African American Culture Essay

Although slavery greatly restricted the ability of Africans in America to practice their cultural traditions, many practices, values and beliefs survived and over time have incorporated elements of European American culture. There are even certain facets of African American culture that were brought into being or made more prominent as a result of slavery; an example of this is how drumming became used as a means of communication and establishing a community identity during that time. The result is a dynamic, creative culture that has had and continues to have a profound impact on mainstream American culture and on world culture as well. After Emancipation, these uniquely African American traditions continued to grow. They developed into distinctive traditions in music, art, literature, religion, food, holidays, amongst others. While for some time sociologists, such as Gunnar Myrdal and Patrick Moynihan, believed that African Americans had lost most cultural ties with Africa, anthropological field research by Melville Hersovits and others demonstrated that there is a continuum of African traditions among Africans in the New World from the West Indies to the United States. The greatest influence of African cultural practices on European cultures is found below the Mason-Dixon in the southeastern United States, especially in the Carolinas among the Gullah people and in Louisiana. African American culture often developed separately from mainstream American culture because of African Americans’ desire to practice their own traditions, as well as the persistence of racial segregation in America. Consequently African American culture has become a significant part of American culture and yet, at the same time, remains a distinct culture apart from it. History From the earliest days of slavery, slave owners sought to exercise control over their slaves by attempting to strip them of their African culture. The physical isolation and societal marginalization of African slaves and, later, of their free progeny, however, actually facilitated the retention of significant elements of traditional culture among Africans in the New World generally, and in the U. S. in particular. Slave owners deliberately tried to repress political organization in order to deal with the many slave rebellions that took place in the southern United States, Brazil, Haiti, and the Dutch Guyanas. African cultures,slavery,slave rebellions,and the civil rights movements(circa 1800s-160s)have shaped African American religious, familial, political and economic behaviors. The imprint of Africa is evident in myriad ways, in politics, economics, language, music, hairstyles, fashion, dance, religion and worldview, and food preparation methods. In the United States, the very legislation that was designed to strip slaves of culture and deny them education served in many ways to strengthen it. In turn, African American culture has had a pervasive, transformative impact on myriad elements of mainstream American culture, among them language, music, dance, religion, cuisine, and agriculture. This process of mutual creative exchange is called creolization. Over time, the culture of African slaves and their descendants has been ubiquitous in its impact on not only the dominant American culture, but on world culture as well. Oral tradition Slaveholders limited or prohibited education of enslaved African Americans because they believed it might lead to revolts or escape plans. Hence, African-based oral traditions became the primary means of preserving history, morals, and other cultural information among the people. This was consistent with the griot practices of oral history in many African and other cultures that did not rely on the written word. Many of these cultural elements have been passed from generation to generation through storytelling. The folktales provided African Americans the opportunity to inspire and educate one another. Examples of African American folktales include trickster tales of Br’er Rabbit and heroic tales such as that of John Henry. The Uncle Remus stories by Joel Chandler Harris helped to bring African American folk tales into mainstream adoption. Harris did not appreciate the complexity of the stories nor their potential for a lasting impact on society. Characteristics of the African American oral tradition present themselves in a number of forms. African American preachers tend to perform rather than simply speak. The emotion of the subject is carried through the speaker’s tone, volume, and movement, which tend to mirror the rising action, climax, and descending action of the sermon. Often song, dance, verse and structured pauses are placed throughout the sermon. Techniques such as call-and-response are used to bring the audience into the presentation. In direct contrast to recent tradition in other American and Western cultures, it is an acceptable and common audience reaction to interrupt and affirm the speaker. Spoken word is another example of how the African American oral tradition influences modern American popular culture. Spoken word artists employ the same techniques as African American preachers including movement, rhythm, and audience participation. Rap music from the 1980’s and beyond has been seen as an extension of oral culture. Harlem Renaissance [pic] Zora Neale Hurston was a prominent literary figure during the Harlem Renaissance. Main article: Harlem Renaissance The first major public recognition of African American culture occurred during the Harlem Renaissance. In the 1920s and 1930s, African American music, literature, and art gained wide notice. Authors such as Zora Neale Hurston and Nella Larsen and poets such as Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, and Countee Cullen wrote works describing the African American experience. Jazz, swing, blues and other musical forms entered American popular music. African American artists such as William H. Johnson and Palmer Hayden created unique works of art featuring African Americans. The Harlem Renaissance was also a time of increased political involvement for African Americans. Among the notable African American political movements founded in the early 20th century are the United Negro Improvement Association and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The Nation of Islam, a notable Islamic religious movement, also began in the early 1930s. African American cultural movement The Black Power movement of the 1960s and 1970s followed in the wake of the non-violent American Civil Rights Movement. The movement promoted racial pride and ethnic cohesion in contrast to the focus on integration of the Civil Rights Movement, and adopted a more militant posture in the face of racism. It also inspired a new renaissance in African American literary and artistic expression generally referred to as the African American or â€Å"Black Arts Movement. The works of popular recording artists such as Nina Simone (Young, Gifted and Black) and The Impressions (Keep On Pushin’), as well as the poetry, fine arts and literature of the time, shaped and reflected the growing racial and political consciousness. Among the most prominent writers of the African American Arts Movement were poet Nikki Giovanni; poet and publisher Don L. Lee, who later becam e known as Haki Madhubuti; poet and playwright Leroi Jones, later known as Amiri Baraka; and Sonia Sanchez. Other influential writers were Ed Bullins, Dudley Randall, Mari Evans, June Jordan, Larry Neal and Ahmos Zu-Bolton. Another major aspect of the African American Arts Movement was the infusion of the African aesthetic, a return to a collective cultural sensibility and ethnic pride that was much in evidence during the Harlem Renaissance and in the celebration of Negritude among the artistic and literary circles in the U. S. , Caribbean and the African continent nearly four decades earlier: the idea that â€Å"black is