Culture

"No culture can live if it attempts to be exclusive" - Mahatma Gandhi

As an African American woman, culture is a big deal in my community. Thus, if a catastrophe occurred and my family and I were forced to leave the country, there are three small items that I would bring with me:

Hair is very important in the black community. We take pride in it because it is so difficult to manage and must be cared for daily. Going into another country, I may not have access to the type of comb that is needed for my particular hair. Wide tooth combs are the best choice for my coarse, thick hair.




Music is love in the black community. Rhythm and blues, hip hop, gospel, and contemporary are just a few of the categories that sparks our interest. During a cook out, you can guarantee that music and dancing will be the highlight of the day. Music is relaxing and eases stress.





Life is spiritual. In a black church, it is usually lively, as individuals will stand up and shout to praise God. Bringing this along with me will remind me of my culture and how it has influenced my life.

I would explain to others that each of these play a major role in my daily life. I listen to music and thank God each day for his many blessings. Also, I care for my hair daily because it is a part of my appearance and represents my ethnicity. In fact, I would be very depressed if I was told upon arrival that I could only bring one item. Having to relocate and losing majority of my items would be stressful enough. I would be devastated if I couldn't bring a few items that were important to me.

What I have learned from this exercise is that things we do in our daily lives represents our culture. For a long period of time, I wasn't aware that these things were considered cultural. Because I incorporate these items on a day to day basis, I assumed that everyone else did the same as well.