Team lightskin vs Team Darkskin

In America, there is definitely discrimination involving one or a few ethnicities towards another. This discrimination is visible in American culture; you can see the acts of discrimination in social media, in schools, and all around us. There are often rallies and social media movements to fight against the social injustice.   But many Americans don't talk about the discrimination between individuals of the same race.

Black Americans have gone through and continue to go through various types of discrimination. African Americans fight for their rights against other races, but don't speak out on the discrimination within their own race. Light-skinned and dark-skinned African American’s issues of division began during American slavery in the south.

Slavery

During slavery the Africans were separated by skin tone. According to Allison Samuels, a writer for Newsweek.com, "Since the days of slavery, skin color has been used as a tool of separation and preferential treatment within the black community." Job specialization was based on the shade of their skin. A dark-skinned slave would work out in the fields and the lighter skinned slave would work in the home of the slave master. The working conditions between working in the fields and working in the home were drastically different. Light skinned slaves were given better working conditions like being able to have meals like the slave owners just smaller or not having to work in the hot sun all day to  Darker skinned slaves had poor working conditions and often suffered more physical abuse. Multiracial Individuals,a online history textbook, says "Darker-skinned slaves tended to work in the fields, while lighter-skinned slaves tended to work in the house."
  Although, slave owners still considered lighter skin slaves as beneath them, they overall treated the light skin slave better.

Slave masters did on most occasions rape their female slaves and often produced children. According to Bowdoin.edu,  a website for the college of Bowdoin in Main,"Slave women were forced to comply with sexual advances by their masters on a very regular basis." The babies would be born lighter because of their mix of ethnic background. Many times these children would become the house slaves. This was a way for the Slave owners to still treat them like property, but at the same time give them somewhat of an upper hand to cover the shame and guilt for, without openly admitting what they had done.  After all the law was one-eighth drop of black blood made you black.

 In the Now

Overtime the issue between light skin and dark skin black Americans has grown to more of an issues between the two sub categories and not an issue with whites. In the black community, many believe that light-skinned African Americans are prettier or more beautiful than a darker African American.  The slavery separation of the shades of skin started a self-hatred within the American black community. Light skin or "mixed" African Americans are viewed as superior to individual identified as black American.   Black Americans wanting to have at least some percentage of another race within them to seem more attractive has become todays culture.

African American women have also started to bleach their own skin to be seen as more beautiful and lighter. These chemicals used to bleach the skin are very dangerous and harmful, but many black women will ignore the possible health issues to be viewed as beautiful with in their community. According to WebMD,  "1 out of every 4 skin lighteners made in Asia and sold outside the U.S. contained mercury."  When mercury is applied to the skin there are numerous dangers that can lead to skin cancer or in some cases death. For the most part, black Americans feel that the whiter you look or seem the better of you will be.  Although the light skin culture is predominantly seen as superior of dark skin black Americans, overall the white American culture is viewed as superior to black culture when being view by the majority of the African American community.

Recently, the issue has become a war between light skin and dark skin African Americans. The most popular hashtags for this issue is, #Teamlightskin and #TeamDarkskin. When looking up these hashtags on social medial it is easy to access arguments on why one shade of skin is better than the other. Memes stereotyping a certain shade of an African American can also be found. You may also find darker skin individuals shamming light skin individuals for not looking "100% black" Some memes on this issue can even be suggesting certain shades have certain sexual preferences. the list goes on, on what can be found looking at these hashtags.

In conclusion, my question is how can we, as black Americans fight against other races who discriminate us if we are discriminating our own people? No matter what we see, other races will treat us the same no matter the shade. African Americans fight back when discriminatory actions against their own race take place in America. But, when it comes to discriminating within their ethnic community, African Americans allow this enigma from slavery define their lifestyles by continuing to separate themselves.

South Korea Culture

According to dictionary.com the definition of culture is: “the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group”. I am an “Army Brat” and I am proud to be a part of this culture group. Home for an Army Brat is where the Army decides to relocate the military parent or parents. Our family of four traveled around the Contiguous United States (CONUS) and Outside the Continental United States (OCONUS) for over twenty-eight years. As an Army Brat we resided in many different places state side and overseas. Every place has different culture beliefs; including CONUS and OCONUS.

  As an Army Brat I lived in South Korea for two years and I respect their culture. South Korean culture and American culture is different. We both celebrate New Year’s Day; however, we celebrate this special day differently. On New Year’s Eve the majority of American’s host parties or attend special events to bring in the New Year. For example, New Year’s Eve celebrations consist of peach drop in Atlanta, Georgia, ball drop in Times Square in Manhattan, New York City, and acorn drop in Raleigh, North Carolina then shout Happy New Year.

   In South Korea, on New Year’s Day children bow down to elders and relatives and say Happy New Year. The bowing is different than the normal bow. Girls bow down on one knee and boys bow down on both knees to say Happy New Year. South Korean relatives give advice to the children and give them money. Both South Korean and Americans show respect to elders. South Korean’s show respect by greeting elders with a bow and Americans show respect to elders by recognizing them as Mr., Mrs., Miss, and etc.

