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Values of African Americans vary from different families and different regions of the country; however, there are some universal values in the African American community. Respect is a major value of this culture. The children are taught to respect their elders at a very young age. Respect towards guests is also taught at a very young age. Marriage is another big value to the African American culture. Before marriage was legalized for African Americans, they would "jump the broom", as a way to indicate marriage in their own culture. Equality is another value in their culture as it is shown today through the Black Lives Matter movement which was established to fight for justice against police brutality against minorities.
In African American culture in the United States, teaching obedience and discipline is a must, and is strongly instilled in their youth. Courage is also strongly instilled in African American culture. The trials and tribulations faced by African Americans calls for a lot of culture to change their place in life. Another more in African American culture is going to church. This more is especially present in the South, where you'll see many people attending church on a Sunday, along with grandmother's being the ones to bring their grandchild to church
In the African American culture, home cooked meals are a large part of the family, making it a routine and therefore, being a folkway. They also cherish family gatherings, many getting together on Sundays and sharing a family meal, this folkway is seen more commonly down south then in the northern states. Dancing is also a folkway in the African American culture. You can see this in the cultural-based trials depicted in most Tyler Perry movies.
There are many symbols that represent African American culture. The movement "Black Lives Matter",started after Trayvon Martin was killed by a security patrolman named George Zimmerman in 2012. The movement symbolizes justice for those African Americans who are wrongfully killed or brutally assualted.
The"Black Fist" symbolizes power among African Americans. This originated around the 1960's when the battle for civil rights were at hand, and led by its advocates such as Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King Jr. This symbol came from the organization known as the Black Panthers, an organization started to encourage militant self-defense by the United State's minorities against the government.
One of the most controversial words known in today's society originated as a word of hate and was used to be demeaning. This word has evolved to be a word of power within the African American culture, this word is "Nigga". Along with this word comes other modern slang, such as swag, dope, thot, and many more. The evolution of the English language in the United States is credited to this culture, whether it comes from the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920's or whether it is from America's hip-hop culture of today. However, when talking about language, sign language also comes into play. The "handshake" that we knew in the early 1900's and known in today's business world, has spun off and developed into a new way to show friendship, respect and loyalty among peers, with different initiations and endings, from the simple "fist bump" to the "hand, hug, lock".
Rap is another symbol for the trials and tribulations of African Americans and the lives they live in environments such as Compton, Brooklyn and Harlem. It shows how the struggles of their everyday lives can be expressed and in turn, be transformed into something beautiful and unique. It is not only an example or symbol for African Americans today, but can be linked back to the trials and tribulations of their ancestors. A perfect example of this is the album released by Nappy Roots called "The 40 Akers Project." He said he named his album this to show how far his people have come, but to remind people how far they still have to go.