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Cultural Immersion Project: Research and Events
Cameron G. Rasnake
School of Behavioral Sciences, Liberty University
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Research Portion
Common attitudes, beliefs, and values relative to the cultural group
Research on African Americans born in the United States shows that they hold
collectivistic values which emphasize family closeness, community bonding and solidarity, but
also hold some individualistic qualities, particularly concerning the “horizontal” values of
autonomy (Smith et al., 2019). Horizontal values typically means that equality is the focal point,
rather than a hierarchy which would be vertical. African Americans typically have very close
familial units and put great importance on grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins (Smith et
al., 2019). One study found that 87% of African American children agreed that if a family
member/relative is financially struggling, they should help them out (Smith et al., 2019). Blacks
ultimately believe that family is very important, and oftentimes “family” does not only count
immediate family, but extended family members and relatives as well. Blacks value a strong
sense of solidarity among members and have a very “I am with you no matter what” mentality
(Smith et al., 2019).
Spirituality and/or religion as appropriate to the cultural groups
Research finds that most African Americans identify as Christian, and many are highly
religious by traditional measures of belief (Mohamed, 2021). In a stunning survey, 97% of
African Americans believe in God/a higher power (Mohamed, 2021). Concerning the
personhood of God, research shows that most of the population believes in a God with an earthly
presence, and that they believe God has the power to determine what happens in the world, and
that God will judge people for their actions (Mohamed, 2021). Roughly 59% of the population
say that religion is important to them, while 21% say it is somewhat important, and then 9% say
it is very little, and another 9% say not at all important (Mohamed, 2021). Among those who
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identify with religion, Protestants (73%) are more likely than Catholics (49%) to say that religion
is very important to them (Mohamed, 2021). Black women are more likely to claim religious
importance than men, and black adults with and without college degrees are equally likely to say
religion is very important to them (Mohamed, 2021).
Key historical events and figures impacting the cultural and societal perceptions of this
group
Perhaps one of the most significant times for African American culture was during the
civil rights movement of the 1960s. The St. Augustine movement was a series of civil rights
protests that occurred from 1963-64 (Momodu, 2022). These protests sparked the 1964 civil
rights movement. These protests consisted of the Woolworth’s lunch counter protest where
sixteen young black protestors and seven juveniles were arrested, Dr. Martin Luther King was
arrested at the whites-only Monson Motor Lodge, and the infamous acid-pouring by hotel
manager James Brock into the hotel pool where black protestors abode and then were arrested
upon exiting the pool (Momodu, 2022). Several different marches 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 (Momodu, 2022). There is no doubt about it that Martin Luther King was one of the
most famous figures for the Black community, as well as Malcolm X., Rosa Parks, Harriet
Tubman, Booker T. Washington, Frederick Douglass, and many, many more (Momodu, 2022).
History/patterns of immigration of this cultural group to the U.S.
Between the years 1500 and the end of the slave trade in 1860, at least 12 million Blacks
were forcibly taken to America (Gates, 2013) but only a small portion of the slaves were sent to
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North American—the majority were sent to South America and the Caribbean (Gates, 2013).
European vessels transported material goods along with slaves, resulting in terrible conditions.
Often packed to the brim, naked, hungry, and soiled on themselves, Blacks endured these trips
for an average of about 2-3 months (Gates, 2013). These conditions estimated the deaths of 1.5 to
2 million men, women, and children en route to the New World (Gates, 2013). Over 40% of
Blacks entered in through Charleston, South Carolina, the center of the U.S. slave trade (Gates,
2013). Upon arrival, slaves were sold to various locations and primarily worked on plantations
that harvested corn, tobacco, rice, and cotton (Gates, 2013). Slaves were treated terribly during
these times, most of the time being over-worked, starved, raped, and beaten. Very few successful
escapes were made (Gates, 2013). They lived like this until slavery was emancipated in 1863 by
President Lincoln (Gates, 2013) but still faced hardships as segregation roared for another 100
years, leading to the Civil Rights movement.
