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Cultural Immersion Project
David Stone
School of Behavioral Science, Liberty University
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Research Portion
Common attitudes, beliefs, and values relative to the cultural group
While researching information regarding African Americans born in the United States,
studies show that they all hold the same shared values as a collected whole. Values such as
Previous research on African-Americans born in the U.S. affirms their espousal of collectivistic
values emphasizing family closeness, community bonding, and solidarity. Still, they also espouse
some individualistic values pertinent to autonomy's "horizontal" values.
(Tamis-Lemonda et al., 2007).
Explains that Horizontal values mean that equality in their society is the purest focal
point. In most societies, the focal point is the hierarchy, which is the opposite, vertical. In African
American culture, they believe that having a close-knit family circle of grandparents, aunts,
uncles, and cousins makes the family stronger. The perspective of African Americans in the sense
of family generosity is different than that of most of society and the world. In a study, I found
That adolescents were asked how often their family members provided transportation, assisted
them financially, and helped them emotionally.
Specific items were: How usually do your family members provide you with
transportation, and How often do your family members help you financially? (Sarkisian &
Gerstel, 2004) Another study on African American family support networks focuses primarily on
the exchange behaviors of adult relatives. This research indicates that African American families
often give and receive emotional and instrumental support (e.g., housework, transportation,
childcare, financial assistance) to cope with stressors and meet the demands of daily life.
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For example, a nationally representative study of racial differences in family support
found that approximately 70% of African Americans reported offering emotional support to
family members, and nearly all reported engaging in some form of instrumental backing.
(Sarkisian & Gerstel, 2004) This type of African American pride doesn't stop with just immediate
family. But purely being a part of their society is a mindset of being there for one another.
Spirituality and/or religion as appropriate to the cultural groups
After researching spirituality and religion among African Americans, I discovered more
information that I was already aware of; in the past, I have done several research papers
regarding each religious sect and the history of their heritage. But African Americans have and
are consistently some of the strongest believers among us. Most Black Americans identify as
Christian, and many are highly religious by traditional measures of belief. For instance, belief in
the divine is close to universal among Black Americans, the vast majority of whom say they
believe in God or a higher power (97%).
(Pew. 2021) Black Americans are somewhat divided over whether belief in God is a
prerequisite for morality. Just over half (54%) say believing in God is necessary for a person to
be moral and to have good values, while a slightly lower share (44%) say it is not. Black
Protestants are more likely than Black Catholics to say belief in God is necessary for someone to
be a good person. (Pew. 2021) About six in ten Black adults (59%) say religion is very important
in their lives. Another 21% say it is somewhat important, while smaller shares say it is not too
(9%) or not at all (9%) important in their lives. (Pew. 2021)
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Key historical events and figures impacting the cultural and societal perceptions of
this group
One of the most obvious key historical events for African American heritage is the civil
rights movement in the 1960s. The mass protest movement against racial segregation
and discrimination in the southern United States came to national prominence during the
mid-1950s. This movement had its roots in the centuries-long efforts of enslaved Africans and
their descendants to resist racial oppression and abolish the institution of slavery. Although
enslaved people were emancipated as a result of the American Civil War and were then granted
basic civil rights through the passage of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the U.S.
Constitution, struggles to secure federal protection of these rights continued during the next
century. (Carson. 2024)
During the 1960s1960's, a great man and key component came into the limelight for the
fight for African Americans, Dr. Martin Luther King. He performed several different marches
that also took place around this time, as well as Dr. Martin Luther King's famous speech, "I Have
a Dream." The largest march was the Walk to Freedom, which took place in Detroit in 1963 and
drew an estimated 125,000 participants (Carson. 2024), Dr. Martin Luther King wasn't the only
freedom fighter for the rights and lives of African Americans; there were also Rosa Parks, Harriet
Tubman, Booker T. Washington, Frederick Douglass, and many, many more (Carson. 2024)
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History/patterns of immigration of this cultural group to the U.S.
African Americans, or Africans in the general sense, have been traded and placed into
slavery from the 1500s until the 1860s. The staggering numbers that I have found assume that
nearly twelve million Africans and islanders were forced into slavery in America. Upon arrival,
enslaved people were sold to various farm locations and solely worked on plantations that
harvested corn, tobacco, rice, and cotton. (Tamir. 2022) They were treated poorly and almost
with the same regard as livestock or property until their emancipation in 1863 by
President Lincoln (Tamir. 2022)
Although with the gift of freedom, African Americans or Islanders would still battle
segregation for roughly another one hundred years. Surprisingly, another study I found explains
that in today's society, roughly three-in-ten (31%) came to the U.S. between 2010 and 2019, and
a little over a quarter (27%) immigrated between 2000 and 2009. By comparison, about half of
all U.S. immigrants have immigrated to the country since 2000, including a quarter who did so
between 2010 and 2019 and another quarter who did so between 2000 and 2009.
In addition to the 12% of Black people born in a foreign country, roughly 9% are second-
generation Americans, meaning they were born in the U.S. and have at least one foreign-born
parent. Combined, these two groups account for 21% of the overall Black population –
comparable to Americans' share but lower than the share among Hispanics, Asian Americans,
and Pacific Islanders. (Tamir. 2022)
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Historical and Current Oppression
When looking at oppression throughout time, we see many cultures have faced horrible
hardships, such as slavery and mass extermination, or even throughout time, are still facing
scrutiny as some uneducated individuals still view skin color as classism. It could be argued that
Blacks have faced the worst of oppression, with slavery in America being one of the most
publicized and well-known of any ethnicity and culture that has migrated to the States. Since the
Civil War granted the emancipation of enslaved people in 1863, even that didn't change the
hearts and minds of most Americans on their view of their new black brothers and sisters who
were just granted their freedom.
