African-American culture encompasses various aspects, including food, music, and display rules. Black children live in various family structures, including married, cohabiting, coparenting, and single-parenting households. Sixty-four percent of Black children live in single-parent families, which may include extended family members. These unique dynamics within African American families have been instrumental in overcoming challenges and fostering a strong sense of community.
Historical and cultural influences on African-American family life include contemporary economic hardship, the historic constraints of slavery, and integration of African cultures. Family engagement traditions help create a foundation for unity and growth within Black families, especially around holidays. For Black families, traditions are more than just routines; they celebrate heritage and tradition.
African American families have transcended adversity by relying on important cultural and social aspects. They have long valued love and connection over biology alone, reflecting a sense of community and collective identity. The diversity of African American family structures through history, including nuclear families, extended families, augmented families, single-parent families, and remarried or family structure, is examined.
Culturally, Black Americans have long highly valued romantic partnerships, marriage, and children. However, institutional research affirms their espousal of collectivistic values emphasizing family closeness, community bonding, and spiritual beliefs. African-American parents tend to be more hierarchical in relationships with their children, holding demanding standards for their families. Religion is also an important facet of African American tradition, offering hope, support, and connection.
Family has been the bedrock of African American culture from times of slavery through the tumultuous days of mandated racial segregation.
| Article | Description | Site |
|---|---|---|
| Family, Economic, and Geographic Characteristics of Black … | Family structure. Culturally, Black Americans have long highly valued romantic partnerships, marriage, and children. However, institutional and … | childtrends.org |
| African-American culture | African American culture encompasses many aspects, including spiritual beliefs social customs, lifestyles, and worldviews. | en.wikipedia.org |
| Cultural Values and Behavior Among African American … | by EP Smith · 2019 · Cited by 53 — Previous research on African-Americans born in the U.S. affirms their espousal of collectivistic values emphasizing family closeness, community bonding and … | pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov |
📹 Do African Americans have a culture?
Welcome Black! In this video, I answer the question of whether or not African Americans have a culture. I analyze what this culture …
What Is The Family Structure Of African American Culture?
The structure of African-American families, as described by E. Franklin Frazier, encompasses two primary models: one with the father as the patriarch and sole provider, and another where the mother assumes a matriarchal role in fractured households. Historically, Black Americans have defined family not solely by biological connections but by love and relational ties, emphasizing community care and responsibility. Diverse family formats exist within the community, including single-parent, cohabiting, married, and coparenting households, with 64% of Black children living in single-parent families.
Various factors including racism, migration, and economic changes have shaped the contemporary family landscape. Research highlights that Black families often embody extended structures, with higher rates of single parenthood compared to white families. The roles of fathers within these families have evolved over time, influenced by broader social and economic changes. The essay also aims to challenge stereotypes associated with African-American family dynamics by exploring the unique cultural traditions and engagement practices that foster unity, particularly during significant holidays.
The distinct rural and urban socialization processes have led to diverse behaviors and family patterns throughout U. S. history, reinforcing the notion that family norms within the African-American community differ significantly from mainstream societal values.
What Are The Values Of Traditional African Families?
Faithfulness, hard work, communal parenting, and unity are integral to African family life, which is characterized by dynamic yet fundamental similarities and distinct regional traits. The extended family system is shaped by high fertility, patriarchy, kinship solidarity, and polygyny. This paper examines traditional African community values, including family wellness, and the repercussions of westernization on these values, drawing from academic literature.
Key aspects of African culture such as storytelling, folklore, music, and dance fortify shared traditions and ideals. The exploration assesses how modern influences challenge traditional values and highlights the necessity of critically evaluating these values to identify potentially harmful elements. It posits that traditional family structures, whether matrilineal or patrilineal, are essential for fostering solidarity and sharing experiences. African culture emphasizes cooperation and economic interdependence, primarily through agriculture and fishing, reinforcing collective responsibilities.
The paper advocates for acknowledging the relevance of these cultural values in contemporary society while managing cultural conflicts brought about by globalization. It underscores that the essence of humanity, brotherhood, and ethical values like compassion, solidarity, and cooperation are vital pillars of African traditional life. Each individual is seen as inseparable from their familial role, deeply embedded in the broader community context.
Are Black Families Diverse?