beautiful. † During this time, there was a resurgence of interest in, and an embrace of, elements of African culture within African American culture that had been suppressed or devalued to conform to Eurocentric America. Natural hairstyles, such as the afro, and African clothing, such as the dashiki, gained popularity. More importantly, the African American aesthetic encouraged personal pride and political awareness among African Americans. Music [pic] Men playing the djembe, a traditional West African drum adopted into African American and American culture. The bags and the clothing of the man on the right are printed with traditional kente cloth patterns. African American music is rooted in the typically polyrhythmic music of the ethnic groups of Africa, specifically those in the Western, Sahelean, and Sub-Saharan regions. African oral traditions, nurtured in slavery, encouraged the use of music to pass on history, teach lessons, ease suffering, and relay messages. The African pedigree of African American music is evident in some common elements: call and response, syncopation, percussion, improvisation, swung notes, blue notes, the use of falsetto, melisma, and complex multi-part harmony. During slavery, Africans in America blended traditional European hymns with African elements to create spirituals. Many African Americans sing Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing in addition to the American national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner, or in lieu of it. Written by James Weldon Johnson and John Rosamond Johnson in 1900 to be performed for the birthday of Abraham Lincoln, the song was, and continues to be, a popular way for African Americans to recall past struggles and express ethnic solidarity, faith and hope for the future. The song was adopted as the â€Å"Negro National Anthem† by the NAACP in 1919. African American children are taught the song at school, church or by their families. Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing traditionally is sung immediately following, or instead of, The Star-Spangled Banner at events hosted by African American churches, schools, and other organizations. In the 1800s, as the result of the blackface minstrel show, African American music entered mainstream American society. By the early twentieth century, several musical forms with origins in the African American community had transformed American popular music. Aided by the technological innovations of radio and phonograph records, ragtime, jazz, blues, and swing also became popular overseas, and the 1920s became known as the Jazz Age. The early 20th century also saw the creation of the first African American Broadway shows, films such as King Vidor’s Hallelujah! and operas such as George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. Rock and roll, doo wop, soul, and R;B developed in the mid 20th century. These genres became very popular in white audiences and were influences for other genres such as surf. The dozens, an urban African American tradition of using rhyming slang to put down your enemies (or friends) developed through the smart-ass street jive of the early Seventies into a new form of music. In the South Bronx, the half speaking, half singing rhythmic street talk of ‘rapping’ grew into the hugely successful cultural force known as Hip Hop. Hip Hop would become a multicultural movement. However, it is still important to many African Americans. The African American Cultural Movement of the 1960s and 1970s also fueled the growth of funk and later hip-hop forms such as rap, hip house, new jack swing and go go. African American music has experienced far more widespread acceptance in American popular music in the 21st century than ever before. In addition to continuing to develop newer musical forms, modern artists have also started a rebirth of older genres in the form of genres such as neo soul and modern funk-inspired groups. Dance [pic] The Cakewalk was the first African American dance to gain widespread popularity in the United States. [pic] African American dance, like other aspects of African American culture, finds its earliest roots in the dances of the hundreds of African ethnic groups that made up African slaves in the Americas as well as influences from European sources in the United States. Dance in the African tradition, and thus in the tradition of slaves, was a part of both every day life and special occasions. Many of these traditions such as get down, ring shouts, and other elements of African body language survive as elements of modern dance. In the 1800s, African American dance began to appear in minstrel shows. These shows often presented African Americans as caricatures for ridicule to large audiences. The first African American dance to become popular with White dancers was the cakewalk in 1891. Later dances to follow in this tradition include the Charleston, the Lindy Hop, and the Jitterbug. During the Harlem Renaissance, all African American Broadway shows such as Shuffle Along helped to establish and legitimize African American dancers. African American dance forms such as tap, a combination of African and European influences, gained widespread popularity thanks to dancers such as Bill Robinson and were used by leading White choreographers who often hired African American dancers. Contemporary African American dance is descended from these earlier forms and also draws influence from African and Caribbean dance forms. Groups such as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater have continued to contribute to the growth of this form. Modern popular dance in America is also greatly influenced by African American dance. American popular dance has also drawn many influences from African American dance most notably in the hip hop genre. Art [pic] Sand Dunes at Sunset, Atlantic City by Henry Ossawa Tanner 1859-1937 From its early origins in slave communities, through the end of the twentieth century, African-American art has made a vital contribution to the art of the United States. During the period between the 1600s and the early 1800s, art took the form of small drums, quilts, wrought-iron figures and ceramic vessels in the southern United States. These artifacts have similarities with comparable crafts in West and Central Africa. In contrast, African American artisans like the New England–based engraver Scipio Moorhead and the Baltimore portrait painter Joshua Johnson created art that was conceived in a thoroughly western European fashion. During the 1800s, Harriet Powers made quilts in rural Georgia, United States that are now considered among the finest examples of nineteenth-century Southern quilting. Later in the 20th century, the women of Gee’s Bend developed a distinctive, bold, and sophisticated quilting style based on traditional African American quilts with a geometric simplicity that developed separately but was like that of Amish quilts and modern art. After the American Civil War, museums and galleries began more frequently to display the work of African American artists. Cultural expression in mainstream venues was still limited by the dominant European aesthetic and by racial prejudice. To increase the visibility of their work, many African American artists traveled to Europe where they had greater freedom. It was not until the Harlem Renaissance that more whites began to pay attention to African American art in America. [pic] Kara Walker, Cut, Cut paper and adhesive on wall, Brent Sikkema NYC. During the 1920s, artists such as Raymond Barthe, Aaron Douglas, Augusta Savage, and photographer James Van Der Zee became well known for their work. During the Great Depression, new opportunities arose for these and other African American artists under the WPA. In later years, other programs and institutions, such as the New York City-based Harmon Foundation, helped to foster African American artistic talent. Augusta Savage, Elizabeth Catlett, Lois Mailou