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Cultural Background Paper: Houston–Louisiana Creole Identity
Jasmine Jernigan
Liberty University
Author Note (Student Disclosure Statement).
This manuscript is submitted for academic evaluation in alignment with Liberty University
standards for scholarly integrity and APA 7th formatting. The author affirms that the work is
original, properly cited, and not previously submitted elsewhere.
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Cultural Background
Personal Background and Racial/Ethnic Identity
I was born in Houston, Texas, and my extended family roots run along the I-10 corridor that
bridges Houston and Louisiana. On my father’s side, our family has long been based in the
Houston area. On my mother’s side, my grandmother is from Houston, while my maternal
grandfather is from Louisiana and identifies as Creole. Growing up with this Houston/Louisiana
Creole mix shaped not only what we ate, the music that filled our gatherings, and the stories we
told, but also how I came to understand myself as a Black woman with regional and cultural
identifiers that matter in everyday life. In Houston, Creole families from Louisiana formed
enclaves—most famously Frenchtown in the Fifth Ward—where foodways, Catholic parish life,
and zydeco music helped preserve language and custom (Frenchtown’s history is widely
documented in local media and public history accounts).
This bi-regional identity is not a rigid category; it is an evolving cultural space. Scholarly work on
Louisiana Creole communities describes a complex synthesis of African, French, Spanish, and
Native influences, with language (Kouri-Vini/Louisiana Creole), Catholic traditions for many
families, and distinctive music and cuisine serving as cultural anchors. Recent research also
highlights revitalization efforts around Kouri-Vini and renewed attention to Creole expressive
culture (Mayeux, 2024; Wendte, 2024; Cooper, 2024).
Awareness and Early Experiences
My earliest awareness of being Creole-adjacent came through food, music, and
intergenerational storytelling. Gumbo, étouffée, boudin, and crawfish boils marked feast days
and family milestones. At parties, zydeco records played while older relatives taught younger
ones how to two-step and use the washboard. When I visited relatives with stronger Louisiana
ties, I noticed code-switching and terms I later learned came from Kouri-Vini. As I grew older, I
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became aware of distinctions between Creole and Cajun identities and the ways race, migration,
and region complicate outside assumptions (Hart, 2024; Wendte, 2024). Houston’s role as a
second home for zydeco further normalized my cross-state cultural experience.
Customs, Values, and Practices
In my family, respect for elders, hospitality, and resilience are lived values. Hospitality shows up
in open-door kitchens, generous portions, and welcoming the neighbor or the new in-law to the
table. Resilience is narrated through stories of migration from Louisiana to Houston for work,
through rebuilding after storms, and through faith practices that emphasize God’s care for the
poor and the stranger. Music and dance function as community glue; zydeco, in particular, is
both a cultural inheritance and a space where Black Southern joy is enacted publicly. Scholars
and journalists alike have documented how zydeco both preserves Louisiana Creole heritage
and adapts to Houston’s urban context (Cooper, 2024; Houston-area reporting on Frenchtown
and zydeco).
Spirituality and Religion
Faith practices in my extended family include a strong respect for church life, with Catholic and
Protestant expressions represented among relatives. Even when everyone is not Catholic, the
Creole Catholic heritage remains visible in family stories about parishes, feast days, and church-
sponsored gatherings that doubled as cultural preservation. Recent scholarship centers Creole
spirituality as a site of resilience and negotiated resistance against racial hierarchies,
illuminating why faith language, ritual, and communal care remain important for many families
like mine (Hart, 2024).
New Information From Family Conversations and Research
While preparing this paper, I learned more from relatives about Louisiana-to-Houston migration
paths in the mid-20th century and how networks of kin and church smoothed the transition. I
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also discovered more about current Kouri-Vini revitalization—both community-led and
academically supported—and how social media has become a hub for language learning and
cultural pride (Mayeux, 2024; Wendte, 2024). These findings helped me name what I had
intuited: my identity is shaped by a living Creole diaspora whose center of gravity includes both
Louisiana and
Houston.
Similarities and Differences With Other Cultures in My Region
Growing up in Houston meant encounters with many cultures—Black Southern, Mexican and
Central American, Vietnamese, Nigerian, and Caribbean communities, among others. With Black
Southern culture, I experienced deep overlap: church-centered social life, respect for elders,
food as love, and music as a shared language. Where Creole heritage differs is the particular mix
of French-inflected language, Catholic ritual among many families, and a cuisine that
foregrounds roux-based dishes and Gulf seafood. Compared with Cajun communities, there is
kinship in cuisine and music but differences in racial history and identity markers; scholarship
cautions against flattening those distinctions (Wendte, 2024). Positive experiences include
cross-cultural friendships forged through school, church events, and festivals that celebrate food
and music across groups. Negative experiences have included being misidentified as Cajun,
being told Creole is “just a dialect,” and encountering stereotypes that erase Black Catholic
traditions and mixed-heritage narratives. Media and public-history coverage of Frenchtown and
Houston’s zydeco scene has helped counter erasure by documenting the community’s
contributions over generations.