This brief emphasizes the diversity among Black families in the United States, highlighting the varying histories and backgrounds of its members, including descendants of enslaved people and new immigrants from Africa and the Caribbean. The research on Black families historically compares them to White, middle-class families, often defaulting to White cultural norms as a standard. A demographic overview reveals important considerations for policymakers focusing on family support services, including family structure.
The representation and identity of Black families have been both revered and stereotyped throughout history, demonstrating the complexity of their experiences. Current trends show increased diversity within the Black population, with many identifying as first or second-generation Americans. Despite varied backgrounds, Black Americans often share a collective identity, with those prioritizing their Black heritage more likely to resonate with their culture.
Academic investigations of Black families have typically overlooked intragroup nuances and focused on comparisons with White families. The evolution of African American family structures is shaped by historical events such as slavery, emancipation, and systemic racism. Furthermore, cultural values regarding marriage and familial relationships remain significant in these communities, even as they navigate distinct challenges. Overall, Black families reveal rich, intricate narratives that deserve acknowledgment and deeper understanding.
What Is African Family Culture?
The African family is traditionally composed of a man, a wife (or wives), and children, including adopted members, forming a kinship group based on descent or lineage. Scholars highlight polygamy as a distinctive feature of African families compared to European models. The concept of family extends beyond the nuclear structure to include extended families and communities, reflecting a vibrant African culture rooted in tradition, resilience, and values.
Family engagement, particularly among Black Americans, emphasizes love and connection over biology, fostering a sense of community. Family reunions play a crucial role in promoting cohesiveness and cultural heritage across generations. In African societies, the family is central to daily experiences, influencing living arrangements, social interactions, and marital choices.
Each individual’s identity is deeply connected to their family, which is viewed as a microcosm of the larger society, embodying mutual obligations and relationships. African families are characterized by strong kinship ties, where extended networks provide pride and security.
Moreover, traditional African family structures may be patrilineal or matrilineal, encompassing a broad network of relatives, highlighting the significance of community in both rural and urban settings. Overall, the African family is a fundamental social unit integral to societal functioning, reinforcing bonds of kinship and shared heritage.
What Is The Culture Of Each Family?
Family tradition, or family culture, encompasses the attitudes, ideas, values, and environments inherited from one's parents and ancestors. It includes the customs and morals adopted by a family, whether immediate or extended. The sociology of family involves numerous cultural factors, such as gender, age, race, and ethnicity, which shape relationships and family structures. Family culture significantly influences individual thinking, feelings, and daily actions, forming a moral compass, beliefs, and traditions.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, family culture represents the shared values and practices within a family, crafted through socialization and cultural transmission. It defines how family members interact, highlighting the importance of shared experiences in shaping identities and societal structures. Family values serve as essential principles guiding behaviors and interactions, promoting family cohesion and identity.
Families come in diverse forms, including nuclear, joint, and extended, each with unique cultural influences shaped by traditions, geographical factors, and community norms. Family culture embodies all ways families engage with each other and the outside world, incorporating morals, values, and belief systems. Many may not recognize their family as having a distinct culture; instead, they view it as a familiar group. Family traditions, such as shared meals and celebrations, play a crucial role in reinforcing bonds and passing values across generations.
What Are The Cultural Values Of African Americans?
Previous research highlights that African-Americans born in the U. S. generally value family closeness, community bonding, and solidarity, reflecting collectivistic values. However, they also embrace individualistic values, particularly the emphasis on autonomy. African-American culture is diverse, encompassing specific foods, music, and cultural practices. It spans three cultural realms: Anglo-cultural, where values align with White Americans; Minority, representing various expressions as members of minority groups; and the richness of African heritage.
A study revealed that African-American upper elementary-aged children preferred cultural and communal activities. Cultural awareness involves recognizing similarities and differences across cultural groups and is crucial for healthcare providers. Key African American cultural values include strong family bonds, rooted in historical experiences like slavery. African culture is expressed through music, dance, art, and storytelling, reflecting a vast diversity of over 1, 000 languages and various religions.
Issues such as racism, slavery, and equality have been explored in African-American literature, showcasing their ongoing struggle for representation. Celebrated during Black History Month, African Americans form the largest racial minority in the U. S., with a rich cultural legacy that influences contemporary families. The essence of African American culture resonates through spiritual beliefs, social customs, and community activism, highlighting resilience and a commitment to social justice.