Jones, Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence and others exhibited in museums and juried art shows, and built reputations and followings for themselves. In the 1950s and 1960s, there were very few widely accepted African American artists. Despite this, The Highwaymen, a loose association of 27 African American artists from Ft. Pierce, Florida, created idyllic, quickly realized images of the Florida landscape and peddled some 50,000 of them from the trunks of their cars. They sold their art directly to the public rather than through galleries and art agents, thus receiving the name â€Å"The Highwaymen†. Rediscovered in the mid-1990s, today they are recognized as an important part of American folk history. Their artwork is widely collected by enthusiasts and original pieces can easily fetch thousands of dollars in auctions and sales. The Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s was another period of resurgent interest in African American art. During this period, several African-American artists gained national prominence, among them Lou Stovall, Ed Love, Charles White, and Jeff Donaldson. Donaldson and a group of African-American artists formed the Afrocentric collective AFRICOBRA, which remains in existence today. The sculptor Martin Puryear, whose work has been acclaimed for years, is being honored with a 30-year retrospective of his work at the Museum of Modern Art in New York starting November 2007. Notable contemporary African American artists include David Hammons, Eugene J. Martin, Charles Tolliver, and Kara Walker. Literature [pic] Langston Hughes, a notable African American poet of the Harlem Renaissance. African American literature has its roots in the oral traditions of African slaves in America. The slaves used stories and fables in much the same way as they used music. These stories influenced the earliest African American writers and poets in the 18thcentury such as Phillis Wheatley and Olaudah Equiano. These authors reached early high points by telling slave narratives. During the early 20th century Harlem Renaissance, numerous authors and poets, such as Langston Hughes, W. E. B. Dubois, and Booker T. Washington, grappled with how to respond to discrimination in America. Authors during the Civil Rights era, such as Richard Wright, James Baldwin and Gwendolyn Brooks wrote about issues of racial segregation, oppression and other aspects of African American life. This tradition continues today with authors who have been accepted as an integral part of American literature, with works such as Roots: The Saga of an American Family by Alex Haley, The Color Purple by Alice Walker, and Beloved by Nobel Prize-winning Toni Morrison, and series by Octavia Butler and Walter Mosley that have achieved both best-selling and/or award-winning status. Museums The African American Museum Movement emerged during the 1950s and 1960s to preserve the heritage of the African American experience and to ensure its proper interpretation in American history. Museums devoted to African American history are found in many African American neighborhoods. Institutions such as the African American Museum and Library at Oakland and The African American Museum in Cleveland were created by African Americans to teach and investigate cultural history that, until recent decades was primarily preserved trough oral traditions. Language Generations of hardships imposed on the African American community created distinctive language patterns. Slave owners often intentionally mixed people who spoke different African languages to discourage communication in any language other than English. This, combined with prohibitions against education, led to the development of pidgins, simplified mixtures of two or more languages that speakers of different languages could use to communicate. Examples of pidgins that became fully developed languages include Creole, common to Haiti,and Gullah, common to the Sea Islands off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia. African American Vernacular English is a type variety (dialect, ethnolect and sociolect) of the American English language closely associated with the speech of but not exclusive to African Americans. While AAVE is academically considered a legitimate dialect because of its logical structure, some of both Caucasians and African Americans consider it slang or the result of a poor command of Standard American English. Inner city African American children who are isolated by speaking only AAVE have more difficulty with standardized testing and, after school, moving to the mainstream world for work. It is common for many speakers of AAVE to code switch between AAVE and Standard American English depending on the setting. Fashion and aesthetics [pic] A man weaving kente cloth in Ghana. Attire The cultural explosion of the 1960s saw the incorporation of surviving cultural dress with elements from modern fashion and West African traditional clothing to create a uniquely African American traditional style. Kente cloth is the best known African textile. These festive woven patterns, which exist in numerous varieties, were originally made by the Ashanti and Ewe peoples of Ghana and Togo. Kente fabric also appears in a number of Western style fashions ranging from casual t-shirts to formal bow ties and cummerbunds. Kente strips are often sewn into liturgical and cademic robes or worn as stoles. Since the Black Arts Movement, traditional African clothing has been popular amongst African Americans for both formal and informal occasions. Another common aspect of fashion in African American culture involves the appropriate dress for worship in the Black church. It is expected in most churches that an individual should present their best appearance for worship. African Americ an women in particular are known for wearing vibrant dresses and suits. An interpretation of a passage from the Christian Bible, â€Å"†¦ very woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head†¦ â€Å", has led to the tradition of wearing elaborate Sunday hats, sometimes known as â€Å"crowns. † Hair Hair styling in African American culture is greatly varied. African American hair is typically composed of tightly coiled curls. The predominant styles for women involve the straightening of the hair through the application of heat or chemical processes. These treatments form the base for the most commonly socially acceptable hairstyles in the United States. Alternatively, the predominant and most socially acceptable practice for men is to leave one’s hair natural. Often, as men age and begin to lose their hair, the hair is either closely cropped, or the head is shaved completely free of hair. However, since the 1960s, natural hairstyles, such as the afro, braids, and dreadlocks, have been growing in popularity. Although the association with radical political movements and their vast difference from mainstream Western hairstyles, the styles have not yet attained widespread social acceptance. Maintaining facial hair is more prevalent among African American men than in other male populations in the U. S. In fact, the soul patch is so named because African American men, particularly jazz musicians, popularized the style. The preference for facial hair among African American men is due partly to personal taste, but because they are more prone than other ethnic groups to develop a condition known as pseudofolliculitis barbae, commonly referred to as razor bumps, many prefer not to shave. Body image The European aesthetic and attendant mainstream concepts of beauty are often at odds with the African body form. Because of this, African American women often find themselves under pressure to conform to European standards of beauty. Still, there are individuals and groups who are working towards raising the standing of the African aesthetic among African Americans and internationally as well. This includes efforts toward promoting as models