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Cultural Background Paper
Jendayi Caines
School of Counseling, Liberty University
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As an American, born in Hartford Connecticut, to both parents from the Caribbean Island
of St. Kitts, in the West Indies. My father’s race is black, and ethnicity is mixed, African and
Dominican (Santo Domingo) My mother’s race is black and of West Indian and African
ethnicity. It is worthwhile to note that the West Indies, like the United States is a melting pot of
numerous ethnicities, largely the legacy of an early plantation society based on slave labor. Most
of the population is descended from enslaved Africans or from Spanish, French, British, or Dutch
colonists or is of mixed ethnicity. The West Indies’ creole languages, evolved from pidgin
variants of European languages, have become the common languages of many of the people. The
French and English creoles are a blend of these languages with African and West Indian
languages (West Indies | Islands, People, History, Maps, & Facts, 2022).
According to West Indies | Islands, People, History, Maps, & Facts (2022):
St Kitts and Nevis are a two-island federation which was originally settled by Native
Americans 5,000 years before the arrival of Europeans. The last wave, the Kalinago,
arrived about 300 years before Europeans, who discovered the islands under Christopher
Columbus in 1493. An English colony was established, followed by French settlements,
and the island was divided. The Kalinago people allowed the colonization of Saint Kitts,
although Anglo-French settlers massacred them in 1626 to preempt a plan by the natives
to drive foreigners away. In 1629, the Spanish destroyed the English and French colonies
and deported the settlers, although they were allowed to re-establish their colonies later.
Saint Kitts eventually became a base for French and English expansion into the
Caribbean.
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The population breakdown for St.Kitts and Nevis is 54,149 the ethnic groups are African
descent 92.5%. White 2.1%. East Indian 1.5%, other 0.6% and unspecified 0.3%. Most
inhabitants are descendants of West African slaves, and its high emigration rate that caused its
population to decline for many years (Lang, 2021). However, the whites although the minority,
have over the years been able to be the most affluent based on inheritance from their fore-
parents, the European plantocracy class. This is one of the main reasons, natives, like my
parents, migrated to the USA in search of a better life.
This is where I was born, but quickly experienced a culture shock. I knew that I was
black but fought to identify myself ethnically. I was raised in a home where the food was West
Indian, the language was Kittitian, and the morals and principles were West Indian. My peers in
school identified me as West Indian and, on many occasions, accused me of speaking another
language. I was experiencing what my parents as immigrants were experiencing, a difficult time
assimilating. One of the changes it took my parents a long time to accept, was that of working
and shopping on Sunday, as opposed to going to church.
It was no secret to my siblings and me that we were expected to excel in school and go on
to university to get a good education, as our parents did not give us a choice. Many times, my
siblings and I would find it puzzling when our peers said they did not know what they would do
after High School, but we knew what the expectations of our and every West Indian parent was
of the children. The question of dating was a very difficult one. Our parents’ beliefs are that
children should first go to school, get an education and then choose the “right” partner. Our
brother was expected to provide for his family, but the girls in our home were always told to be
prepared to take care of themselves and their children, if the need arose. Our culture is one that
plans for “a rainy day”.
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When I met my maternal grandmother, I realized that her hair and skin tone were
different to her her mother and my mother. It was then I learned that my great grandfather, was
white. He had died before I was born. My grandmother was also born in Nevis, unlike my
parents who are from Nevis. Thus, the concern that I still so not know my true ethnicity. The
question is does anyone know his or her true ethnicity?
“American culture encompasses religion, food, what we wear, how we wear it, our
language, marriage, music, what we believe is right or wrong, how we sit at the table, how we
greet visitors, how we behave with loved ones, and a million other things" (de Rossi, 2017). The
same holds for my parent’s and family’s culture. The difference we found with religion, is that
there are more black churches where we live in the USA as opposed to the Methodist, Anglican
and Catholic churches in St. Kitts, passed down by the Europeans.
