During Chattel slavery much effort was put into stripping enslaved Africans of African culture. It was forbidden to speak African languages, practice African religions and other cultural practices. Social media today is exploding with a commonly held belief that African Americans who are the descendants of enslaved Africans do not have a culture. Nothing could be further from the truth!
Culture is defined as the shared patterns of behaviors, beliefs, values, customs and social norms that characterize a group of people, including language, food, art, spirituality, celebrations, style of dress, music etc.
Aspects of African American Culture
Music - From Blues created by enslaved Africans, through Jazz, Rock-n-roll, Motown and Rap.
Respect for Elders, ancestors, parents.
Literature and arts - From the Harlem Renaissance through the poetry of Maya Angelou, writings of James Baldwin, Toni Morrison and paintings of Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Activism in the midst of oppression - From Frederick Douglass, W.E.B Dubois, Harriet Tubman, Angela Davis, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., Jesse Jackson, Afena Shakur, Jasmine Crockett and hundreds of American Americans with lesser known names.
Food - We put our own spin on every variety of cuisine
Dance -We seem to create a new dance every two or three months
Celebrations - Black History Month, Juneteenth, Kwanzaa, Watch Night Service etc.
Collectivism
Spirituality, religion and style of worship
A broad culture adopted worldwide
In the book, Disintegration: The Splintering of Black American, Pulitzer Prize winning writer Eugene Robinson describes subsets of African American Communities including, the middle class (the largest percentage of African Americans), the culturally elite (Oprah, Michelle and Barack Obama, Robert L. Johnson etc), the biracial group (Halle Berry, Barack Obama, Don Lemon, Tiger Woods etc)and, the abandoned, defined as the generationally poor. According to Robinson, this latter group is 25% of the black community and the media shows this group as the example of the entire black community. This subgroup is often stereotyped and used by critics as proof that African Americans don't have a culture or as proof that our culture is negative/toxic. Ironically, Hip Hop Culture and Rap music was birthed by the generationally poor. Wealthy rappers could represent a subculture of their own.
For decades Black Urban Community is the most emulated culture worldwide. Travel to all 7 continents and you will see people walking, talking, dressing, singing, and dancing like African American Youth. Black music is the most listened to music on planet earth.
Impact of Addiction
Addiction impacts the Black Community on individual, family and community levels. A recent example is the crack cocaine crisis of the 1980's and 90's which devastated black communities. This included high rates of gang violence to control drug sells, homicides and felony arrests with estimates as high as 1 million African Americans being incarcerated for drug related charges. These arrests had tremendous impact on the Black Community. They separated children from their parents and made it more difficult for those returning from prison to secure work. As Dr. Carl Hart said, A felony arrest has longer term consequences than addiction. Active addiction also leads to separation from the healthiest aspects of African American culture. In active Addiction we often stop attending church services, Sunday dinners, family reunions and other cultural expressions.
Recovery. The Good News!
Many African Americans in early recovery strive to repair their own lives. As their recovery increases they start doing things to help rebuild black communities. Many African Americans in recovery will also start to explore their cultural heritage, that is, examining what it means to be Black or African Americans and increasing self-love and the love of their community. Some have even made pilgrimages to Africa as a part of their recovery and cultural discovery. This week I have been invited to 6 Kwanzaa Celebrations. All hosted by African Americans in long term recovery.