My Cultural Identity Essay -- Cultural Identity Essays

My culture identity, as I know it as is African American. My culture can be seen in food, literature, religion, language, the community, family structure, the individual, music, dance, art, and could be summed up as the symbolic level. Symbolic, because faith plays a major role in our daily lives through song, prayer, praise and worship. When I’m happy I rely on my faith, same as when I’m sad, for I know things will get better as they have before. There are different disciplines within the humanities, but there is one that I feel that has influenced my cultural identity the most†¦music. I say music because from the start music told my culture’s history; informed others about deeds or events that had taken place, also, music was and continues to be important in comforting, healing, and during labor. â€Å"African American music has evolved through various eras and styles; the powerful melodic lines and the rhythm (the all-important rhythm) remained prominent and influential† (Powell, 2007, p.1). One way that I’ve celebrated and tried to connect with what I know as my culture is to attend Juneteenth Festival of the Carolinas. â€Å"According to Welcome to Juneteenth, â€Å"this is an annual four day event celebrated in the month of June at Independence Park, in Charlotte, North Carolina, hosted by Pape Ndiaye, proprietor of the House of Africa located in Charlotte, NC since 1997† (Juneteenth, n.d.). This family event unifies Africans, African-American, and non-African people and is celebrated with drummers, dancers, faith communities, local talent, special guests, and vendors that sell clothing, jewelry, food, books, art, music, furniture, purses, and much more. One may say we already have a day set aside to celebrate freedom. The Junete... ...x.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=133&Itemid=10 Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina (n.d.). Who Are The Lumbee? Retrieved March 7, 2014, from http://www.lumbeetribe.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=135&Itemid=115 Powell, A. (2007). The Music of African Americans and its Impact on the American Culture in the 1960’s and the 1970’s. Miller African Centered Academy, 1. Retrieved from http://www.chatham.edu/pti/curriculum/units/2007/Powell.pdf Main Section | Community Tool Box. (n.d.). Retrieved March 4, 2014, from http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/culture/cultural-competence/culture-and-diversity/main Welcome to Juneteenth. (n.d.). Retrieved March 7, 2014, from http://www.juneteenthofthecarolinas.com/ Whirty, R. (2007, March/April). The Lost Colony of Roanoke. Natives People. Retrieved from http://www.lost-colony.com/magazineNP.html