The food is prepared differently, but it is found that West Indian food and restaurants are
prosperous restaurants. Americans love the strong seasonings and spices that West Indians use in
their food. Sitting at a table was a big thing for the West Indian culture. No elbows on the table;
no speaking with food in the mouth; no getting up from the table until everyone is finished eating
and one is excused. It is no secret that we were not allowed to read a text or take a phone call
from our peers while sitting at the table.
Our parents were taught English as a subject in school and they, like every West Indian
parent always insist that the children speak “proper English” even though our dialect is spoken
amongst us we are expected to be respectful and speak so that the American can understand and
not be insulted. One thing that turned out to be a culture shock for my parents, was that they
would visit someone and on entering, they would say goodnight, only to be laughed at and told,
“You just got here. Good night is when you leave”.
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It would be remiss of me if I did not confirm that we as a family have experienced
discrimination and racism. Of course, we experienced from those who are not black like us, but
we also experienced it from black Americans as well. They did not like that my family was
ambitious and worked hard to do well. They would refer to us as West Indians in derogatory
statements that expressed dissention. As part of the ambitious qualities in my parents, we moved
into an area that was predominantly white, thus the school we attended was the same. We
experienced verbal attacks from our peers and sometimes went home asking to be moved. But
their strength and determination to see us do as well as any other child, taught us that we were no
different, color and ethnicity would not stand in our way.
When thinking about my family culture and how it influences my perspective on
racial/cultural identity development, I believe its first important to understand the concept of
cultural identify in order to find meaning between the two. According to Vedder and van Geel
(2017):
Cultural identities can have a positive role in youths’ lives. Cultural identity refers to
cognitive and affective appreciation of group membership. Depending personal and social
circumstances, cultural identity can either be an asset or a danger. Efforts to help youth
achieve a positive cultural identity should seek to create contexts in which they can safely
explore their identities. (p. 123)
In simpler words, racial and cultural identity is the defining of oneself with respect to a
specific race or culture. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (2014), the stages of racial and cultural identity development can be observed
through the R/CID Model. The first stage in this model is conformity, which is a positive attitude
or preference towards a specific culture or race. Next is dissonance and appreciating where I
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begin to question my identity. It’s during this stage I begin to recognize and challenge
stereotypes of my own cultural while developing growing sense of one's own cultural heritage.
Next is resistance and immersion. This is when a person “embraces and holds a positive attitude
toward and preference for his or her own race and cultural heritage; places considerable value on
characteristics that represent one's own cultural groups without question” (Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration, 2014). Introspection is the next phase, where a person
begins to question the psychological cost of projecting strong feelings toward their identified
cultural groups and lastly Integrative Awareness. It is in this final stage “Has developed a secure,
confident sense of racial/cultural identity; becomes multicultural; maintains pride in racial
identity and cultural heritage” (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration,
2014).
I identify as a black West Indian woman. Much of the West Indian culture has been
embedded in me since I was a child. From our unique customs, food choices, distinct music
sounds and overall traditions have been a part of my everyday life and continue as an adult.
Although by birth I am a black American, I’ve never limited my view of self to just American.
The experience of living in St. Kitts and Nevis for three years as well as the frequent visits have
attributed to the way I culturally identify and continue to impact my cultural identity. The fact
that I was constantly exposed to this culture even when not physically living there, it almost
became enate or learned identity. “Becoming culturally competent is a developmental process
that begins with awareness and commitment and evolves into skill building and culturally
responsive behavior within organizations and among providers” (Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration, 2014, p. 9).
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Much of what was learned about my culture and background definitely shapes my view
on social justice and client advocacy. To be successful as a social justice counselor we must be
able to promote access to everyone especially those who have been affected based on cultural
and ethical background. It's also our duty to eradicate oppression while providing equal
distribution of power and resources to all despite cultural identity. Considering what my mother
specifically had to deal with and being treated differently due to the color of her skin as well of
being birth out of marriage, encourages me to support others in similar situations regardless of
how they identify. Many of what she experienced in that small island is what many of us deal
with on a daily here in the United States. Being able to use my experiences and share with others
who I counsel can help to show I understand what they have experienced. We can find common
ground to help build the strong therapeutic alliance.
