...analysis of African Cultural survivals among the Negroes of the United States. The article involves far more than the traditional linking relationship of traits of Africa and the West Indies. The article examines the resistance and spiritual survival of African Culture among the black Diaspora in the United States. While at the same timeexpounding the scope and the significance of African culture by providing a fertile concept of Africanism that reflects the unique manner in which each black individual of the Diaspora envisions African Cultural retention. Herskovits in his writing posits that the retention of the African cultural has been long lost in the American Culture; however this observation is not the same in the Caribbean/West Indian context. The West Indian retention of the African Culture is evident in many of the religious practices that are still being done in the Caribbean, some of which are Revivalism, Pucho, Voodoo (Vodun), Keele, Santeria, Shouter Baptist and Komfa (Cumfa). These are some of the ways in which West Indians have retained many of the cultural practices of their African ancestors. In his writing Herskovits argued that “for the negro to appreciate his past he has to endow confidence in his own position in his country and by extension the world. He must have scientific facts concerning the ancestral cultures of Africa and the survivals of Africanisms in the New World. In the article Herskovits argued that the survival of African Cultural forms was not...
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..."negro/black American" culture and it was centered here in Harlem of New York City. It was a culture movement that began around 1920s. Before it was called the Harlem renaissance it was known as the "New Negro Movement", that was named after the anthology edited by Alain Locke in 1925. The Harlem Renaissance grew out of the changes that had taken place in the black community since the abolition of slavery, and which had been accelerated as a consequence of the First World War. It can also be seen as specifically African-American response to an expression of the great social and cultural change taking place in America in the early 20th century under the influence of industrialization and the emergence of a new mass culture. This movement impacted urban centers throughout the United States. Across the cultural spectrum (literature, drama, music, art, dance) and also in social thought (sociology, philosophy), artists and intellectuals found new ways to explore the historical experiences of black America and the contemporary experiences of black life in the urban North. Challenging white superiority and racism, African-American artists and intellectuals rejected merely imitating the styles of Europeans and white Americans and instead celebrated black dignity and creativity. Asserting their freedom to express themselves on their own terms as artists, they explored their identities as black Americans, celebrating the black culture that had emerged out of slavery and their cultural ties to...
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...Rosewood, The Story, The Study, The Case Jane Central State University ATH-111 This case study focuses on Rosewood, Florida; a once flourishing African American colony annihilated in the course of a weeklong occurrences of violence in early January of 1923. This study will show the effects of segregation in the United States, which continued after laws were passed, but unfortunately ignored by people who wanted to continue to have power, social control, and inequality over an indigenous group of human being living within their community. Rosewood is a true, however historically-stifled chain of events that took place in small blooming town in Rosewood, Florida. Rosewood industry was cedar wood and mills, and a railroad station that transported products, communal relations between the towns of Rosewood and Sumner were one of tolerance. The African American community were aware of the inequality that was afforded to them, but also made every effort to build a culture of stability, and building a new cultural identity of freedom within an almost self-sufficient predominately African American community in spite of the power structure of its white neighbors and systematic racism (Dye, 1997). With the accusation of violence against a white women the mob viewed this act a direct threat to their social structure and the legacy. Social hierarchy played a major role in the mobs attitude, the violence was almost immediate, and within six days the accusation caused ominous...
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...The Civil War brought significant changes for African Americans, as they were freed from slavery. However, rather than achieving complete legal, political, and economic equality during the Reconstruction Era, which lasted from the end of the Civil War until 1877, African Americans continued to be second class citizens. As will be argued in this paper, African Americans experienced hardship and significant discrimination after 1877 due to racist laws, social, economic, and educational inequality; however, as laws and cultural sentiments about blacks changed during the Civil Rights Era, African Americans today have more political, economic, and educational opportunities than ever before. On the following pages, this paper will trace the path of African Americans to equality by discussing salient events in African American history from 1877 to the present. Significantly, as the author believes, while progress has been made since the nineteenth century, complete equality remains elusive even today for many African American men and women. The end of slavery did by no means lead to the immediate equality of African Americans in American society. The years after the Civil War and the Reconstruction Era, were characterized by wide-spread discrimination against African Americans. In the South, so-called Jim Crow laws effectively barred African Americans from having very basic civil liberties. Public and social life in the South but also in other places in the United States, was strictly...