those with clearly defined African features; the mainstreaming of natural hairstyles; and, in women, fuller, more voluptuous body types. Religion While African Americans practice a number of religions, Protestant Christianity is by far the most popular. Additionally, 14% of Muslims in the United States and Canada are African American. Christianity [pic] A river baptism in New Bern, North Carolina near the turn of the 20th century. The religious institutions of African American Christians commonly are referred tocollectively as the black church. During slavery, many slaves were stripped of their African belief systems and typically denied free religious practice. Slaves managed, however, to hang on to some practices by integrating them into Christian worship in secret meetings. These practices, including dance, shouts, African rhythms, and enthusiastic singing, remain a large part of worship in the African American church. African American churches taught that all people were equal in God’s eyes and viewed the doctrine of obedience to one’s master taught in white churches as hypocritical. Instead the African American church focused on the message of equality and hopes for a better future. Before and after emancipation, racial segregation in America prompted the development of organized African American denominations. The first of these was the AME Church founded by Richard Allen in 1787. An African American church is not necessarily a separate denomination. Several predominantly African American churches exist as members of predominantly white denominations. African American churches have served to provide African American people with leadership positions and opportunities to organize that were denied in mainstream American society. Because of this, African American pastors became the bridge between the African American and European American communities and thus played a crucial role in the American Civil Rights Movement. Like many Christians, African American Christians sometimes participate in or attend a Christmas play. Black Nativity by Langston Hughes is a re-telling of the classic Nativity story with gospel music. Productions can be found a African American theaters and churches all over the country. Islam [pic] A member of the Nation of Islam selling merchandise on a city street corner. Despite the popular assumption that the Nation represents all or most African American Muslims, less than 2% are members. Generations before the advent of the Atlantic slave trade, Islam was a thriving religion in West Africa due to its peaceful introduction via the lucrative trans-Saharan trade between prominent tribes in the southern Sahara and the Berbers to the North. In his attesting to this fact the West African scholar Cheikh Anta Diop explained: â€Å"The primary reason for the success of Islam in Black Africa†¦ onsequently stems from the fact that it was propagated peacefully at first by solitary Arabo-Berber travelers to certain Black kings and notables, who then spread it about them to those under their jurisdiction† Many first-generation slaves were often able to retain their Muslim identity, their descendants were not. Slaves were either forcibly converted to Christianity as was the case in the Catholic lands or were besieged with gross inconviences to their religious practice such as in the case of the Protestant American mainland. In the decades after slavery and particularly during the depression era, Islam reemerged in the form of highly visible and sometimes controversial heterodox movements in the African American community. The first of these of note was the Moorish Science Temple of America, founded by Noble Drew Ali. Ali had a profound influence on Wallace Fard, who later founded the Black nationalist Nation of Islam in 1930. Elijah Muhammad became head of the organization in 1934. Much like Malcolm X, who left the Nation of Islam in 1964, many African American Muslims now follow traditional Islam. A survey by the Council on American-Islamic Relations shows that 30% of Sunni Mosque attendees are African Americans. African American orthodox Muslims are often the victims of stereotypes, most notably the assumption that an African American Muslim is a member of the Nation of Islam. They are often viewed by the uneducated African-American community in general as less authentic than Muslims from the Middle East or South Asia while credibility is less of an issue with immigrant Muslims and Muslim world in general. Other religions Aside from Christianity and Islam, there are also African Americans who follow Judaism, Buddhism, and a number of other religions. The Black Hebrew Israelites are a collection of African American Jewish religious organizations. Among their varied teachings, they often include that African Americans are descended from the Biblical Hebrews (sometimes with the paradoxical claim that the Jewish people are not). There is a small but growing number of African Americans who participate in African traditional religions, such as Vodou and Santeria or Ifa and diasporic traditions like Rastafarianism. Many of them are immigrants or descendants of immigrants from the Caribbean and South America, where these are practiced. Because of religious practices, such as animal sacrifice, which are no longer common among American religions and are often legally prohibited, these groups may be viewed negatively and are sometimes the victims of harassment. Life events For most African Americans, the observance of life events follows the pattern of mainstream American culture. There are some traditions which are unique to African Americans. Some African Americans have created new rites of passage that are linked to African traditions. Pre-teen and teenage boys and girls take classes to prepare them for adulthood. They are typically taught spirituality, responsibility, and leadership. Most of these programs are modeled after traditional African ceremonies, with the focus largely on embracing African ideologies rather than specific rituals. To this day, some African American couples choose to â€Å"jump the broom† as a part of their wedding ceremony. Although the practice, which can be traced back to Ghana, fell out of favor in the African American community after the end of slavery, it has experienced a slight resurgence in recent years as some couples seek to reaffirm their African heritage. Funeral traditions tend to vary based on a number of factors, including religion and location, but there are a number of commonalities. Probably the most important part of death and dying in the African American culture is the gathering of family and friends. Either in the last days before death or shortly after death, typically any friends and family members that can be reached are notified. This gathering helps to provide spiritual and emotional support, as well as assistance in making decisions and accomplishing everyday tasks. The spirituality of death is very important in African American culture. A member of the clergy or members of the religious community, or both, are typically present with the family through the entire process. Death is often viewed as transitory rather than final. Many services are called homegoings, instead of funerals, based on the belief that the person is going home to the afterlife. The entire end of life process is generally treated as a celebration of life rather than a mourning of loss. This is most notably demonstrated in the New Orleans Jazz Funeral tradition where upbeat music, dancing, and food encourage those gathered to be happy and celebrate the homegoing of a beloved friend. Cuisine [pic] A traditional soul food dinner consisting of fried chicken, candied yams, collard greens, cornbread, and macaroni and cheese. The cultivation and use of many agricultural products in the United States, such as yams, peanuts, rice, okra, sorghum, grits, watermelon, indigo dyes, and cotton, can be traced to African influences. African