Influence on Racial/Ethnic Identity Development
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Applying an Ethnic–Racial Identity (ERI) Perspective
Ethnic–racial identity (ERI) research emphasizes processes like exploration (actively seeking
information about one’s group), commitment (a stable sense of belonging), and affect (positive
or negative feelings about group membership). Recent reviews underscore that ERI develops
through ongoing person-context transactions and that supportive ecologies—family narratives,
community spaces, and institutions—shape healthier adjustment (Umaña-Taylor, 2024). My
Houston/Louisiana Creole upbringing provided many of those supports: family stories naming
our roots; communal spaces like church halls, trail rides, and dance floors; and food/music
festivals where belonging is embodied. Exposure to Creole language revitalization has also
offered a concrete pathway for exploration, giving names and grammar to sounds I heard as a
child and linking me to a wider community (Mayeux, 2024; Wendte, 2024).
Two ERI implications emerge for my counseling work. First, identity exploration is often
experiential before it is conceptual. Clients may engage their heritage through food, music, or
family rituals before they adopt labels or theories. Second, positive regard can be strengthened
by correcting misinformation and by connecting clients to affirming community resources—for
example, Houston festivals, heritage groups, or online Kouri-Vini learning spaces (Mayeux,
2024). Because Creole identity is frequently misunderstood, psychoeducation about the
difference between Creole and Cajun identities, the history of migration to Houston, and the
role of Black Catholics can be part of culturally responsive care (Hart, 2024; Cooper, 2024).
How Background Shapes My Perspective on Others’ Development
Coming from a community with both visibility and misrecognition sensitizes me to clients
negotiating complex identities. I will listen for how family narratives, regional ties, and faith
practices scaffold exploration and commitment, and I will avoid assuming that a single label
captures a client’s story. I will also assess for ecological assets—elders, churches, language
classes, music events—that can strengthen ERI processes, especially for youth and emerging
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adults (Umaña-Taylor, 2024). Finally, I will remain attentive to intersectionality: colorism, class,
migration status, and denominational differences can contour ERI trajectories even within a
single cultural community.
Influence on Social Justice and Client Advocacy
Biblically Informed Social Justice
My background orients me toward a biblically informed social justice that holds together truth
and love. Scripture calls believers to pursue justice, love mercy, speak up for the oppressed, and
seek the common good (Micah 6:8; Proverbs 31:8–9; Isaiah 1:17). In counseling, this translates
to advocating for fair access, culturally responsive services, and the dignity of every image-
bearer while maintaining professional humility about my own limits and biases. Creole history—
including migration, segregation, and persistent misclassification—reminds me that advocacy
must address both interpersonal care and structural barriers.
Practice Commitments
Practically, advocacy means building referral lists that include Houston cultural resources (e.g.,
Creole festivals, heritage associations, and churches), consulting with community leaders when
appropriate, and supporting language-revitalization or culture-affirming efforts that clients
value (Mayeux, 2024). It also means challenging inaccurate narratives in clinical documentation
when cultural facts are relevant (for instance, distinguishing Creole from Cajun identities) and
partnering with clients to set goals that honor their values and faith commitments (Hart, 2024).
Because many Creole families engage both sacred and secular spaces for support, collaboration
with clergy or lay leaders—only with client consent—can strengthen care continuity.
As a counselor, I will advocate at multiple levels: case-level (connecting clients with resources),
program-level (encouraging culturally specific groups or workshops), and community-level
(supporting events that preserve heritage). Biblically informed advocacy is not partisan; it is
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neighbor-love practiced with wisdom (James 1:5; James 1:19). My Houston/Louisiana Creole
upbringing gives me a lived example of how culture-keeping, worship, and collective joy can be
forms of resistance and healing (Cooper, 2024; Hart, 2024).
References
Cooper, R. P. (2024). The secret lives of Bouki: Louisiana’s creolized trickster. Humanities,
13(1), 26. https://doi.org/10.3390/h13010026
Hart, D. (2024). Negotiated resistance: Counterstories of Louisiana Creole spirituality. Black
Theology, 22(2), 105–119. https://doi.org/10.1080/14769948.2024.2365003
Mayeux, O. (2024). Language revitalization on social media: Ten years in the Louisiana Creole
Virtual Classroom. Language Documentation and Description, 24, 1–26.
https://www.lddjournal.org/article/id/2399/
Umaña-Taylor, A. J. (2024). Revisiting the conceptualization and measurement of ethnic–racial
identity affect. Child Development Perspectives, 18(2), 120–126.
https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12517
Wendte, N. (2024). Louisiana Creole (Louisiana, USA) – Language snapshot. Language
Documentation and Description, 24, 1–13. https://www.lddjournal.org/article/id/2484/
Houston Chronicle. (2025, September 3). Frenchtown in Houston’s Fifth Ward kept Creole
culture alive through food, music and faith.
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/explained/article/houston-explainedfrenchtown-
21026719.php
KHOU 11. (2024, February 28). How Zydeco music blossomed in Houston.
https://www.khou.com/article/life/people/our-story-our-history/houston-impact-
zydecomusic/285-b66c41da-2899-4f8b-ab98-c403989cb45f
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English Standard Version Bible. (2016). ESV Bible. Crossway.
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