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...Economy of African American Music." Teaching the Journal of American History Vol. 90, No. 4.March 2004 (2004): 1295-1324. Web. 1 Mar. 2004. African American owned Record Company, which produced records for African American consumers, was faced with attempts by a large record corporation to force them into bankruptcy. Why would a large company do this for such a small African American owned company? How would it merit attention from African American people in this medium when you have more important subjects like voting rights and lynching? Moreover, why would it merit any attention at all, not to mention, selling records to black consumers. This article answers these questions and investigates the rise and fall of the small record company and explores the political economy in which it operated. Black Swan Records created by Henry H. Pace, who saw a way to respond to a hostile environment that African American people faced with, both in the entertainment industry and in American society. The protégé of W.E.B Du Bois, also saw that African Americans were not equally even when they were freed from slavery. Access to material goods that cultivate and motivate African Americans creative spirits were denied by America. The fear of African Americans, by White America, to support one another and encourage each other to develop business, and economic self-sufficiency was racially evident. African American growth and prosperity would shape the landscape for African Americans....
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...began to write his first autobiography about Ibo religion. Equiano elaborates on how Christianity connected with the African descent and its culture, also he described the similarities between the Jews and the African from circumcision to offerings, from purifications to washings, and from believing in one Creator to live after death. The African American family was cherished within the African American community due to their history of slavery, the family had bonded in a strong culture. These origins have these families tested family bonds throughout African American history, changing the family makeup by causing these families to become more Americanized and less Africanized following slavery abolishment. Family reunions and events are highly cherished to help maintain the African American culture. Elderly of African American families are celebrated, as they are passing on the African American legacy in this country. The elders provided great perception and common sense into the family and cultural history, also giving good guidance to the younger member into their families. The popularity of family reunions has grown over the past several years. After the civil rights movement, several aspects of the society started to become approachable to African American and...
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...Cultural Syncretism and its Impact Joanna Abele, Cassandra Drapeau, Amanda Lawson, Brandon Nelson, and Crystal Wooten American Intercontinental University – Online March 3, 2013 Abstract In gaining an understanding of how early civilizations lived, we can see what impact they have had as they migrated to the New World. By examining what they left behind we can also see the impact they have had on many diverse cultures and societies today. Cultural Syncretism and its Impact Introduction Cultural syncretism occurs when two opposite cultures mix and blend their cultural beliefs, whether they be political or religious, to produce or to start a new culture or religion. Historically, syncretism has been seen as an attempt to reconcile disparities between various cultures. Africa and the Americas both had help with other factors like weapons, religion, and technological advancements. When it came to cultural beliefs, China and India’s values were very different. They would operate from outside of the traditional beliefs, which made them much more resistant to syncretism. Compare and contrast the legacies of cultural syncretism in Africa and the Americas with the resistance to cultural change Westerners encountered in China and India. When different aspects of cultural philosophies or religions blend together and disparities are compromised, cultural syncretism occurs. According to the 1830 American census 2.3 million people were of African descent and there was only...
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...Cultural Characteristics of African Americans The largest minority population in America, African Americans helped to build the foundation and culture of the United States of America from the beginning. Separated from their original homeland and culture, Black slaves struggled to find a new identity, religion, language, and core set of family values. Despite hardships like slavery, segregation, lack of proper education, and divided families, African Americans created a unique, spiritual, and creative culture that thrives in modern times. Definition of African Americans The term African American refers to any Black American who is a citizen of the United States. Every Black American of African descent falls into this racial and cultural category. According to 2010 census data, they are the second largest demographic group after Whites and the largest minority population in America. History All people within the African American culture share the common history of enslavement, acculturation, and racial oppression. This history and cultural heritage provides a common bond that gives relevance to the African heritage. The most important historical bond is the recognition that most all African Americans descended from slaves. Slavery The first slaves were introduced to the English-American colonies by a Dutch trader. He sold 20 slaves to settlers in Jamestown, Virginia. After this initial trade the larger global trade pattern between Europe, Africa, and...
