Religion
The United States is usually considered a religious nation. However, the African-Americans are regarded more religious than any other race in the country. Some of the tenets that have proven their increased inclination to religion include their attendance to the religious services, affiliation to a given creed, their perceptions on the importance of faith, and their frequency of prayers among others. In the US, the African-Americans are the most likely people to report a strict affiliation to a given religious faction with a population of up to 87%. Henderson (2016) asserted that research that was conducted by the landscape survey asserted that a whopping 79% of the African Americans affirmed that religion was extremely important in their lives with another 53% reporting to attend religious services every other week (326-328).
It is also important to appreciate the fact that enslavement of the black community was crucial in determining their current religious affiliations. Their religious cultures were formed after the slavery period which played a role in disrupting their former culture and histories leading to the emergence o a new landscape of religious activities. Depending on the region where they emanated from, the Africans depicted mixed religious practices including Islam and Christianity. The African Americans have since formed their churches depending on how well they resonate with their social and political principles.
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Social Structures
Racism in the United States continues to be a painful reality that cannot be ignored. One of the social sectors that are profoundly affected by this social problem is the education system, and it cuts across from the lowest to the highest level. Black students are more likely to be suspended than the white students for the same behavior in school (Harris, & Graham, 2014, 56). Another reality that exists is that misbehavior perpetrated by the black students is more likely to be criminalized than their white counterparts. The social segregation has seen the blacks attend schools that are of lower quality than those attended by the whites. Their educational achievements also remain something that leaves much to be desired due to underfunding and inadequate resources.
The grievances experienced by the black communities in the country have led to the recent uprise in social groups such as the Black Lives Matter. One of the aims of such groups is to lift the black race into equality, unity, and fair treatment. The social movements are for example critical about the police who have over the past been accused of treating the black people differently. The media in the country has also been accused of painting the minorities especially the blacks in the bad light. There have been several stereotypic misrepresentations of the blacks including the fact that they are barbaric, over-sexualization, poor education standards, and a negative culture.
Peers
This has more to do with the black adolescents in America. It involves the stigmatizing effect that African American youths put towards the counterparts who ‘’act white.” One area in which this has been rampant is on education, where getting good grades is associated with the whites. Therefore, such a peer mentality has played a critical role in affecting the education standards of the blacks. More African American adolescents have associated success with the whites hence leaving behind a notion that being black is a recipe for failure.
Political System
The election of Barack Obama into the highest office in America was a major landmark in the influence of the African Americans in the country’s politics. Many blacks hold the opinion that increased political representation is a positive sign of racial equality. Most of the blacks are affiliated to the Democrats and vote overwhelmingly on the party’s presidential candidate irrespective of other conditions such as socioeconomic status.
Assignment 13
1. The society believes that the traditional family structure is the best method to raise children. For example in the United States, this has been the most preferred structure where both parents take care of their biological offspring. Many people believe that the family is the basic unit of society and using the traditional structure where both the father and the mother are responsible for the children creates a sense of cohesion.
2. The institution of gender roles is still evident in the society today and is as a result of gender inequality that has remained a major problem even in civilized countries. Some of the gender roles that can still be found today include women being fixed to domestic duties such as looking after the children and men taking the role of a breadwinner.
3. The educators that can be included in the society can be religious personalities who guide people with regards to their spirituality, teachers, and peer counselors among other.
4. It could be easy to think that many parents in various families are hypocritical because what they proclaim to their children is different from what they actually practice. However, there are certain values that many American families hold today in spite of their opposite proclaiming. Some of the values include generosity to others, honesty, hard work, and teamwork. Patriotism, which is a political value, is also held by many American families (Campbell & Kean, 2016).
5. Religion emphasizes the values and teaches us on the importance of strict adherence to these values. However, it is also important to appreciate that being non-religious does not mean lacking values. They also have principles that inform their various life choices.
6. The political and economic environment we live in is a capitalist one. It is a system where a few people control the economy at the expense of others. This might inform our values because it emphasizes the role of an individual in achieving success. Therefore, people might tend to develop values that are self-centered.
7. My vision for my future is to live a successful and happy life. Therefore, my beliefs and values of working hard in education are strong. I also want to be a successful leader in the future and in that regard, I believe in patriotism.
- Campbell, N., & Kean, A. (2016). American cultural studies: an introduction to American culture. Routledge.
- Harris, Yvette R., and James A. Graham. The African American Child, Second Edition: Development and Challenges. Vol. 2nd Ed, Springer Publishing Company, 2014. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=703135&site=ehost-live.
- Henderson, Andrea K. “The Long Arm of Religion: Childhood Adversity, Religion, and Self-Perception among Black Americans.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, vol. 55, no. 2, June 2016, pp. 324-348. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/jssr.12262.