Historical and Current Oppression
It could easily be argued that Blacks have faced the most oppression out of any race,
ethnicity, and culture that has migrated to the States. To write about every single case of past and
present oppression would take weeks, if not months, possibly even years. On the timeline of key
events for Blacks, the earliest would be slavery which occurred as early as 1526 (History.com
editors, 2022). This continued for several years until the Civil War and the emancipation of
slavery in 1863, but even after that, segregation and the racism from slavery still existed. During
this time, Blacks were still treated horribly by society, especially by the Ku Klux Klan (KKK).
Jim Crow laws concerning segregation (separate but equal) were in place in most southern states
by 1885 (History.com editors, 2022). During this time period, lynching was illegal but a
widespread action from whites to Blacks. Lynching was when a group of people (white males)
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would hang a Black person and all would watch him die, oftentimes things were added like
whips and sometimes fire, as well as beating with clubs/bats (History.com editors, 2022). These
violent acts continued for several years, and Blacks faced opposition in the military, in sports,
education and careers, and so many other areas. The civil rights movement occurred years later
in 1963 which helped aide in the freedom and equality for Blacks, but it was strongly oppressed,
and Blacks still struggled afterwards with racism and inequality. Jump to today, nearly 60 years
later, and Blacks are still facing oppression in the forms of injustice and inequality. Some
examples of current oppression include the injustice and police brutality of Blacks like George
Floyd, Trayvon Martin, and Breonna Taylor, among others (History.com editors, 2022). Events
like these sparked the Black Lives Matter organization which has expanded greatly in the last
few years.
Events Portion
Documentaries
The first documentary I watched was Olympic Pride, American Prejudice. The film
follows the stories of the eighteen Black athletes who participated in the Berlin Olympics in
1936. The one most remembered from the bunch is track and field athlete James Cleveland
“Jesse” Owens who won four gold medals and is widely remembered as perhaps the most
famous athlete in track and field history. However, the other seventeen athletes are often
overlooked; this documentary follows the lives of the others. Blacks participating in the
Olympics was quite controversial, as Jim Crow laws were still in place at this time, meaning that
personal and institutional racism kept Blacks from having equal rights. White Nationalism was
also on the rise in Germany with Adolf Hitler’s antisemitism in full swing. Despite opposition,
Black athletes participated to disprove the myth of white supremacy. The Black members of the
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U.S. team won fourteen medals—half of the Olympic points for the entire American team.
However, when they returned to the States there were still few career opportunities for them, and
President Roosevelt refused to shake their hands. While things did not work out for them, many
believe that their actions laid the groundwork for future civil rights.
The second documentary I watched was much more chilling. depicts the string of LA 92
protests, violence, and looting in Los Angeles in 1992 following the Rodney King trial. Most of
the documentary is actual footage, which adds a much different sense to the viewing experience.
Rodney King was a Black man who was driving late at night with some friends when four LAPD
officers pursued him to pull over. King refused, which resulted in an 8-mile police chase
involving a helicopter as well. King was finally cornered where he and his two friends exited the
vehicle. King was hit 33 times and kicked 7. The officers went to trial but were acquitted,
resulting in public outrage. Riots started within hours of the acquittals and lasted six days,
resulting in 63 deaths, 2,383 injuries, over 7,000 fires, damage to 3,100 businesses, and nearly $1
billion in financial losses.
Emotional Response
Because I watched two different documentaries, I essentially had two different emotional
responses to them. While watching Olympic Pride, American Prejudice, I felt more a sense of
sadness that then turned into inspiration and appreciation. At the beginning I felt sympathy for
the athletes that fought so much to get to the Olympics, and I felt sad because other than Jesse
Owens, none of them were really talked about or remembered. I am a white female and have
never really faced oppression, discrimination, or prejudice. So, it was a challenge for me to wrap
my head around what they must have been feeling—it made me grateful that things are different
now (at least somewhat) and that I have never endured anything like that. But it also made me
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sad in thinking about that is how so many Blacks were treated. It also stunned me that this really
was not that long ago—less than 100 years ago. Which seems like a long time, but when I think
of it like my grandmother’s mother lived during this time, it hit me like a freight train. By the end
of the documentary, I was extremely thankful for these athletes and their sacrifices, and only
wish they could see now what an impact they made.
