's Bureau and the expansion of public education, albeit segregated, under the Reconstruction legislatures. New opportunities for higher education also became available with the founding soon after the Civil War of black colleges, such as Howard University in Washington, D.C., and Fisk University in Nashville,

One can say that we live in a country that under the constitution states that there is justice for all citizens, we are all granted equal protection under the law, and we have equality for all; but yet people are still fighting for equality. Blacks are being victimized by the system that causes them to be treated unfairly by the police which leads then to dealing with discriminatory sentencings for small crimes, and they would forever live in this vicious cycle that was created to put Blacks away. There are many laws, policies, and legislations that are set in place to keep certain groups of people oppressed without even openly stating which group of people would be oppressed. Race and crime, as two significant social phenomena, are

Inmy research paper I will be defining African American Culture and I also will be discussing things such as slavery, family relations, hairstyles, art forms, food, heath issues, symbolism, traditional beliefs and also why this topic is relevant to today culture and how this information can benefit Black American in today society. African American Culture in the United States refer to the cultural contributions of African ethnic groups to the culture of the United States, either as part of or distinct from American Culture.   African

Many individuals see race and ethnicity as meaning the same thing but in reality they are separate and both have their own distinct identities. Race refers to the biological traits like our physical appearance, eye color, skin color and characteristics set by society that we identify with. Ethnicity on the other hand, is the culture, language, and

Ethnic and Racial Minorities have played a huge role if not the biggest role in developing America and making our nation what it is today. Almost 50% of the United States population is made of these minorities. Within that minority group there is over 10 different racial differences. We fought wars over these differences and the government had to pass laws because of the racial and ethnic minorities. From the civil war, to the Civil Rights Movement, to us having our first African American President ever currently in office. We have come along way since the beginning. African Americans, not only them but many other groups as well know their self worth and know how much their life is worth and are not willing to give up. The Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964 which made discrimination against someone based on their sex, religion, or race illegal. The end of slavery in 1863 which changed the lives of millions. Native Americans being accepted and actually helping during WWII with secret coding. Many groups may not seem important but are just as important to the United States as every other race. They have shaped America into the nation it is today.

Assess the materials presented by the National Genome Research Institute in the understanding of the identity and health of African Americans. Note: you may focus on any or a combination of the following major headings: the Ancestral history from genomic information and historical records, Ethnic identity and cultural diversity from historical and genomic information, and the arts and culture from ancestral information.

The “Americanization” process of slaves brought to America is one that has been debated. Some say the slaves brought to America quickly abandoned most of their African ways and adopted the dominant culture against those who stress the continuing African cultural legacy among black Americans. The Africans that were brought to America involuntarily essentially remained Africans at heart. The descendants of Africans that were brought to America were not like the original Africans or white Americans. They were heavily influenced by the behavior of their masters but maintained some of their African culture. They formed a new culture known as African-American.

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

Improving yourself is a great thing you could do, but what if you improved your whole community? African Americans have been together for numerous centuries, especially in the 19th century. Joined together, they have created things they never thought they could ever achieve. They improved themselves through communication, different preaching ways, and believing. African Americans had started to believe in God as a way of hope for them through the harsh times of slavery. Later, when they started to gain a higher voice, black leaders took a stand to speak out against slavery. Their Church is one of the things they could look forward to going to every time they were in a bad state of mind. They could go there to preach together as a community. The churches made by African Americans had joined them together to make something more than they ever thought they could achieve.

African Americans/Blacks/Negroes have no genuine feeling of identity. In case you 're African American, you 're more than likely far expelled from the African landmass and society. On the off chance that you utilize "black" or "Negro" you 're helped to remember the racial implications of subjection, brought on by the racists of that time. Just those from the Caribbean islands like Jamaica, Trinidad, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Barbados have a genuine feeling of their character and society. Due to these reasons, it turns out to be somewhat hard to just slap "African American," "Black" or "Negro" as markers of Identity.

For many years, African-American culture developed separately from Westernized culture, both because of slavery and the persistence of racial discrimination in America. As a result, African-American slave descendants desired to create and maintain traditions of their own. Today, African-American culture has become a staple facet of American culture while still maintaining its individuality. African Americans who remained in the South have carved out their own path that continuously influences the socioeconomic and

People are usually categorized in terms of race and/or ethnicity. Race is a term typically used to classify people according to similar and specific physical characteristics. Ethnicity is a term more broadly used that connects people according to an inherited status such as: a shared ancestry, language, history, religion, cuisine, art, clothing style, and/or physical appearance, etc.