Family Remains Key to Cultural Identity After 18

Mom and dad will be happy.  Even after children turn 18, they still cling to the cultural traditions and learnings from their youth.  Cultural education remains a key facet of parenting.

According to a new study from San Francisco State University,

The formative years don’t stop at 18 according to a new study that found the actions and lifestyle of the family continue to influence whether young adults embrace their ethnicity and take pride in their roots. Published in the Journal of Adolescence, the study of young adults between the ages of 18 and 30 found that those whose families continue to teach them about their ethnic background had a greater sense of ethnic identity.

Individuals whose families actively share cultural customs and traditions with them, celebrating Chinese New Year for example, reported feeling more attached to their ethnic group and spent more time exploring their heritage.

The study surveyed more than 200 adults between the ages of 18-30 from a variety of different ethnic and racial backgrounds. 

While the good news is cultural identity stays with adolescents, values may not:

The study found that the family’s role in communicating cultural practices and traditions had a greater influence on young adults’ exploration of their ethnicity compared with whether they adopted values associated with their ethnic group. “Parents may be effective in prompting their children to find out more about their culture but they can’t necessarily instill the values of their culture,” Juang said.

(Afro) Hispanic Heritage Month

No, Black History Month has not been moved.  It’s still in February.

September 15th – October 15th celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month.

Why should this be of interest to African Americans?  Because the African diaspora spreads throughout the Western Hemisphere from the Canada to Chile. We just got dropped off at different slave ports throughout the hemisphere.  Afro-Latinos may have different histories and assume different identities.  But our origins are the same.

• In Brazil, the last country in Latin America to abolish slavery,  more than 45% of the population identify themselves as Afro-Brazilians.
• In Colombia, 20% or more of the population actively recognize their African ancestry and identify as Afro-Colombians.
• In Venezuela, close to 20% identify their African ancestry and Afro-Cubans account for more than 30% of the population.

The list goes on throughout Latin America with majority Afro-Latino populations in the Dominican Republic.

Celebramos!

Culture Club – April

Culture Club is a periodic posting of cultural events which may be of interest to readers.  Events are limited to the Washington, DC area.

Exhibits:

• The Scurlock Studio and Black Washington: Picturing the Promise - Through November 2009, National Museum of American History

Film:

• Filmfest D.C. Until April 26 at various locations
• Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies at the Historical Society of Washington, D.C.  April 29.
• Politics on Film May 7-10 at various locations
• Silverdocs June 15-22 at AFI Silver

Food:

• Taste of 8th (Street), Barracks Row.  April 25.

International:

• Passport DC: Exploration of Washington’s embassies, various locations.  April 30 – May 9.

Music:

• Women in Jazz Festival at the Kennedy Center. May 14-16.
• The Baltimore Symphony Orhestra Presents The Sounds of Motown.  May 15-16
• Earth, Wind, and Fire & Chicago, Merriweather Post Pavillion.  June 10.
• Diana Krall at Wolf Trap.  June 17.
• John Legend at Merriweather Post Pavillion.  July 17. 

Poetry:

• Poetry Between the Lines, Montpelier Arts Center in Laurel, MD.  April 30.

 Theatre:

• Blue Door, centered around the Million Man March, Atlas Performing Arts Center.  Through May 3.
• Native Son, adaptation of Richard Wright’s novel, at The Gunston Arts Center II in Arlington, VA.  Through May 9.
• Theater Look-In: The Color Purple, at the Kennedy Center. July 8.

Of Museums and Princesses

Designer Chosen for African American History Museum:

The African American History Museum is becoming a reality here in Washington, DC. As a part of the renowned Smithsonian Institution, the museum will:

“…tell the African American story from the African origins, through slavery and emancipation, to politics, music, sports and spirituality.

The museum, which was approved by President George W. Bush in 2003, is a joint public-private project with half the funds coming from Congress.

The estimated start of construction is 2012. In the meantime the museum staff has been collecting artifacts, including the 5,000 photographs of H.C. Anderson in Mississippi and thousands of items from the Black Fashion Museum, and it is seeking a slave cabin. The museum is currently sponsoring an exhibition of the Scurlock Studio, a family photography business in Washington for most of the 20th century, at the National Museum of American History, and has launched an online museum.

Disney Introduces First Black Princess:

The Washington Post reports:

Long ago and far away, she was an unnamed little princess in a little story called the “The Frog Prince.” She and her amphibious friend lived in a very small, mostly forgotten corner of the fairy tale universe.

Many years passed.

And then one day, through the magical powers of Disney animation and commercial marketing, the forgotten little princess was transformed into Tiana, a beautiful black princess from New Orleans. She became the star of “The Princess and the Frog,” a movie set to premiere in November. Her doll and toy set were unveiled last month, and the Disney promotional machine is already humming, for Tiana is the first Disney princess in more than a decade, and the first ever to be black.

The story goes on to quote various professors on the impact of Disney’s first black princess:

“If this figure takes off, you’re looking at 30 or 40 years of repetition and resonance,” says Tricia Rose, a Brown University professor who teaches both popular culture and African American studies, citing the enduring popularity of Disney princesses at the company’s theme parks, on Web sites and in videos.

“It’s a very big deal,” says Leonard Maltin, the film historian, critic and author of “Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons.”

“She’s the first modern American [Disney] princess, and that she’s black sends a huge message,” says Cori Murray, entertainment director for Essence magazine.

The Frog Princess will be in theatres this holiday season. So be sure to see it IN the theatres so that the voice actors get their $ and Disney understands the monetary and moral value of The Frog Princess. I’m not talking about anyone in particular, but buying a bootleg copy at the hair salon doesn’t count.