What Is An Interesting Fact About African American Culture?
Black Americans have significantly shaped Southern speech, folklore, music, dance, and cuisine, merging African cultural traits with European influences. Their history is rich, featuring vital figures like inventors, civil rights leaders, and authors who have made a profound impact on American culture despite the challenges of slavery and discrimination. The Pew Research Center's analysis of the Black population in 2022 highlights aspects such as growth, diversity, geography, education, marriage, and income.
Black History Month celebrates African Americans' achievements and origins; it began in 1926 to align with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Key milestones include the first African American doctor, James McCune Smith, and the influential speeches that shaped civil rights. Over the past 40 years, educational progress has been made, though disparities remain. The cultural expressions of African Americans reveal their historical journey and influences, showcasing their essential role in shaping U. S. history through achievements in various domains, including spirituality and community-building efforts in historically Black towns.
Who Is Included In A Black Family?
The definition of "Black families" encompasses diverse structures and socioeconomic backgrounds, including those with Black adults identifying across various racial identities and immigrant families. These families are characterized by at least one self-identified Black adult related to children through birth, marriage, or choice, from infancy to adolescence. The African-American family structure has been detailed in a twelve-part typology that considers factors such as gender, marital status, and child presence, revealing varied household dynamics.
It is notable that 64% of Black children reside in single-parent homes. This dynamic has evolved amid historical challenges such as slavery, Jim Crow, and contemporary societal shifts attributed to welfare state policies. Research often contrasts Black families with White middle-class families, and this discourse invites an examination of how African Americans perceive family and kinship through ethnographic studies. The commentary highlights resilience within the Black family and explores racial socialization in multiracial Black individuals.
Complex familial networks, including extended family roles, are crucial to child rearing. Additionally, the text draws parallels to well-known families in fiction, showcasing the intertwined legacy of the Black family even within the fictional realm of the Wizarding World, marked by inbreeding and notable characters such as Sirius Black and his wealthy lineage.
What Are Some Elements Of African American Culture?
Black culture has significantly influenced various aspects of American society, particularly in music, dance, and art, giving rise to genres like jazz, blues, gospel, R&B, hip-hop, reggae, and Afrobeat. These musical forms, coupled with dance styles such as jazz and hip-hop, are integral to Black cultural expression. African-American culture is deeply rooted in African heritage, shaped by the historical contexts of slavery, the civil rights movement, and interactions with West African traditions.
Key components of this culture include cuisine, literature, language, religion, and social customs, all reflecting a rich tapestry of experiences. The cultural movement has empowered African Americans to advocate for authentic representations in media and society. Soul music, emerging in the late 1950s, epitomizes the blend of gospel and rhythm. African-American experiences and values have also influenced American history, from military conflicts to civil rights advocacy, resonating through traditions like soul food.
Misconceptions about African American identity often overlook the diversity within this community, which includes a mix of cultural roots from Africa, Europe, and the Americas. Overall, Black culture embodies a legacy of resilience and creativity, showcasing the enduring impact of African-descended people in the United States.
📹 A History Of African Family Values
Yes African Americans have culture and even sub-culture/ethnicities. We have folklore. We have everything that makes up a culture. We have VARIOUS forms of music and dance. Soul Food is the big AA export in terms of food, but we also have region specific cuisine (goes into sub-culture/ethnicity what I was explaining before). Sidebar about intestines…there’s so many other ethnic groups that eat intestines in their cuisine idk why it’s stigmatized when it comes to AA and they act like it’s solely something that we’ve historically done. Even our AAVE isn’t the same we have regional specific things. Words have meanings. Google is free. I can go on and on on this subject but yes we have culture, sub-culture/ethnicities, and heritage just like everyone else around the world. Good article for a good overall thing to say in reaction to fools who try to disrespect our collective ethnicity.
A lot of AA grow up feeling like they don’t have a culture because our culture becomes so main stream we dont even realize all the things we have done. they’re are so many things that haven’t became main stream yet or are unknown. im happy to see my people start to embrace our culture and trying to bring back old traditions and make a name for ourselves to let the whole world know that this is OUR culture!
