RUNNING HEADER 1
My African-American and Native-American Culture
Cultural Background Paper
Kimberly Thompson
Multicultural Counseling (D16)
Doctor Atasha Christian
07/14/2024
RUNNING HEADER 2
My African-American and Native-American Culture
The two distinct cultural backgrounds to which I belong, Specifically African American and
Native American, will be examined in greater detail in this paper in addition to delving into the
religious and spiritual aspects of my family’s past, it will examine the patterns that exist across
generations, as well as the similarities and differences that exist within each cultural group. In
addition, it will discuss how this information influenced my identity and theoretical outlook.
Recognizing the significance of nationality and culture in shaping a person’s personality and
development is critical. A thorough comprehension of a person’s cultural heritage impacts their
beliefs, values, and perspectives. An identity that is more solid and has a significant connection
to one’s ancestors can result from accepting one’s cultural roots. With the backing of my family
and others, I can dive into African American and Native-American culture for this review. My
connection to my ancestors and comprehension of my heritage will both be enhanced by this
investigation.
The African American Social also referred to as the “dark social,” is primarily responsible for
shaping my sense of self. As an individual from the dim social local area, it has been especially
troublesome and crippling with issues from police ruthlessness to the battle for acknowledgment
and change. The culture is deeply ingrained in the contributions and rich history of African
Americans. Dare culture is frequently influenced by people of color, although this is not always
the case; Simien (2014) also notes that dark culture is frequently acknowledged when it is used
to market products or when white culture introduces an idea. After reading this article, I realized
that this has been a consistent theme in my life since I was a child.
RUNNING HEADER 3
My African-American and Native-American Culture
For Instance, I frequently alternate between braids, wigs, and natural hair. Sadly, while people of
color wear these styles and are considered fashionable, certain hairstyles, like braids or natural
hair, are frequently viewed as unprofessional or associated with negative stereotypes like ghetto
or thuggish. Prejudice, religion, and music are just a few of the topics covered in this section,
which will also examine the implications of these topics on African-American culture and how
they affect me, my family, and the global community. Both locals and outsiders may
misunderstand the significance of being African American.
Religion is especially important in African American culture, and it affects not only my family
but also the local community. I am profoundly grateful with my mom’s association with God,
which has furnished my family and me with priceless direction and the underpinning of my
confidence being brought up in church, my mom imparted in us the significance of supplication
and dedication, driving our family to be perceived as Christians, my mother’s advice to seek
God’s direction has brought comfort and strength to me during challenging times. I am
committed to maintaining my relationship with Christ despite my mother’s passing, and I deeply
miss her. In Ellison and Taylor’s (1996) work, I went over an entry that impacted me, featuring
the meaning of petition as a survival strategy for African Americans, and stressing that
dependence on religion and confidence is an option that could be more significant than oneself
inside our local area. Predisposition has had a significant impact on African Americans’ way of
life throughout history. It is dispiriting to observe the getting through the presence of prejudice
regardless of the difficulties experienced by our ancestors. Inclination, as characterized by
RUNNING HEADER 4
My African American and Native-American Culture
Merriam-Webster alludes to the conviction that race fundamentally impacts a person’s
characteristics and abilities, prompting eminent variations among individuals of various races.
Sadly, it is a grim reality that black people may be unfairly targeted by law enforcement and
subjected to violence. Within African American Culture, members of minority ethnic groups,
particularly young people from diverse backgrounds, bear the disproportionate brunt of this
bleak reality. The numerous troubling incidents are evidence of the widespread nature of bias in
the United States.