Segregation and racism from slavery still existed in America, and with it, the Ku Klux
Klan (KKK) continued to execute and hunt those of different colors. Even in today's society,
almost two hundred years after the Civil War, black adults are particularly likely to say slavery
continues to have an impact: More than eight in ten say this is the case, including 59% who say
the legacy of slavery affects the situation of black people a great deal. By comparison, 26% of
whites, 29% of Hispanics, and 33% of Asians say slavery affects the position of black people in
American society today a great deal, though majorities of each group say it does so at least a fair
amount. In addition to their bleak views about the country's racial progress, black adults are also
skeptical about the prospects for racial equality in the future.
Among black Americans who say the country hasn't gone far enough in giving black
people equal rights with whites, 64% say it's not too or not at all likely that the country will ever
achieve racial equality. Whites who say the country still has work to do in this area are more
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optimistic: 80% say it's very or somewhat likely that black people in our country will eventually
have equal rights. Hispanics' views are more mixed. (Horowitz. 2019)
Events Portion
Since my discharge from the Marine Corps, I have been constantly looking for ways to
give back to the community in any way I can. I usually volunteer with the Wounded Warrior
Project, among other great organizations, but I couldn't find any past experiences that were
purely African American based. So, I discovered that The Landings of Canton Hills assisted
community center allows volunteers to come and spend time with their residents.
I went on August 1st and spent the afternoon listening to their stories and life
experiences throughout their past. My second experience participating in my cultural group was
attending a spiritual service at a majority African American church service at the Blessed Hope
Baptist Church on the 28th for their 10 am - 12:30 pm service. I thought these two events would
allow me to have a vastly different perspective on the emotions and daily worldview of the
culture I have chosen to assess. At the same time, retirement isn't known to be the happiest
environment for individuals, regardless of race or skin color.
The Church of Hope was a high-energy environment of pure joy and happiness. From the energy
of the chorus singing to the moving end, the emotional pastor gives his sermon on today's events
happening in the world. The mood of the congregation left me feeling peaceful yet energetic. It
wasn't anything like my past experiences in a Southern Baptist congregation where I was left
stuffy and feeling like the world was close to ending any moment. The outlook they had on life
and family was fresh and happy. Everyone seemed to want to be there on a Sunday morning,
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shaking hands and embracing anyone who would have them. I felt accepted in a place I
believed that I wouldn't. Emotionally, I have always dreaded venturing into retirement homes or
hospitals. Since the military, the idea of dealing with death again or being faced with it all around
me doesn't put me at ease, but somehow, putting myself in the situation to be of service again and
listening to their stories gave me joy. Even though everyone I spent the afternoon with wasn't
African American, I enjoyed everyone's company, and I believe they did, too. The three things
that I learned during this experience were:
1.
Culturally, especially in the spiritual environment, blacks have great pride in themselves
and their culture. From my research, explaining the importance of their community of family and
their want and need to be of assistance in any way was shown to me in these two experiences.
Surprisingly, more families were present that day for the African American residents of the
retirement home than any other, and the community at the church was much more significant
than I had experienced before.
2.
During my research of all the oppression and illusion of hate, I ventured into these events
and experiences with the assumption that I would feel uneasy or unwelcome. But that wasn't the
case; I was met with smiles, embraces, and handshakes. As with everyone, there is good and evil
in today's society, as we all know. But it is your choice which one you choose to focus on. At
least during these experiences, no one was looking or trying to find any discontent. We praised
God in both experiences and thanked each other without considering our skin color or past.
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3.
My main takeaway from this research project and experience is that everyone seeks
happiness. No matter your age, race, or skin color, if there is something we can understand in our
counseling career, it is that everyone has a past. They have issues that make them feel as if they
are under oppression. It is our choice as individuals if we will wallow in our self-pity and
depression, allowing it to swallow us up whole and embrace the darkness, or if we will push
through and understand that as it says, "Ecclesiastes 3:1" To everything there is a season and a
time to every purpose. And Romans:8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to
those who love God and are called according to his purpose. Experiencing different cultures is a
daunting experience, but it is necessary to change your worldview and understand that everyone
wants to be accepted and loved.
References
Anderson, M. (2024, April 14). Key findings about Black immigrants in the U.S. Pew Research
Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/01/27/key-findings-about-
black-immigrants-in-the-u-s/
Carson, C. (2024, July 31). American civil rights movement | Definition, Protests, Activists, &
Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/American-civil-
rights-movement
Cross, C. J., Taylor, R. J., & Chatters, L. M. (2018). Family social support networks of African
American and Black Caribbean adolescents. Journal of Child and Family Studies,
27(9), 2757–2771. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-018-1116-2
English Standard Bible. (2001). ESV Online. https://esv.literalword.com/. (n.d.).
Geiger, A. (2024, April 14). Most Americans say the legacy of slavery still affects black people
in the U.S. today. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/
2019/06/17/most-americans-say-the-legacy-of-slavery-still-affects-black-people-in-
the-u-s-today/
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Mitchell, T., & Mitchell, T. (2024, July 15). 3. Religious beliefs among Black Americans. Pew
Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2021/02/16/religious-beliefs-
among-black-americans/
#:~:text=Most%20Black%20Americans%20identify%20as,a%20higher%20power%20
(97%25).
Smith, E. P., Witherspoon, D. P., Bhargava, S., & Bermudez, J. M. (2019). Cultural Values and
Behavior among African American and European American Children. Journal of Child
and Family Studies, 28(5), 1236–1249. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-019-01367-y