Do we have “A” Culture? Why do people think African Americans are all the same person? There are MULTIPLE subcultures that fall under the umbrella of African American. People always talk about us like we are a monolith. YES, we African Americans have A CULTURE, in fact we have A FEW. Anybody who needs to ask this question, in my opinion, isn’t sincere because they haven’t REALLY looked at our people long enough to be able to draw any conclusion about our culture(s). They don’t see our diversity, which to me is immediately apparent. You could just follow the coastlines and see that!! We are diverse, within our group, yes we are. I.E. I love Soulfood – but tha’ts not really MY soulfood. We ate that, but that’s more – the type of food you cook when you’re going to have mixed company – relatives from out of town, they might not want to eat turtle soup. We could make gumbo and jambalaya red beans and rice b/c- everybody knows that and we can add those to general African American culture bucket because those are popular and accepted – but ppl aren’t generally aware of cowan, macque choux, couboyon, yakmin, to name a few. Why? B/C that comes from one of the many sub cultures of African American culture. What about the Gullah people? What about the Black Cowboys? These are African American CULTURESSSS.
Yes we have a culture. Certain cultures in Africa do eat intestines. It’s really not “slave food”, that is our perception based on how we were introduced to it. In fact calling food “slave food” is increasingly very silly to me. Most of what we eat is simply just food. I have traveled a little and everywhere I go, I see remnants of Black American culture. I even saw it in Africa. Saying that we don’t have culture let’s folks take parts of our culture, and they do all over the world and not admit that it was stolen. Rap music was very popular in Senegal. Everyone eats fried chicken, in fact many cultures put their own twist on it including Asians but that style of making chicken is mostly in “American Chinese Food”, not so much in China from their American experience. Also in Europe and Asia, they still love the break dancing/pop locking style to hip hop B boy/ B girl style music. Our language. Interesting that our slang, ebonics is something that ALL people seem to use when they come to America, they’ve even started putting some of it in the dictionary. Anyway, we do indeed have a culture and we have a style, even a talking style. I know a black woman’s style of talking when I see it and article’s of women all over the world use our hand gestures and style all the time, in fact it kinda cracks me up the way that black women are copied. The black natural hair article’s started with American Black women. As a cosmetologist I was right there to watch it take off on youtube. Those ladies literally taught women all over a different way of caring for their natural hair, most of them have abandoned the scene seeing how black women all over are crazed about natural hair articles.
AAs have a distinct culture and the reason American Culture” even exists. From Music to food to the way we dress, language and more. Not only do AAs have a culture, it permeates every other culture on this planet, especially our dress, slang and music. We built America. Others came and benefitted from the unpaid labor of AAs, and when they contribute, they contribute to a culture that existed that was built and created by our ancestors and us.
Oh, most definitely we do. I would even say African-Americans have multiple cultures and it’s based off of residential locations. To be blunt and raw: I’ve been a recipient of the “African-Americans don’t have culture” statement before. I’ve heard it multiple times. By both non-black and black people. When it comes to non-black people, I wasn’t angry. Mildly offended. I don’t expect bullshit to come out of non-black people’s mouths every time, but I’m not surprised. Now when it comes to black people, especially from fellow African-Americans? It’s frigging infuriating, tbh.
I am an Israeli, imo African Americans ARE American culture, well not all of it but… So many cool things were invented by Afro Americans, from hiphop to slang and street culture. Also African Americans are also a part of every great thing that American did, like sending people to space, winning wars and technology.
Me and a friend of mine did a podcast on this. It’s interesting how you feel about this. Our conversation found an interesting issue with this. If we have a culture why is there no solidarity within our people. Also you hit a great point how what we consider culture seems to continually be stolen. With these being true how stop this. Other cultures can specifically point to situations when people misuse their culture. Some how we’ve lost that.
Black Americans were in America before the Slave trade, and yes, black Americans are Native Americans and not Africans that chose to immigrate to America for the American Dream. Black Americans created Rock n Roll, Blues, Jazz, R&B, Rap, Hip Hop, and many other forms of music. Basically, the black American culture is the culture that the U.S. is built on. Black American culture is the difference between U.S. culture and European culture.