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...Conley and Amber Wirth American Intercontinental University Abstract In knowing how people of the past decades lived we must examine the past and study many things they left behind. By understanding how they lived and what impact they had as they migrated to the New World, it is then we understand how they lived and understand what the environment was like. Looking at the impact that immigrants had and brought to the New World we see what cultures and food dishes they brought to our civilization. The Migration of Cultures By 1830 the United States consisted of 2.3 million out of 12.8 million were of African descent and upon them settling after being brought here from Africa they brought many traditions and impacted the culture today. When they came to the United States they brought scientific and technological systems from the West and Central Africa as well as many food dishes such as; gumbo and rice, millet, sorghum, watermelon and black-eyed peas. They also brought tradition with them regarding funerals, celebration festivals, arts, music, dugout canoes, the banjo and language which also had an effect on the European culture as well and this is known as Africanism (Nps.gov, n.d.). Africanism is directly related to African American and Creolization which asks the question when you stop and give to the American or European culture. They point out that the African culture has direct impact on Africa, African-American, Creolization, African-Jamaican and European...
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...the incidence of illness and death among African Americans, Latino/Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, Alaskan Natives and Pacific Islanders as compared with the US population as a whole." --National Center for Cultural Competence Population addressed Population addressed In 1950, U.S.-born whites made up about 90 percent of the U.S. population. By 2000, this number declined to about 75 percent, and by 2050 non-Hispanic whites will be in the numerical minority (U.S. Census Bureau 2001, 2002). This rapid diversification requires healthcare organizations to pay closer attention to cross-cultural issues if they are to meet the healthcare needs of the nation and continue to maintain a high standard of care. Looking at the Country as a whole the current area of discussion for this paper is the area of Western North Carolina and the population of Asheville, which is a melting pot of cultures which the combination they create is unique to no other. According to the 2006 U.S. Census Bureau statistics for Asheville, N.C. the current demographics break down as follows: Asheville [City] Population (current estimate), 70,400. Buncombe County Population (2006), 222,174, county in Western North Carolina Asheville is located. Gender Dispersion was 46.8% Male, 53.2% Female with an average age being 39.2 years of age. Race breaks down as follows: White persons (2000), 78%, Black or African American persons(2000), 17.6%, American Indian (2000), 0.4%, Asian persons (2000)...
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...Compare and contrast the legacies of cultural syncretism in Africa and the Americas with the resistance to cultural change Westerners encountered in China and India. What cultural factors caused the differences in outcomes? What legacies have the differences in types of encounters and degrees of cultural change left today? Had syncretism not occurred in the Americas, how might modern culture be different? If cultural syncretism had taken root during early encounters in China or India, how might they be different today? The quest for wealth and power brought Europeans to Indian shores in 1498 when Vasco da Gama, the Portuguese voyager, arrived in Calicut (modern Kozhikode, Kerala) on the west coast. In their search for spices and Christian converts, the Portuguese challenged Arab supremacy in the Indian Ocean, and, with their galleons fitted with powerful cannons, set up a network of strategic trading posts along the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf. In 1510 the Portuguese took over the enclave of Goa, which became the center of their commercial and political power in India and which they controlled for nearly four and a half centuries. Economic competition among the European nations led to the founding of commercial companies in England (the East India Company, founded in 1600) and in the Netherlands (Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie--the United East India Company, founded in 1602), whose primary aim was to capture the spice trade by breaking the Portuguese monopoly in Asia...