My reaction when watching was much different. Several times I wanted to look LA 92
away. Watching the raw footage of the beating of King was difficult, but then came the footage
from the riots. Violence, fires, breaking cars and building, and more. Screams and cries from the
people in the streets. Terror and fear. It was heartbreaking and like a punch to the gut. It made me
sad, disgusted, appalled, angry, broken. I was not inspired by the end of it. It was a struggle to
get through. However, as I caught myself regretting my documentary choice, I was reminded that
history is not always inspiring, but that does not mean we should not learn it. Yes, I enjoy an
inspirational movie as much as the next girl, but a lot (if not most) of history, especially
concerning African American culture, is dark, and twisted, and sickening. But is that not what
human nature is? We—I—need to learn to not shy away from these things when they are shown,
but rather painfully watch it so that I know where we once were.
Three Things Learned
I am not sure why this is, but the trial for Rodney King being beaten severely was not
something that I saw in my research for African American history and culture, nor were the
Black athletes at the Berlin Olympics. I did not learn about these events for the first time until I
watched the documentaries. Why were they not taught? Is it similar to the reasoning I started to
regret my choice in documentary? That it is too violent, too stomach-turning to teach? Is there
perhaps some shame around it? I do not know. I am interested in what Blacks in American think
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about it today if I were to ask them about it. Same thing with the Olympics—why is that not
being taught more? Is the Olympic Association ashamed for how they treated them? Or is there
still some racism there, and they are ashamed that one of the best athletes of all time is a black
man? These were two things I learned while watching the documentaries that I did not learn in
my research. The third I learned is—as I have already alluded to—how little is really taught
about African American history and culture. I know that the media, textbooks, school systems,
can manipulate and only teach and show the things they want to—but I am even more aware of
that fact now after completing this project. How sad that two crucial and eye-opening eventsvery
in African American culture were not seen in my extensive research. My prayer is that we do
better in teaching other cultures and their history, even if—especially if—it is not pretty.
Two Theories Effective for This Group
Two effective theories for African American people would be Cognitive and Humanistic
(Raheem and Hart, 2019). As we know, cognitive theory focuses on cognitions (thoughts) and
the main assumption is that thoughts are the primary determinants of emotions and behavior. The
cognitive approach believes that mental processes can be scientifically and empirically studied,
and cognitive counselors believe that how and what people think leads to the arousal of
emotions, and that certain thoughts and beliefs lead to either disturbed emotions and behaviors,
or healthy and adaptive emotions and behaviors. This is important when counseling African
Americans because they struggle so much with oppression, discrimination, and racism. It can
certainly be easy to fall into thoughts like, “well they already assume this about me, so it must be
true.” By focusing on the thoughts and making an active change, African Americans could
greatly benefit from cognitive counseling (Raheem and Hart, 2019). Humanistic theory
emphasizes the whole person rather than looking at small pieces of them or only through
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scientific lenses. Humanistic counselors encourage and embrace individuality, uniqueness, and
self-love. They believe that the client has a direct role in determining their own behavior and has
a personal responsibility. Humanistic counselors will likely offer empathy, genuineness, and
unconditional positive regard. This could be beneficial while counseling African Americans
because having someone recognize their race/ethnicity/culture and uniqueness, rather than shame
it, could do wonders for them and their self-esteem (Raheem and Hart, 2019). African Americans
have faced so many attacks—and most of the time just because of the color of their skin—that
having a counselor focus on their uniqueness, their personality, and their worth as human beings
could be extremely beneficial in the counseling process.
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References
Editors at History.com (2022). Black History Milestones. History Channel.
https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/black-history-milestones
Gates, H. (2013). The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross. PBS Learning Media.
https://www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/about/
Mohamed, B. (2021). Religious Beliefs among African 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).
Momodu, S. (2022, April 09). . BlackPast.org. The St. Augustine Movement (1963-1964)
https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/events-african-american-history/the-
st-augustine-movement-1963-1964/
Raheem, M. and Hart, K. (2019). Counseling Individuals of African Descent. Counseling Today.
https://ct.counseling.org/2019/03/counseling-individuals-of-african-descent/
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, 1236–1249. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-019-01367-y