Our culture as African Descended Americans is a combination pieces of various cultures from the entire African Diaspora, and that combination of cultures combined, and shared amongst our African Descended American Peoples, and combination is like jazz music, and jazz music fuses different jazz music styles, and jazz music genres to become a unique presentation of music, and music forms
A lot of places in the deep south are majority black or at least have a black plurality so the US Southeast would be the “black American homeland” also not to mention lots of people just think of African American culture as just “ghetto culture” which in my opinion urban ghetto culture and general African American culture are two VERY different things that often gets ignorantly lumped together. Urban black culture is it’s own unique thing to me the same as how Creole & Gullah are their own distinct things. African American culture is even diverse in it’s own way.
Black People came from Africa, over time we have develope our own unique culture, you can take Africans out of Africa and call them Black ( Melinated ), but you can’t take Africa out of Black People, Though we weren’t born in Africa, Africa was born in us, we are forever connected to Africa, its in our DNA and it can’t be removed, their are certain qualities and aspects of our Nature that we could Never be anything other African / Black, I LOVE BLACK PEOPLE …………….. smile 18:29
Black-American Culture Our languages and dialects:cLouisiana Creole, Gullah Geechee, Tide water Creole, Jive, Tutenese, and Ebonics. Our music: Rap, Jazz, Funk, Soul, Rhythm, Blues, Disco, Hip hop, Hard bop, Electro, Swing, Gospel, Garage, etc. Our Food: Soul Food, Creole, and Low country food, Southern food in general. Our clothing and jewelry : Zoot Suits, Street clothes, (blk) Pimp clothing, 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s clothing to present. Our Hair styles: 70s Afro(Fro) High top, Fade, Sponge Twists, Various braid styles such as cornrows (American designs) etc. Our Dances: Break dance, Black Tap-dancing style, southern shuffle, Pop lock, breakdance, Krump dancing, Group Dances. Our Movie and live action Genres: Blaxploitation, and Black Comedy. Religion and spirituality: Baptist Christian, Islam, Voodoo, and Hoodoo. Our Political history: Civil rights, Black power, Black Lives matter, etc. Our warriors: Maroons, Black Seminoles, Black panther party, Deacons for defense, etc Our revolutionary inventions: The Traffic light, The modern day PC, Gemayel Electric cell for Phones, article games consoles and Cartridges, Microphone, The hot comb, Various African hair products, The 3D Glasses, Lingo programs (Graphics, animation, web design),Train cart gears, omelets, various peanut uses, super soaker, Heating Furnace, shoe inventing machine, multiplex Telegraph, The filament for the lightbulb, mailbox, The basic for cars before the white peoples version, UV Telescope, Vertical coin counting tool, The electric guitar, Home security system, Etc, Etc, etc.
yes, we have everything that makes up a culture. we have : languages (Tutnese, Kouri vini, Gullah, Atlantic creole, Mississippi Creole, semaña english, Merico, African nova Scotian english! We have 14 beautiful flags: African American Heritage Flag, Gullah nation flag, Louisiana Creole flag, African Nova Scotian flag! (i can’t put all flags, but we have 14 flags) dialect: AAVE CLOSED practices just for BLACK/AFRICAN AMERICANS: HooDoo(just for BLACK/AFRICAN AMERICANS), Ugly face jugs, memory jugs!!! superstitious: Stepping on the back of ppls foots, laying on the bed with a hat on, black cats, whistling in the house, etc+ music: country, rock, metal, R&B, House music, Funk, Ragtime, Neo-Soul, New jazz, Disco, Electro Funk, New Jazz Swing, Gospel Hip-Hop, Hip Hop, Hard bop, Rural Blues, Syncopated Brass Band, Soul Jazz, Gospel Choirs, Folk Spirituals! Foods: Soul food (Greens, Cornbread, Chitins, yams, red beans n rice,) Gumbo, Jambalaya, Louisiana creole foods, Gullah GeeChee food! we have mardi gras, mardi gras baby dolls! we have Kwanzaa !!! also HOODO IS NOT MEANT FOR NON-AFRICAN AMERICANS, IT MOST DEFINITELY NOT MEANT FOR WHITE PEOPLE! if you are not a born descendant of enslaved africans that was brought over to NORTH AMERICA DURING THE ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE, YOU ARE NOT AFRICAN AMERICAN! just because you are a Caribbean or African born/raised in America that doesn’t make you African American!