Furthermore, it is stated in our ACA standard that we as counselors’ have an ethical
obligation to get rid of potential barriers and obstacles that affect a client’s positive development
and growth potential (ACA, 2014). We have a duty to advocate for our clients, but to
successfully do so we must first have self-awareness, engage in client services and collaborate in
our community. To assist with this, there have been training models for us future counselors that
helped facilitate critical reflections to open our awareness of how our own social identities confer
power or disempowerment and how dominant groups maintain social injustice. We're also taught
to identify systematic obstacles to well-being how we can help our community members harness
their own resources and strength to overcome these obstacles and ways to collaboratively gain
access to resources needed to improve well-being of our clients (Goodman et al., 2018, p. 124).
There have been studies done to show the importance of social justice and client
advocacy more specifically in the role as counselor. “Participants shared that engaging in
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advocacy was necessary, ranging from their initial sessions with their clients until termination
and follow-up” (Crumb et al., 2019). “Other participants expressed that promoting self-advocacy
was vital for this specific population because of the high probability that a client would not
return to counseling because of barriers related to transportation, finances, and stigma” (Crumb
et al., 2019), and “seven participants shared that it is important to have personal knowledge of
systems that affect the client in order to inform advocacy interventions” (Crumb et al., 2019). I
too agree with this output as far as the importance of social justice and client advocacy and can
attribute much of that to my own culture and background experience.
In conclusion, although I have always felt a strong connection to my West Indian
background, the ability to learn more about my families’ experiences both on the island and in
America has opened my eyes to just how important it is for cultural identity as well as social
justice advocacy. Many of my experiences can be used as self-disclosure and help to bring about
connections with my clients as it relates to cultural biases and roadblocks they may experience. I
will also make it a priority to continuously educate myself and proactively find ways to advocate
for my clients. I will do this all while continuing to uphold and embrace my own cultural identity
and values.
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References
American Counseling Association. (2014). ACA code of ethics. Alexandria, VA: Author.
Crumb, L., Haskins, N., Brown, S. (2019, March 26). Integrating Social Justice Advocacy Into
Mental Health Counseling in Rural, Impoverished American Communities | The
Professional Counselor. The Professional Counselor. Retrieved May 29, 2022, from
https://tpcjournal.nbcc.org/integrating-social-justice-advocacy-into-mental-health-
counseling-in-rural-impoverished-american-communities/
de Rossi, C. (2017, July 14). American Culture: Traditions and Customs of the United States. My
Mooc. Retrieved May 29, 2022, from https://www.my-mooc.com/en/article/american-
culture-traditions-and-customs-of-the-united-states/
Goodman, L. A., Wilson, J. M., Helms, J. E., Greenstein, N., & Medzhitova, J. (2018). Becoming
an Advocate: Processes and Outcomes of a Relationship-Centered Advocacy Training
Model. , (2), 122–153. The Counseling Psychologist 46
https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000018757168
Lang, B. (2021, December 14). Are there white people in St Kitts and Nevis? - 2022. The Flat.
Retrieved May 25, 2022, from https://theflatbkny.com/caribbean/are-there-white-people-
in-st-kitts-and-nevis/
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Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Improving Cultural Competence.
Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series No. 59. HHS Publication No. (SMA) 14-
4849.Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2014
Vedder, P., & van Geel, M. (2017). Cultural Identity Development as a Developmental Resource.
Handbook on Positive Development of Minority Children and Youth, 123–137.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-43645-6_8
West Indies | Islands, People, History, Maps, & Facts. (2022, May 26). Encyclopedia Britannica.
Retrieved May 29, 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/place/West-Indies-island-
group-Atlantic-Ocean