American foods reflect creative esponses to racial and economic oppression and poverty. Under slavery, African Americans were not allowed to eat better cuts of meat, and after emancipation many often were too poor to afford them. Soul food, a hearty cuisine commonly associated with African Americans in the South (but also common to African Americans nationwide), makes creative use of inexpensive products procured through farming and subsistence hunting and fishing. Pig intestines are boiled and sometimes battered and fried to make chitterlings, also known as â€Å"chitlins. Ham hocks and neck bones provide seasoning to soups, beans and boiled greens (turnip greens, collard greens, and mustard greens). Other common foods, such as fried chicken and fish, macaroni and cheese, cornbread and hoppin’ john (black-eyed peas and rice) are prepared simply. When the African American population was considerably more rural than it generally is today, rabbit, possum, squirrel, and waterfowl were important additions to the diet. Many of these food traditions are especially predominant in many parts of the rural South. Traditionally prepared soul food is often high in fat, sodium and starch. Highly suited to the physically demanding lives of laborers, farmhands and rural lifestyles generally, it is now a contributing factor to obesity, heart disease, and diabetes in a population that has become increasingly more urban and sedentary. As a result, more health-conscious African-Americans are using alternative methods of preparation, eschewing trans fats in favor of natural vegetable oils and substituting smoked turkey for fatback and other, cured pork products; limiting the amount of refined sugar in desserts; and emphasizing the consumption of more fruits and vegetables than animal protein. There is some resistance to such changes, however, as they involve deviating from long culinary tradition. Holidays and observances [pic] A woman wearing traditional West African clothing lighting the candles on a kinara for a Kwanzaa celebration. As with other American racial and ethnic groups, African Americans observe ethnic holidays alongside traditional American holidays. Holidays observed in African American culture are not only observed by African Americans. The birthday of noted American civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr has been observed nationally since 1983. It is one of three federal holidays named for an individual. Black History Month is another example of another African American observance that has been adopted nationally. Black History Month is an attempt to focus attention on previously neglected aspects of the African American experience. It is observed during the month of February to coincide with the founding of the NAACP and the birthdays of Frederick Douglass, a prominent African American abolitionist, and Abraham Lincoln, the United States president who signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Less widely observed outside of the African American community is Emancipation Day. The nature and timing of the celebration vary regionally. It is most widely observed as Juneteenth, in recognition of the official reading of the Emancipation Proclamation on June 19, 1865 in Texas. Another holiday not widely observed outside of the African American community is the birthday of Malcolm X. The day is observed on May 19 in American cities with a significant African American population, including Washington, D. C.. One of the most noted African American holidays is Kwanzaa. Like Emancipation Day, it is not widely observed outside of the African American community, although it is growing in popularity within the community. African American scholar and activist â€Å"Maulana† Ron Karenga invented the festival of Kwanzaa in 1966, as an alternative to the increasing commercialization of Christmas. Derived from the harvest rituals of Africans, Kwanzaa is observed each year from December 26 through January 1. Participants in Kwanzaa celebrations affirm their African heritage and the importance of family and community by drinking from a unity cup; lighting red, black, and green candles; exchanging heritage symbols, such as African art; and recounting the lives of people who struggled for African and African American freedom. Names African American names are often drawn from the same language groups as other popular names found in the United States. The practice of adopting neo-African or Islamic names did not gain popularity until the late Civil Rights era. Efforts to recover African heritage inspired selection of names with deeper cultural significance. Prior to this, using African names was not practical for two reasons. First, many African Americans were several generations removed from the last ancestor to have an African name since slaves were often given European names. Second, a traditional American name helps an individual fit into American society. Another African American naming practice that predates the use of African names is the use of â€Å"made-up† names. In an attempt to create their own identity, growing numbers of African American parents, starting in the post-World War II era, began creating new names based on sounds they found pleasing such as Marquon, DaShawn, LaTasha, or Shandra. Family When slavery was practiced in the United States, it was common for families to be separated through sale. Even during slavery, however, African American families managed to maintain strong familial bonds. Free, African men and women, who managed to buy their own freedom by being hired out, who were emancipated, or who had escaped their masters, often worked long and hard to buy the members of their families who remained in bondage and send for them. Others, separated from blood kin, formed close bonds comprised of fictive kin; play relations, play aunts, cousins and the like. This practice, perhaps a holdover from African tradition, survived Emancipation, with non-blood family friends commonly accorded the status and titles of blood relations. This broader, more African concept of what constitutes family and community, and the deeply rooted respect for elders that is part of African traditional societies may be the genesis of the common use of the terms like â€Å"aunt†, â€Å"uncle†, â€Å"brother,† â€Å"sister†, â€Å"Mother† and â€Å"Mama† when addressing other African American people, some of whom may be complete strangers. Or, it could have arisen in the Christian church as a way of greeting fellow congregants and believers. Immediately after slavery, African American families struggled to reunite and rebuild what had been taken. As late as 1960, 78% of African American families were headed by married couples. This number steadily declined over the latter half of the 20th century. A number of factors, including attitudes towards education, gender roles, and poverty have created a situation where, for the first time since slavery, a majority of African American children live in a household with only one parent, typically the mother. These figures appear to indicate a weak African American nuclear family structure, especially within a large patriarchal society. This apparent weakness is balanced by mutual aid systems established by extended family members to provide emotional and economic support. Older family members pass on social and cultural traditions such as religion and manners to younger family members. In turn, the older family members are cared for by younger family members when they are unable to care for themselves. These relationships exist at all economic levels in the African American community, providing strength and support both to the African American family and the community. Politics and social issues Since the passing of the Voting Rights Act, African Americans are voting and being elected to public office in increasing numbers. As of January 2001 there were 9,101 African American elected officials in America. African