People also forget African Americans also have 5-7 subcultures and languages . The Gullah. Gullah geechee, the louisiana creole, Mississippi creole, samanas, etc etc Not sure if the krio tribe counts but krio tribe in Freetown Sierra Leone are descendants of escaped African Americans & Jamaicans who formed freetown (town for free ppl) and used Gullah language + Jamaican patois + Nigerian Pidgin to form a new tribe and culture .
I’ve heard numerous Europeans claim that Americans don’t have a culture. I can’t believe people can be so ignorant. Every human being in the world has a culture! So of course Black Americans have culture, there are numerous subcultures, and there is even a Black American dialect which is often confused for “bad English”.
I studied at Harvard University and the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University. My parents are Jamaican and my wife is Ethiopian. In both the father is the head of the family and community. In both you always see women with men. In NYC the black family is advertised as the woman and the kids excluding the man. When I call family I am united with black women and men. Dating and marriage is common between black men and women in both Ethiopia and Jamaican culture. I never see African American women and men together as a family and culture
I find that most African American culture is reflected in ghetto fabulous terms. When I watch black movies, I’m disturbed by the behavior of the people acting in most of the films, and I’m really disturbed by the use of ebonics in the spoken language. Why are we portrayed in that manner? Are caucasians writing these scripts? No caucasian show be trying to communicate what it’s like to be black becauthey don’t know, and it is impossible for them to know.
just a reminder YAHUSHA (christ) is coming back for His chosen people. He loves us all. please make sure you get your life right, follow the commandments, walk in love, repent & remember everything is temporary & your soul is eternal. read your bible it’s our (african american) history. shalom 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 💙
Sorry to break it to you African Americans created the mashed potato dance and the twist and 90% of all dances, music genras, vernacular that is being used today. Fashion cues, we just dont always get the credit. Most of American culture is American Culture and has been exported globally because it is being adopted. Another thing we were the native Americans. A History lesson African Americans and the entire world has been lied to’ But the truth will soon come to light’ We are the culture. ADOS FBA / African Americans damn near created every modern amenity and damn near most of the culture like the music, the modern vernacular, the way fashion is used. Just look around. The world sings to our music genres, they use our slang and vernacular, if they wanna be cool they dress like us, every kid damn near wants to be a rapper, or pop or r&b singer they want our swag. Yet everyone hates us and many of us African Americans know its biblical’. Or is it really just jealousy and envy. Just look around. We also created and innovated most of the modern innovation. Without us no modern computer, cell phone, internet, domain name system, no working light bulb without African Americans, home security and CCTV, animated 3D graphics, traffic signal, central heating, folding chairs, ironing board, automatic gear shift, modern fountain pen, horse ridding saddle, horse shoes, dust pan, broom, mop, modern toilet, curtain rod, golf tee, player piano, modern acoustic and electric guitar, modern mic used in 90% of all computers, microphones, telephones, cell phones, sound equipment and everything else using a mic, gas burner stove, no internal combustion engine driving all these transportation vehicles like cars, trucks, buses, hair brush, comb, hot curler, egg beater, kitchen table, elevator doors, clothes dresser, door knob, door stop, electric lamp, potato chips, the way ice cream is made today, hydraulic shocks absorbers, stair climbing wheelchair, disposable syringes, fire escape ladder, refrigerated trucks, programmable remote control, space shuttle retrieval arm, no programmable VCR, DVR, TiVo etc, heart pacemaker, multistage rocket that lifts people into space and powers military rocket missiles, guided missiles, rotary motor, postal mail box, lantern, bottle caps, bike frame, the first useful helicopter, electric railway system, slip n slide water park, super soaker, refrigeration controls, lawn sprinkler, modern traffic light, pressure cooker, yes African Americans created and innovated all of that and over 100,000 other inventions and innovations.