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...Cultural Awareness Standing outside waiting for the bus to pick her up for school, Mary Mejie said she remembers the constant teasing of kids taunting her to play kung fu with them as they pulled and tugged on her long jet-black hair. “The kids would speak in some made up language and call me Chinese,” Mary said. Mary’s father is Japanese and her mother is Filipino. “I grew up in the Philippines, but my early schooling was in the city of Baltimore,” Mary noted. Reluctant to admit initially that the teasing came from kids of other cultural backgrounds, Mary later admitted it primarily came from African- American kids. According to an article on the Democrat and Chronicle website, a newspaper in Rochester, N.Y., studies show that children exposed to different cultures at a young age have enhanced social and emotional development. According to the study, children learn about differences and similarities and increase their sense of self. In addition, this understanding prevents aggressive and self-controlling behaviors in children, the study explained and helps them adapt better to a changing environment. Now an adult, Mary says she realizes that, as children in school, they were not taught to understand or care about the differences or similarities of other cultures. “We were just happy to have friends that looked like we did to play with,” Mary noted. As a young adult, Suzette Hampton, an African-American mother of four and...
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...Nina Wohl Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences AHIS W4855 African American Artists in the 20th and 21st Centuries Spring 2012 Research Paper – African American Art & the Great Depression The Great Depression was the worst economic downturn of the twentieth century. The federal government took unprecedented action to provide relief, recovery and reform. No group was harder hit by the Great Depression than African Americans. The New Deal was slow to deal with the unique situation faced by African Americans. The struggles of the Great Depression laid the foundation for the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Art would play an important role in influencing the future. Despite its limitations, the New Deal, through the Works Progress Administration’s (WPA) Federal Arts Program (FAP), was responsible for reshaping the cultural agenda and “marked a significant turning point in the production of black culture.”1 The artists of the Great Depression built upon the work done during the Harlem Renaissance. New Deal art extended and affirmed art that translated “politics into cultural terms.”2 The FAP looked for a “new sense of authentic American culture – one that championed national values and traditions by celebrating regional and racial diversity.”3 As a result, many artists worked to place African Americans in the historical narrative of the United States while combating long held stereotypes. None were less important than Aaron Douglas...
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...Unit 5 Introduction to Humanities Individual Project HUMA215-1101B- Cultural Artifact Artifacts of our own cultures surround us. From art and music to architecture and literature, from philosophy and religion to laws and economics, we live among cultural artifacts that have deep roots. (American Intercontinental University, 2013). An artifact is an item of culture that represents deep traditions and customs. The single artifact that I believe represents the culture that I live in today is the United States Flag. The US flag consists of 13 horizontal stripes which represent the original 13 colonies. The stripes are alternating red and white stripes: 7 red and 6 white stripes. The stars on the flag are symbolic of the 50 states of the union. The colors on the flag are also significant. The color red represents hardiness and valor. The color white represents purity and innocence. The color blue represents vigilance, perseverance, and justice. All of the colors represent the US struggle to fight for independence, justice, and equality for all people. (USA Flag Site, 2012) The United States flag relates to the values and beliefs of the US culture because it represents unity. The US flag in itself is symbolic of the unity of the 50 states. The United States flag is a source of pride and inspiration to many US citizens because of the bearing on the historical roots. For many the United States is also a symbol that represents equality and justice for all. The United...
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...clarification: • African identity- this term will be used interchangeable. (1) realizing the African continent commonality, (2) the culture and behavior of the slaves (African born and creoles)—basically what defines the slaves’ identity. • Creoles- (1) Atlantic creoles that are phenotypically and culturally mixed with African and European cultures. The Dynamic African identity: Coping with Slavery Upon considering the changes and the creation of an “African” identity (definition 2), it is important to realize that similar to the constantly changing slavery due to the frequent shifts in the social, political, and economic contexts, the “African” identity was also dynamic. Although the overall reason that prompted the development of the notion of the African continent (definition 1) might be similar across the board of slavery, the specifics of what constituted this identity (ex: religion, family formation) is largely dependent on the time period and region being discussed—ex: the 17th Century African identity in North America is different from the 18th Century identity in Europe. Several factors that enhanced the creation of the African identity (definition 2) include: (1) ability to form families as a result of the gender ratio, mortality rates, segregation from other slaves, (2) population ratio of native-born to creolized slaves, and (3) religious movement that were characteristic of the time and space. These three factors allowed for the African identity to...
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