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What Is African American Culture

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What Is African American Culture
What is culture? According to Cambridge Dictionary, culture is the arts of describing, showing or performing that represent the traditions or the way of life a particular people or group; literature, art, music, dance, and theater. All humans are introduced to a culture through socialization. “What we learn depends on the culture in which we live as well as our place within that culture” (Ore. T, 5). Often times race and culture are assumed to be one in the same. Race is based on the perception of physical differences in a way to classify individuals. Culture is based on how one person is raised to believe, think, and act in their society.
African American culture, also known as black culture, is considered to be a subculture of American culture. African American culture began during slavery. Slaves went through the process of ethnic cleansing. They were stripped of their identities and human rights. Within slavery, Africans began to create their own new culture. Parts of that culture is still taught, believed and used today. African American race and culture have been intertwined in American society, although that may not be true for
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Growing up I was embarrassed by this because in African American culture having two parents in the home was not typical. I did not realize until later in life that I was one of the fortunate ones growing up. Many of the members of my family did not receive a high school diploma. My grandparents did not encourage my parents to purse higher education. Parents ended this cycle by instilling the importance of education in myself and my siblings. During my early childhood, we spent majority of our time with our families. Many of our traditions involved visiting other family members during the holidays. At these holiday gatherings, we would cook and eat a large meal together. We laughed and told jokes all night. Every Sunday we attended a

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