If you immigrate from Afrika and you become a citizen of this country, you’re an Afrikan American, if you were born in this country and can trace your lineage back to the 1870 census, you’re a Foundational or NATIVE black American. Although we’re of the Afrikan genus, we’re too FAR removed from Afrika and that’s EXACTLY the way Afrikans view US and we should be GLAD they do, because we’re UNIQUE, there’s NOBODY else in the 🌎 like US! We’re NOT them, we don’t even look like them and you can look at an everyday Black person in America and see Native American features in them, we don’t have Afrikan features and as I age myself, I’m beginning to look like an old indian, just as my Father, my Mother AND my Grandmother did, I can’t deny it and wouldn’t THINK of it! As far as culture is concerned, that’s a STUPID question to ask and we’ve ALREADY proven it, in fact, OTHER races of people PROVE it also; every time they mimick and copy what they see US do and say, NOBODY’S copied MORE than US, THAT’S our CULTURE, it runs DEEP and is ever changing AND evolving! Look at ALL the people among US who’re Indians: Chaka Khan: most of her famous songs had a chant to them, Pam Grier; that was no Botox figure, she was built like an Indian woman, high cheek bones, Smokey Robinson looks like an old Indian, Jim Brown was a WARRIOR, he took NO CHIT off NOBODY, WFS LOVED him, i’m certain Afrikan Americans have a culture but, we’re FOOLISH to call ourselves that because that’s NOT what we are, we LONG AGO came out of what became known as Afrika but, we’re NOT from the separate continental Afrika as it is today!
Yes, Black Americans have a culture. However, is it really one culture? Our commonality is how we got here, but other than that, we are all different as far as life experiences, social norms, how we cook, how we converse etc. Even Africa doesn’t just have one culture. It has thousands of cultures. I also don’t get this whole stealing stuff that goes beyond not giving another artist credit. We all learn things from each other and adapt and put our own spin on it. I’m a musician and singer, as well as an artist. All musicians are inspired by different types of music and are influenced by other musicians and artists, and then they put their own flavor on it and develop their own style. I just don’t understand how that is wrong. There are only so many musical notes. Do I get your point about Elvis? Yes, but not everyone is “Elvis”. Not everyone is blatantly stealing, but it seems like the judgment goes deeper than that scenario and it’s one-size-fits-all at least to a lot of people commenting on social media. If someone has a talent for rapping that isn’t black they are stealing our culture? They shouldn’t express themselves in that way? It’s so divisive. The whole hair thing drives me nuts too. It’s hair. It’s an accessory. How do you say that someone owns a hairstyle and no one else can use it or people look down on others because they choose to express themselves through their hair in a different way? A white person is not stealing something from me because they wear dreads. I don’t even wear them.
Black Americans definitely have a culture, everything you see in the UNITED STATES is Black American culture. Why do you keep saying African American as if you are referring to people who just immigrated to the U.S.?. Black Americans in the U.S. hear persons from the continent of Africa saying black Americans have no culture all the time.
If some African-American individuals listen to different sorts of music, eat different sorts of foods, wear different sorts of clothing, have different sorts of values, come from different sorts of ethnic backgrounds, have different sorts of philosophical beliefs, have different sorts of religious beliefs (and/or have different beliefs about religion, in general – and/or about different religions, more specifically), engage in different sorts of (or, in some cases, maybe even engage in no) religious practices, engage in different sorts of other (cultural or sub-cultural) practices than do other ALSO African-American individuals, then is that necessarily African-Americans having any particular culture? ANother way to put this could be, if any of the elemental components of any supposed culture happen to be differentiated form one another and to be either in conflict with and/or even to contradict other elemental components of that same supposed culture, then is that supposed culture actually a culture? For example, does Africa and do Africans all have what is a singular, undifferentiated, unconflicted, and non-self-contradictory culture? Is a collection of sub-cultures (themselves) necessarily a or any culture (itself)? Or, another way to ask this may be, is a collection of various different sorts of cultural beliefs – including any philosophical beliefs, religious beliefs, and/or values (maybe even including any number of conflicting and/or diammetrically opposing beliefs and/or values) – necessarily a culture?
