What Is Your Culturally Identity

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What Is Your Cultural Entity I am a African American woman who live in the suburbs with a rich diverse cultural community. This paper will identify my cultural roots. I must admit that I am fortunate to have lived economically secure and privileged life. For the most part of my life I lived in suburban. I was born in the San Francisco, California, while my mother was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and my father was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. While I was thinking about how I should write this paper, I conclude that my own family has similarities that occurred for many African American families. My maternal grandparents travelled to California from the Midwest. Their journey was met with various challenging conditions. Together they raised a family of two boys and four girls under severe circumstances, which included racism, economic poverty and the depression. Of my paternal grandparents, not very much is known, but I do know that my great grandfather bought his family out of slavery. My ancestors had to endure challenges that were vital for basic survival. In an unfamiliar environment that held few economic opportunities for African Americans, they had to re-establish their own cultural identity. My father grew up in an atmosphere that included racial discrimination and economic strife. My father had to with the pressures of living in the inner city ghetto where there was and still is drugs, welfare, degradation, gang violence and homelessness. My mother on the other hand, was lucky enough to have a family that was strong and cultural connected, but still had to live with racism. My parents encouraged their children” to be more and want more out of life.” They instilled in us not to allow anyone “to bring you down or put you down.” There was a powerful drive for their children to succeed at anything that they did. In the 1970s success was

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