Americans are overwhelmingly Democratic. Only 11% of African Americans voted for George W. Bush in the 2004 Presidential Election. Social issues such as racial profiling, the racial disparity in sentencing, higher rates of poverty, institutional racism, and lower access to health care are important to the African American community. While the divide on racial and fiscal issues has remained consistently wide for decades, seemingly indicating a wide social divide, African Americans tend to hold the same optimism and concern for America as Whites. In the case of many moral issues such as religion, and family values, African Americans tend to be more conservative than Whites. Another area where African Americans outstrip Whites in their conservatism is on the issue of homosexuality. Prominent leaders in the Black church have demonstrated against gay rights issues such as gay marriage. There are those within the community who take a more inclusive position most notably, the late Mrs. Coretta Scott King, and the Reverend Al Sharpton, who, when asked in 2003 whether he supported gay marriage, replied that he might as well have been asked if he supported black marriage or white marriage. Neighborhoods African American neighborhoods are types of ethnic enclaves found in many cities in the United States. The formation of African American neighborhoods is closely linked to the history of segregation in the United States, either through formal laws, or as a product of social norms. Despite this, African American neighborhoods have played an important role in the development of nearly all aspects of both African American culture and broader American culture. Due to segregated conditions and widespread poverty some African American neighborhoods in the United States have been called â€Å"ghettos. † The use of this term is controversial and, depending on the context, potentially offensive. Despite mainstream America’s use of the term â€Å"ghetto† to signify a poor urban area populated by ethnic minorities, those living in the area often used it to signify something positive. The African American ghettos did not always contain dilapidated houses and deteriorating projects, nor were all of its residents poverty-stricken. For many African Americans, the ghetto was â€Å"home† a place representing authentic blackness and a feeling, passion, or emotion derived from the rising above the struggle and suffering of being of African descent in America. Langston Hughes relays in the â€Å"Negro Ghetto† (1931) and â€Å"The Heart of Harlem† (1945): â€Å"The buildings in Harlem are brick and stone/And the streets are long and wide,/But Harlem’s much more than these alone,/Harlem is what’s inside. Playwright August Wilson used the term â€Å"ghetto† in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (1984) and Fences (1987), both of which draw upon the author’s experience growing up in the Hill district of Pittsburgh, an African American ghetto. Although African American neighborhoods may suffer from civic disinvestment, with lower q uality schools, less effective policing and fire protection. There are institutions such as churches and museums and political organizations that help to improve the physical and social capital of African American neighborhoods. In African American neighborhoods the churches may be important sources of social cohesion. For some African Americans the kind spirituality learned through these churches works as a protective factor against the corrosive forces of racism. Museums devoted to African American history are also found in many African American neighborhoods. Many African American neighborhoods are located in inner cities, These are the mostly residential neighborhoods located closest to the central business district. The built environment is often row houses or brownstones, mixed with older single family homes that may be converted to multi family homes. In some areas there are larger apartment buildings. Shotgun houses are an important part of the built environment of some southern African American neighborhoods. The houses consist of three to five rooms in a row with no hallways. This African American house design is found in both rural and urban southern areas, mainly in African-American communities and neighborhoods.

Analysis of Aluminium †Analytical Chemistry Essay

Introduction Atomic Absorption relies on the principle that each atom absorbs light of a particular wavelength, and hence at that wavelength the quantity of that absorption is proportional to the elements concentration. The first technique used in this analysis was Electrothermal Atomisation, known as Graphite Furnace-AAS. The components of a Graphite Furnace AAS are similar to that of Flame AAS, they more or less use the same components, with the exception of the component used to heat the sample. For a Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometer the schematic is: Hollow Cathode Lamp → Graphite Tube → Monochromator → Detector The Hollow Cathode Lamp (HCL) is a selective/specific light source made from the element of interest. The HCL contains an inert gas which is usually Argon or Neon. Ionization of the inert gas takes place, which causes acceleration of the gas into the Cathode. This causes the metal atoms (Al) of the cathode to sputter into the gas phase. The collision of sputtered atoms with the Argon atoms or electrons, excite the metal to higher energy levels. It is the process of decay that occurs which causes excited electrons to emit light in their return down to lower energy levels which is shone through the sample in the Graphite tube. Ar + e- → Ar+ = 2e- M(s) + Ar+ → M(g) + Ar M(g) + Ar+ → M*(g) + Ar M*(g) → M(g) + hv (light) The monochromator isolates the absorption line obtained from the sample, giving an accurate depiction to the detector. While the detector measures the intensity of the light and produces an electrical signal equivalent to the intensity. The sample is injected directly into the graphite tube, which is then heated. The tube provides thermal energy enough to break bonds within the sample and produce free atoms of the analyte. The sample undergoes three stages of heating, which are all imperative to the analysis of the sample: Step 1: drying of sample (which is the removal of water and the solvent) happens at approximately 125 degrees celsius. Step 2: ‘ashing’ of organic matter (removal of organic and inorganic material, essentially any matrix) happens at approximately1300 degrees celsius. Step 3: Vaporization of analyte atoms (free analyte atoms in light path) – happens at approximately 2400 degrees celsius Step 2 is important for preventing Spectral Interference in the analysis. Due to the fact, there is no flame used in this particular technique there is no combustion products, hence there improved sensitivity of between 10 and 10^3. Method 1. From stock standard of Aluminium provided, prepare concentrations of 10ppb, 20ppb and 50ppb. 2. Add 2ml of 10% HNO3 to each standard and make up to volume in polycarbonate flasks using Ultra High Purity water (UHP water). 3. Prepare a blank: 2ml of 10% HNO3 diluted with UHP water. 4. Take 50ml samples of tap water from: a laboratory sink, a tap in C block, a sink from alternative lab. 5. Add 1ml of 10% HNO3 to each sample as a preservative. 6. Ensure all solutions are mixed well before loading into carousel. 7. Load carousel in order of: blank, then set of standards filling all inner positions. 8. Load samples into outer carousel using small cups. 9. Run analysis. Optimising the GF-AAS is important to ensure maximum efficiency of detection. This is done via running the standards over a range of pre-treatment and atomisation temperatures to determine the conditions for maximum response. Running the blank is important in establishing the base-line reading – this acts as a correction factor, as you can determine how much absorption you find in your samples as a result of the solvent.

