African Americans - Essay Example

1. What are the primary cultural characteristics of African Americans?

African Americans represent American citizens whose ancestry can be traced to be of African origin (Hall, 2005). African Americans form a significant part of the American population and are a significant part of American history (Anderson & Stewart, 2007). Many African Americans today come from families that were originally brought to the Americas as slaves, and as a result are part of a group that defines itself through its independence from the white culture (Hall, 2005). African Americans are a close-knit community and place a great emphasis on family and community. As a community, they love relating to and interacting frequently with extended family as well, and as a result, have close bonds with distant relatives which are not seen in more individualistic cultures. The feeling of kinship shared by members of an extended family is one of the highlights of the community (Anderson & Stewart, 2007).

Over the past 50 years, a number of African Americans are rediscovering their African heritage and reconnecting with their roots through the pursuit of practices that celebrate this heritage (Hall, 2005). Traditional costume is more visible and worn with pride and traditional African holidays like Kwanzaa are celebrated with a feeling of community building (Anderson & Stewart, 2007). Religion and spiritualism are very important to African Americans, and this feeling also binds them closer as a community. The community is more spiritual than purely religious and finds deeply philosophical connections with the concept of the almighty (Anderson & Stewart, 2007).

African Americans have a distinctive style of cooking and use ingredients like yams and grits frequently. African Americans are also credited with the origin of soul food which is wholesome and comforting food recipes that can be traced back in time to the period when Africans were kept as slaves (Anderson & Stewart, 2007). Along with food, African Americans have also developed a distinct style of speaking which is as easily identifiable as their food (Hall, 2005).

One of the most well-known and respected cultural features of the African American community is its music. African Americans have contributed to and developed genres like hip-hop, soul, jazz, funk, and blues among others. Often the music developed by African Americans depicts the vibrancy of their African heritage along with the need to be treated as equal citizens by the rest of the country (Anderson & Stewart, 2007). In many ways, African Americans are sensitive to the discrimination that previous generations faced explicitly and that some individuals still face today.

2. How do the characteristics of this group impact its experience as a subculture in American society?

The community spirit of African Americans has helped them cope with the discrimination and negative attitudes that the community faced during segregation (Hall, 2005). The close-knit and collectivistic family relationships allowed people to help others and receive help. This family and community spirit still helps them cope with the milder forms of racism where they exist (Anderson & Stewart, 2007). Given the history of the African American community and that a significant percentage of the population lives under the poverty line, it still benefits from this community spirit.

The distinctive flavors of African American cuisine and the popularity that their music has achieved have helped reduce the negative attitudes held against the community and have enhanced the acceptance of African Americans as part of American society. A number of youths find a sense of cultural identity through this music that connects them to both, their African roots as well as to their American identity (Anderson & Stewart, 2007).

These strong and prominent cultural traits make African Americans as distinctive as their racial heritage (Anderson & Stewart, 2007). Although it often helps the rest of American society develop an understanding of the needs and strengths of the African American community, it can also work to distinguish them from the rest of society and isolate them.