Comments on Cultural Identities

The presentation dealt heavily with Blacks and our struggle to find a culture of our own in America. From an anthropology class I took in high school, I learned that culture is the looking glass through which we see the world. It is not something that you can ever give up as this lens is the one through which you perceive all things. As such, I agree that family and environment directly contribute to how we see the world and that change is necessary for Blacks to have an identifiable culture in this country.

There seems to be a lack of fathers in families and that trend is not only seen in Black families. With the growth of feelings personal identity and rights, there has been dissolution of the traditional family model that was prevalent in the 1900’s. Family does not have the same weight as it used to. People no longer place as much importance on having a strong family as they do themselves. It is now believed that we are entitled to worry-free lives and that consequences do not affect them. It amazes me every time I read an article and the divorce rate in America has increased. I do not mean to patronize anyone, but no marriage can work in the absence of struggle. Think back to times where marriage was a contract where men and women had to work together to survive. Try getting a divorce when you and your husband have to work together or you end up hungry, sad and dead. These relationships were cemented by the fact that people actually needed each other. If we place a greater weight on the partnership of marriage and on family, many of the problems caused by a lack of family will be solved.

With strong family units we can then build an identifiable culture as we will begin to excel in all other aspects of life. We need to decide if we want to hold on to the negative ideals of slavery and racism or if are we ready to advance with the rest of the world. We need to progress in education and reduce our numbers in prison. We need to begin to have careers and to invest our money. In truth, far too few of us become what we could if we a sufficient base of support to do so. Many people in class complained that our culture is centered on drug dealing, rapping or professional sports. I can agree with that. However, we can not begin to develop a cultural identity in this country without first building up ourselves.