America’s Global War on Terrorism Essay

At 8:46 am, on September 11, 2001, the world would take witness to an event that would change it forever. Five hijackers, with the support of a terrorist group named Al Qaeda, crashed a passenger jet into World Trade Center Tower 1, and seventeen minutes later a second passenger jet was crashed into World Trade Center Tower 2. Now, everyone can remember exactly where they were when they received the news of the attack, but, what most American’s didn’t realize is that these events would lead to the majority of the world into war. This was the first time that the United States would participate in a war against and idea, terrorism, and not a declaration of war against a country itself. In every war that the United States had been involved in, they had been faced against an enemy in the form of a country. Whether it was Spain, Mexico, Britain, France, Germany, Japan, or even against itself, the United States always had a target. These â€Å"targets† usually had a uniform; they were also in support of a dictator, king, or even a tyrant. But with the War on Terror, the United States and its allied NATO Nations were not taking actions against a country; they were taking actions against an ideology that had affected the entire planet. The route of this ideology can be traced back to one man, Osama bin Laden. Osama bin Laden, with the help of the United States, forced an invading Soviet Russia out of the country of Afghanistan in the 1980’s. Then, with the support of a radical Islamic state, and the formation of a radical group calling themself al-Qaeda, he declared war on the United States in 1996 (Lansford, Watson & Covarrubias, 2009). Bin Laden was quoted saying, â€Å"If the instigation for jihad against the Jews and the Americans†¦is considered a crime, then let history be a witness that I am a criminal (Lansford, Watson & Covarrubias, 2009).† With this foundation of hatred towards Western influence in the modern world, Osama bin Laden and his radical group al-Qaeda instigated a War against the world. The group al-Qaeda has taken responsibility of many terrorist attacks against the United States and its allied countries. From the World Trade Center attacks of 2001, to the Spain subway bombings of 2004, al-Qaeda has been at the center of these terrorist attacks. Unfortunately, unlike most wars declared against a country, al-Qaeda has roots in many countries. They’ve been linked to attacks in: Africa, Europe, North America; are believed to have ties to other terrorist cells like the Taliban, and the Revolutionary Armed Forced of Colombia; and are known to have cells based in Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan (Lansford, Watson & Covarrubias, 2009). Former President George Bush described al-Qaeda as â€Å"a fringe form of Islamic extremism that has been rejected by Muslim scholars and the vast majority of Muslim clerics; a fringe movement that perverts the peaceful teachings of Islam (Holloway, 2008).† This declared War on Terror was against terrorist groups, like al-Qaeda , but many did believe that the Former President had a hidden agenda. With the attacks of September 11th, a new foreign policy known as, â€Å"Bush Doctrine,† was implemented by the Bush administration. The â€Å"Bush Doctrine,† which the Bush administration rarely ever called its new foreign policy was based around four ideas: to make no distinction between terrorist and the countries harboring them, take the fight to enemies overseas before they can attack the United States, confront threats before they become threats, and promote democracy instead of terrorist ideology (Holloway, 2008). At the beginning of the war, the American people being full of patriotism and wanting revenge for the 9/11 attacks were in 100% agreement with this policy, but as time passed and the years that this â€Å"war† has gone on, more and more are in less support and just want the United States military to be brought home. Towards the end of President Bush’s second term, he began to be under constant attack due to the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was accused of invading Iraq under false pretenses of: weapons of mass destruction, and a direct influence of 9/11 by Saddam Hussein’s regime (Holloway, 2008), a plateau that our current President, Barack Obama, used to his advantage during his initial campaign. Yet, even though Former President Bush was attacked and scrutinized about his policies, he stood by his initial belief that his â€Å"Global War on Terror† was against an ideology, and not a certain country. Whether or not the current 10-year war was actually waged against Osama Bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, Muammar al-Gaddafi, or any other tyrant is truly unknown, and if the September 9/11 attacks were hoaxed and just a coercion for the American people to be tricked into war, who knows. What can be known is this; the War on Terror is the first time that the United States has declared war on an idea, a way of life, and not against a country of its own, and because of this, the true length of this war has the ability to last forever. Holloway, D. (2008). 9/11 and the war on terror [electronic resource] / david holloway . Edinburg University Press. Lansford, T., Watson, R., & Covarrubias, J. (2009).America’s war on terror [electronic resource] / by tom lansford, robert p. watson and jack covarrubias. (2nd ed.). Burlington, VT: Ashgate.

The Moorish Empire Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Moorish Empire - Essay Example It was the system of learning and education established by the Moors in Spain that gradually gained grounds in the rest of Europe. While in the Christian Europe the populations predominantly happened to be illiterate, Moors placed a highly value on knowledge and learning (Sordo & Swaan 117). During the times of the Moorish Empire, when the entire Europe could boast of merely two universities, the Moorish Empire was the home to almost seventeen universities placed at Almeria, Toledo, Cordova, Malaga, Cordova and other important cities (Sordo & Swaan 131). The Moorish Empire in Spain had well stocked libraries housing some of the most important manuscripts and books. The library at Cordova happened to be one of the most expansive and well stocked libraries in Europe (Sordo & Swaan 55). It was this rich and well endowed system of education introduced by Moors in Europe that laid down the foundations for European Renaissance. It was the Moors who organized agriculture in Spain along the modern lines. They introduced elaborate systems of irrigation through artificially planned and constructed water channels, used modern manures and cultivation methods and introduced many new crops to Europe that included citrus fruits, cotton, sugarcane, dates, ginger, peaches, apricots and many more (Fletcher 63). The new crops introduced by Moors in Spain in a way altered and transformed the local cuisine and this had a profound influence on the culinary techniques and tastes in Europe. The Moorish Empire also influenced the fashion and dressing styles in Europe (Sordo & Swaan 145). The urban planning of the Moorish Empire readily excelled over that of any other European nation or city. The capital of Al Andalus that is Cordoba happened to be an important city of those times that had all the modern urban utilities like hospitals, street lights, public baths, mosques, libraries and running water (Fletcher 65). The Moors introduced to Europe a detailed and

Communication Skills Used By Mental Health Nurses Essay