Of course we have culture, some good, some bad.. How do you think you get bloods and crips in Africa,,, Africans take the good and bad from foundational black Americans, and take it around the world, From jazz, to hip hop,,art, comedy, gang culture …now that I think about it, if you don’t know the impact foundational black Americans, and their descendants have had on societies around the world, your just not paying attention 🫵🏾🤷🏾♂️
THE AMERICAN, ESPECIALLY THE AFRICAN AMERICAN IS CONFUSING FASHION WITH CULTURE. CULTURE IS AN ENTIRE SPECTRUM OF A PEOPLE’S TRADITION, VALUES AND WAY OF LIFE INCLUDING LANGUAGE. POP MUSIC IS A PASSING FANCY JUST LIKE OTHER FANCIES THAT COME AND GO. LABELING SUCH FANCIES “POP CULTURE” DEGRADES THE TERM “CULTURE”. OK, WHERE IS THE PHILOSOPHY OR MORAL ETHICS AND FAMILY VALUES OF THIS SOCALLED “POP CULTURE”? SO WHERE ARE ITS LEGS OR FOUNDATIONS? CAN A REAL CULTURE BE ADHOC WITHOUT ROBUST TRADITION SURVIVING FOR A HISTORICAL EPOCH, SAY A CENTURY OR TWO? WITHOUT A SYSTEMIC VALUE SYSTEM, WHICH NECESSARILY INCLUDES FAMILY VALUES AND MORAL ETHICS OF THE GROUP, CODIFIED BY THE GROUP AND FOR THE SURVIVAL OF THE GROUP, AND CONSISTENTLY HELD FOR AT LEAST A CENTURY; CALLING FASHION “A CULTURE” IS LIKE CALLING ONE PARTICULAR SONG, THE MUSIC INDUSTRY. CULTURE IS A BIG DEAL IN HUMAN SOCIETIES AND EVOLUTION OF THE RACE. IT IS NOT REDUCIBLE TO ONE OR A FEW OF ITS PARTS. THE AFRICAN AMERICAN CREATED FASHIONS, AND GROUP HABITS STILL BEING STREAMLINED AND ALIENATED FROM THE MAINSTREAM. IT CANNOT BE CALLED “CULTURE”, UNTIL A PHILOSOPHICAL ETHIC AND FAMILY VALUE SYSTEM COMMON AND AGREEABLE AS THE STANDARD, IS CREATED OR INHERITED FROM THE AFRICAN ROOTS (FOR BLACK AMERICA). JUST LIKE WHITE AMERICA INHERITED MOST OF HER’S FROM EUROPE. UNLESS YOU WOULD WANT TO TERM THE WOKE PERVERSITY, WHICH IS STILL A FASHION FAD THE “AMERICAN CULTURE”, NOTHING STRICTLY AMERICAN HAS STOOD THE TEST OF TIME OR THE ROBUSTNESS TO REPLACE ADAPTATIONS OF EUROPEAN AND AFRICAN CULTURES, BLENDED IN UNIQUES WAYS TO THE FABRIC.
People think Africans in America have a culture they assume black people don’t have a culture distinct from their white American counterparts. The biggest problem with black identity for me is that it is based on skin color as a bonding trait which I find obnoxious when I then get the projected “cultural” stuff I have no connection to. I never ate soul food. I’m not Black of African American but Afro Latin with more European influences. I just look blackish.
AfroAmericans have a culture, but it’s not OUR culture. The culture that the vast majority of us practice is a culture that we adopted from living around Caucasians. What most of us call “culture” is really a SUB-culture. We have various sub-cultures of our own that we developed. A sub-culture is just a variant or variation from the main culture.
By default, I use “black American” to black people in the United States who are the descendants of the enslaved Africans during the colonial period and has no association with other country or culture except the United States. I just feel that “African American” applied to black Americans is somewhat inaccurate because majority have little or no interest at all to connect with their African roots, language and culture. “African American” is a term introduced by Jesse Jackson in 1988 and was embraced by most black Americans. If the person asked me to call them African American, I will do it as a sign of courtesy.
we have aspects of a culture we dont have a actual in tact culture which is why all the foolishness and dysfunctions in the B community go on as it does and why we are susceptible to so much american social conditioning which wouldnt happen if we had an intact culture full and complete. surface stuff doesnt count.
Hey. African who were bring to america without consent were other black people, not you. YOU ARE AMERICAN. If we judge people by the people in the past who originated them then we will never have a identity. African american now are not desent from africans, they are descent from black americans mosty becouse th emostly of blacks did born in America. Ypu are american (the country) so you must be proud of your country.
If you are claiming to be an African American then you have no culture because the name was created you cant claim to be from two continents now if you claim to be an native American then you have a culture do your research the whole slave trade story wasn’t told created…..that’s why the so called Black people are not respected because we don’t know who we are our ancestors are from here unless you can prove you from an African country