Growing Up African American

As of 2015 the U.S Census Bureau revealed that approximately 116 million families are living in the United States. These families possess their own unique style, culture and set of beliefs. My family, consisting of my married parents and my older sister, are no different in the aspect that we too hold our own set of beliefs. The socially constructed term ‘family’ traditionally is defined as a unit that is related by marriage or blood, share financial responsibilities and care for any children/dependents (Lofquist et al., 2012). Growing up as a Haitian American, my ideas of what it means to be a family have been greatly influenced by my cultures and my religion. The Haitian culture greatly emphasizes family relationships and familial

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.

There are many questions that a researcher can explore to paint a grander depiction of this racial group. This research paper will be examining three aspects of African American culture by evaluating and analyzing three distinct questions, that all simultaneously relate to the prejudice mentality, stereotyping and discrimination of African American people in the United states of America. The

I am an African America child living. It is the summer of 1979 and I am incredibly hot right now. I live in Wyoming. There are not a lot of people who appear similar to me here. I talk to my mother plus ask her many questions. I remember asking her, “Why am I called an African American?” My mother went on to say that our race originated in Africa. After she explained this to me I asked her, “How did we get here?” She replied by explaining that we were first people sent here as early as 1619 (Robinson, 1999). My mother went on to explain to me that we were part of a slave trade. I learned that we were slaves until a law was passed to give us freedom. I occasionally wonder

There 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 information and ideas started to emerge, particularly, the African retention theories. This sparked an interest in the field of African culture and retention in African Americans. However, the study of African American culture truly emerged as a result of increased awareness in America, specifically through the publication and findings of scholarly research and cultural events like the Harlem Renaissance where all ethnicities were able to see this rich historical culture of African Americans.

Despite the large amount of stereotypes and disdain held for black people, being African American is something that I have become extremely proud of. My deep seeded pride stems from the accomplishments of my ancestors and the immense amount of responsibility placed on my shoulders as a black person. As a people, African Americans have endured and persevered through a large part of history where they have been mistreated and exploited by others countries. Therefore, when I look back at the lives of my ancestors, I am humbled, as I see the enormous amount of perseverance and fortitude needed to get through through the times they lived through. Moreover, I am astonished when I look at their accomplishments such as the White House, the Washington

My research question is: Does the term African American offends heritages that are classified within that label/category? For some time now, there’s been a battle about the term African America, whether is suitable for all black races in America. I do not think it is. The term leaves out other black heritages in America that usually would go into that label/category.

As I sit here and think about what it is to be Black in America. I realize how there are so many factors that affect African American people daily. One of the most damaging forces tearing at young black people in America today is the popular culture's image of what an "authentic" black person is supposed to look like and how that person is supposed to act. People assume all black males where raised in a single parent home. People assume that if you are a black male, that you sale drugs or you are really great in some type of sport. If you are a black female, they assume you will have kids by different men, referred to as “baby daddy” or they may not even know who the fathers of their children are. This same society expects African

I identify myself as a person of African descent. Therefore, I call myself an African American. What is generally understood by the term African American is that African origination became mixed with American culture to produce a hybrid identity, a mixed identity. The phrase also can be used to identify my ancestors that were brought here from Africa by the European settlers. As an African American, I think that term is politically correct because it helps us to find an identity, to position ourselves, within American culture and on the other hand, it also gives recognition to my African origin.

Growing up as a young African American girl in Philadelphia was not always easy, however, having a strong family structure, old fashion southern culture, and beliefs have molded me into the strong women that I am today. Now that I am a mother, following my family’s culture and beliefs are not always the easiest thing to do. Times has changed and I feel like I am forced to conform to the everyday social norms of America, which makes me feel impuissance. Yes, growing up was not easy, but my family and youth kept me in the dark when it came to how society treats individuals of darker complexion, what to expect once I left the confines of my family and neighborhood, and how to befriend or interact with individuals of other racial groups. All of the things that I listed were things that I had to learn through trial and error, which makes life a little harder than it already is.

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

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

My race represents my ancestors who are a part of me. To gain more insight on identity and racism, and the effect on each other, I contacted Trevor Musa who is African American and studies African American history. Mr. Musa stated that,

What are you? Do you classify yourself as simply black, African-American, or do you not know? When I ask what are you, I am asking you about your roots, the roots that make you, you. My roots is what I use to differentiate myself because I am more than just an American and I am more than just black. Nowadays black identity is used not only as a race but as ethnicity, including for people who do not know their heritage. On the other hand, freedom for people in the black race is much more than it was in the 20th century. Although, the black race have civil rights, racial issues still continue to exist today.

The term “African-American” is very controversial to black Americans. There is a large debate over "the meaning of the African-American experience and who is (and isn’t) part of it" (Berlin). In the magazine article, “The Changing Definition of African-American: How the great influx of people from Africa and the Caribbean since 1965 is challenging what it means to be African-American”, author Ira Berlin raises the “not my history” phenomenon which entails the idea that labelling someone as African-American is more of an ethnicity title rather than an actual race. Similarly, in the article, “Where I'm From”, author Aisha Harris gets across that “the term African-American doesn't quite suit [her] identity” but at the same time she comes to a conclusion that when people asked about her ethnicity, “black wasn't a sufficient answer” immediately laying out a constant struggle she faces with her ethnicity as well as showing many black people do not accept the simple answer of being black for ethnicity (Harris).