Communication Skills Used By Mental Health Nurses - Essay Example 6). In achieving its goal, mental health nursing used variety of theories, research, strategies, and evidence-based practice to reduce suffering and improve the quality of life. Communication skills, particularly therapeutic communication, are one of the strategies frequently used by mental health nurses to build rapport and partnership with clients that are in need of mental health care. According to Pryjmachuk (2011), communication skills refer to sets of interpersonal skills which play a vital role in making a climate conducive for therapy, such as demonstration of trust, rapport and collaboration and promotion of engagement (both client and therapist) in the therapeutic relationship (p. 61). It is through therapeutic relationship that nurses became able to understand clients’ thoughts, feelings and behavior, establish partnership and therapeutic relationship with the client, and deliver appropriate care needed. Through the years, the role of the mental health nurses has ev olved and they continuously assume various roles during nurse-client relationship. Three key influences have shaped the need and style of interpersonal communication skills among mental health nurses of United Kingdom. ... ealth arena and service user movement in mental health which heightened the pressure to workforce, human qualities and specific clinical skills; and development and evolution of mental health nursing as a profession in the post war period as a result of continuous debates on mental health nursing’s purpose (Callara, 2008, p. 154). These forces have shaped the communication skills used by mental health nurses as the recognition of mental health nursing as a profession has made interpersonal therapeutic relationship the focus of research and development and trainings among nurses. Thoughts and Feelings about Therapeutic Communication In mental health settings, therapeutic communication is the primary vehicle that nurses used (Videbeck, 2010, p. 115). I feel that this type of communication is the best tool that a mental health nurse should have and that communication skills that offer therapeutic relationship should be nurtured and enhanced professionally. I also believe that if the client and the mental health nurse have a therapeutic relationship, any interventions geared towards client recovery would be effective. I feel the need for this type of communication in mental health settings; unfortunately, not much emphasis was given to communication skills enrichment and self-awareness – the first step towards improving communication. When mental health nurses are aware of their personal attitudes, beliefs, and values, they could easily gain awareness of the factors that influenced communication, establish rapport with the clients, and build therapeutic relationships. Basavanthappa (2011) has indicated different therapeutic communication techniques that mental health nurses and I often used in a nurse-client relationship, among of which include: use of broad opening

Analysis of The Declaration of Independence Essay

Analysis of The Declaration of Independence - Essay Example While the Declaration of Independence demonstrates considerable historical importance, a large part of its lasting appealing is because of the power rhetorical tools the text implements. Within this context of understanding, perhaps the most powerful rhetorical tool is Jefferson’s implementation of pathos to engage the emotional appeal of the readers. From the very opening of the document, Jefferson implements slightly melodramatic language as a means of creating this emotional response within the reader. Consider Jefferson when he writes, When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation (Jefferson). While these textual elements function to establish the purpose of the document, they are also written in a lyrical way that draws the attention of the reader to the importance and viability of this declaration. Evident here, as well as later in the text, is also a carefully crafted rhetorical structure. In these regards, one notes that Jefferson’s sentences are not simply constructed as one might construct a legal document, but are highly considered for things such as alliteration and parallel structure. This is highly evident in the quote above, as well as in statements such as the seminal, â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness† (Jefferson). Ultimately, this lyrical quality functions within Jefferson’s emotional pathos technique of engaging the reader. In addition to these stylistic eleme nts of rhetoric, the text also implements strong appeals based on logos. Indeed, in considering the Declaration of Independence in terms of logos, one of the most powerful articulations is the role of government. In these regards, the overarching understanding is that it protects citizens’ rights. In these regards, Jefferson makes the seminal statement, â€Å"they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness† (Jefferson). While this is a broad and rhetorical statement, its primary argument holds true. While the Declaration of Independence in large part illustrates the functions of government that England failed to accomplish, in considering some of these points, one demonstrate some of the important roles of government. Regarding England, Jefferson indicates that he has â€Å"refused to pass other laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquis h the right of representation in the legislature† (Jefferson). Here, Jefferson is indicating that the British government failed to provide adequate representation to individuals. Ultimately, when one views the slanted and dysfunctional nature of dictatorships, the importance of this function is made abundantly clear. As the text progresses Jefferson abandons the earlier lyrical quality for the more legal-like structure wherein a series of grievances are listed. This technique has powerful logos appeal as the culmination of these grievances builds such

Applied English and Communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Applied English and Communications - Essay Example In addition, if one checks manuals of gadgets or equipment even if it is not made in the United States of America, it is evident that there is always an instruction part of the manual written always in English for the fact, that manufacturers are aware that this language is generally used by many individuals all throughout the world, it is also a better marketing strategy for products to be accessible for the majority of the public. English though may not be originally rooted in the ancestors of the people living in the United States of America; it has been broadly used by Americans since majority of the American population can remember. Baron termed English as the most powerful language on earth (440). It is fitting to make it the official language of the United States of America for as what Baron had stressed that English forms the glue that keeps Americans together (440). However, many still reject the idea of making English the official language of the United States for a variety of reasons; hence, others want to ban English entirely like what Baron (440-442) suggested in his work. First, Baron believes that a common language can often be the usual cause of conflict and argument (441). He cited examples like what happened in Ireland and Northern Ireland, North and South Korea, the Union and the Confederacy where civil wars and conflicts are present. Baron further adds that banning English would avoid this type of partition in America at present (441). Contrary to this argument, I believe that misunderstanding can happen whether or not people use a common language or not, the popular conflicts in history involve persons of different cultures and beliefs; hence, people who use different languages and it is a fact that miscommunication is often the root of confusion. How can one stop disagreement and encourage conversation and peace when people just cannot merely understand each other? Second, Baron emphasized that if English was banned, the United States of A merica would not have to worry what kind of English, i.e. the English of England or America, the English of New York or Chicago, the English of Ross Perot or William Buckley, will be its official language (441). This however was contradicted in a way by Lewis in his work that what should be utilized as the official language of the United States of America is the Standard English (436). English should also be forbidden for the fact that no one barely reads it or even spell it, according to Baron, even English instructors have come to rely on computer spell checkers. He further adds that it is not a pure language anymore since most of its words were a product of the combination of different languages like French, Latin, Italian, Arabic, Sanskrit, Latin, Celtic, Yiddish, Chinese and Scandinavian. Moreover, English is becoming a world language. It is starting to be on everybody’s tongue and then one day people will just wake up that it is no longer existing just like what happene d to the universal languages in world history such as Latin, Greek and Indo-European and to prevent this kind of future disappointment, it would be better to simply ban English (Baron 442). I think that the said languages failed to continue its existence on every human being’s tongue for many different factors, such as probably another language was proven more effective; the real cause however, will still be unknown. In the end, Baron however, indirectly showed that English is irreplaceable and his statements