African American music, including jazz, gospel, rhythms, hip-hop, blues, and country, is an
important part of African American culture because we have made such a significant
contribution to the music industry. Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Prince, Whitney Houston,
Aretha Franklin, Mahalia Jackson, James Cleveland, The Clark Sisters, Pastor Shirley Caesar,
Aaron Neville and the Neville brothers, and Charlie Pride were among the artists I listened to as
a child. My siblings and I have all learned different songs and music from our mother, who
listened to a wide range of music. My mother spent a lot of time teaching my siblings and me
about black history, what makes good music, and how the music industry was the only thing that
could keep black communities together because no other culture could take it away from us. Hip-
hop, rap, and jazz music have had a positive impact on African American culture, According to
Edmin (2019) was that simply listening to music can have a significant impact on the
improvement of African American people’s education status. This is because engineering,
technology, and science can be used to improve education. I have noticed that certain rap and
RUNNING HEADER 5
My African-American and Native -American Culture
R&B songs denigrate drugs, women, profanity, and many other things, even though music has a
positive impact on black people. This is a problem because the more music these artists make,
the more people will start to hold the same values or view the world in the same way. For
instance, a lot of young children are now saying songs they hear or noticing the way songs are
played. As indicated by Creator Brown (2019), despite the positive impacts on music, parts of
contemporary rap music keep on being unsafe to African American culture.
In the following section of my personal history, I talk about Native-American culture. I am proud
to be a descendant of both Blackfoot and Cherokee tribes. I became interested in learning more
about the Cherokee tribe's history and customs because my maternal grandmother was a
Cherokee Indian.
All through the time of European Colonization in the United States, the Cherokee Tribe,
connected to the Iroquoian Tribe, stood apart as quite possibly the most compelling and steady
tribe in North America, the expression “Cherokee.” Starts from the Greek word meaning
“individuals of various discourse,” as expressed in the Britannica (2019) release. Georgia,
Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky, Virginia, and the Appalachian Mountains in West
Virginia were home to the Cherokee Indians. By 1650, they had around 22, 500 people (about
the seating of Madison Square Garden) living there.
RUNNING HEADER 6
My African-American and Native-American Culture
According to my research, men in Cherokee culture were responsible for hunting, fighting, and
leading the tribe, while women were responsible for care for the family and household
management. In Cherokee culture, storytelling, music and crafts are especially important. My
grandmother’s enthusiasm for handcrafts like painting, and do-it-yourself projects has influenced
my interests and hobbies, and I now know that certain aspects of Cherokee culture have been
passed down through my family. According to Lowe (2002), self-confidence was the primary
goal of Cherokee culture. This value was passed down to me by my mother, who raised my
siblings and me as a single parent during my years of growing up. In keeping with the Cherokee
belief in self-confidence and resilience to external judgment, my mother emphasized
independence and self-assurance.
I am focused on working on my ability as a counselor, getting my certification through a broad
examination, and finding out about different societies that have impacted my character.
Incorporating spirituality and religion into counseling sessions with African American clients
was emphasized by Boyd-Franklin (2010) because of my African American upbringing, I
anticipate working with a lot of people from this community to establish trust and create a
supportive and secure environment, I must avoid generalizations due to the ongoing issue of
discrimination. Understanding how the African American community uses spirituality as a
coping mechanism is necessary for dealing with issues like discrimination, adversity, and
difficulties. I must also be aware of the significance of family and traditions in Native American
culture, as well as the high suicide rate in their history and community when working with
RUNNING HEADER 7
My African-American and Native-American Culture
Native-American clients, must adhere to the American Counseling Association’s (2014)
standards and build solid therapeutic relationships with my patients.
RUNNING HEADER 8
My African-American and Native-American Culture
References
Developing Multicultural Counseling Competence a System Approach Danica G, Hays &
Bradley T, Erford
American Directing Affiliation (2014) The American Directing Affiliation (2014) The American
Directing Affiliation Distributes a Report in 2014.
Reference Book Britannica (2019) The Reference Book Britannica Delivers a Refreshed
Adaption in 2019.
Jackson, L.M. (20190). The Psychology of Prejudice from Attitudes to Social Action (2nd ed).
American Psychology Association.
Bowman, S. (2019). The American Mosaic: The African American Encounter investigates the
effect of hip-hop and rap music on the African American People.
www.native-languages.org/cherokee-culture.com
RUNNING HEADER 9
RUNNING HEADER 10