Another culture difference between American and South Korea is how we celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14. In South Korea Valentine’s Day is all about the men and in American it’s all the women. Korean women shower the men with chocolates and American men shower their woman with chocolates, jewelry, flowers, cards, and etc. On March 14, South Koreans celebrate White Day and on this day men shower women with candy. Also on April 14, South Koreans celebrate Black Day for the single individuals and on this special day they eat noodles with their friends at local restaurants. They have a special day it is on April 14. There day is called Black Day. On this special day is where they eat noodles with their friends.

For school system they have six years’ primary, three years of middle and high school and lastly four years of college. Education is very important to the parents and they try to get their kids into the best schools. Bottom line there are some inherent cultural differences.

HBCUs VS PWIs

Deciding whether to attend an HBCU or a PWI can be both an easy or hard decision for some. Both have many different aspects which help define both. These aspects provide individuals with more information and can help with their decision on where to attend.  Let's dig deeper and take a look at both HBCUs and PWIs and their similarities and differences.

HBCU's vs PWI's

HBCUs:

HBCU stands for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. According to the  US Department of Education, "HBCUs are a source of accomplishment and great pride for the African American community as well as the entire nation. The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, defines an HBCU as: “…any historically black college or university that was established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of black Americans, and that is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association determined by the Secretary [of Education] to be a reliable authority as to the quality of training offered or is, according to such an agency or association, making reasonable progress toward accreditation.” HBCUs offer all students, regardless of race, an opportunity to develop their skills and talents. These institutions train young people who go on to serve domestically and internationally in the professions as entrepreneurs and in the public and private sectors".
HBCU

HBCUs have many different contributing factors. HBCU's are known for having a strong history. Reading over The Network Journal- Black Professionals and Small Business News page and the information they include on HBCUs, they mainly discuss HBCUs and their strong history. They mention how "HBCUs are responsible for 22 percent of current bachelor’s degrees granted to Blacks. Among Blacks, 40 percent of all congressmen, 12.5 percent of CEOs, 40 percent of engineers, 50 percent of professors at non-HBCUs, 50 percent of lawyers and 80 percent of judges are HBCU graduates". They also mention the "top 21 undergraduate producers of Blacks with doctoral degrees are HBCUs. W.E.B. Dubois (Wilberforce), Ralph Ellison (Tuskegee), Martin Luther King, Jr. (Morehouse), Thurgood Marshall (Lincoln), Ruth Simmons (Dillard), and Oprah Winfrey (Tennessee State) headline a long list of famous HBCU alumni". 

An example of a HBCU with strong History is Hampton University. As stated by The Network Journal- Black Professionals and Small Business News, "Hampton University is one of oldest privately funded historical black colleges & universities on the east coast. This well-established HBCU offers undergrad, masters and doctoral courses in technical and liberal arts fields. Hampton University has been rated among the top African American universities in the world, with a community of students from 35 countries and territories and nearly every state in America, making it one of the most popular black colleges".
I love my HBCU

There are many other factors and aspects of HBCUs besides its strong history. They are also known to have good sports teams and a great band attracting more students. Videos of different HBCU bands can be found on Social media sites, like twitter.  HBCUs also have many scholarship opportunities and alumni organizations offered to help and encourage African American students, as well as other races, receive an education and get their degree. They tend to have smaller class sizes, depending on the university as well. Some HBCUs even offer programs to help find opportunities and jobs for African American students after college. HBCUs are said to be a big family across the country and support one another through their cultural and historical background.

Going to a HBCU can be a great experience for many individuals, but not everyone might be in favor for them. Sometimes many don't like the fact that they're not as diverse as PWIs. Also, some HBCUs may lack the necessary technology or simply may be out of date with certain resources leaving many individuals hesitant to attend.  Many individuals aren't fond of the appearance on certain campuses ranging from the dorms, to classrooms, to amenities, making this another negative factor. Another con is the fact that although many scholarships are given, this does not mean everyone is entitled to receive one or even receive a full scholarship.

Although, the list goes on for negatives aspects of HBCUs, there are still plenty of positive reasons and why one should attend and if you are interested, I encourage you to definitely look up and visit many HBCUs websites to receive more information.

                                                                   PWIs:                                                 Diversity

PWI stands for Predominately White Institutions. According to M. Christopher Brown II & T. Elon Dancy II, "Predominantly white institution (PWI) is the term used to describe institutions of higher learning in which Whites account for 50% or greater of the student enrollment. However, the majority of these institutions may also be understood as historically White institutions in recognition of the binarism and exclusion supported by the United States prior to 1964".

PWIs have many contributing factors and aspects as well. They are said to have better reputations than HBCUs. Some PWIs are said to have prettier campuses as well, attracting more individuals.  By this I mean, newer technology, updated amenities and facilities, nicer dorms, and ETC. PWIs are more prestige and excel in sports as well. They offer scholarships, both for academics and sports wise to help bring in more students. Many individuals say, PWIs have great professors who deliver great teaching allowing for the students to receive a good education. PWIs also offer a better variety of majors and programs to the students, allowing for many more students to be attracted to the school.

PWI's
Although PWIs, as well bring great contributing factors, they still have negative aspects as well. For one, many individuals say PWIs are diverse. I beg to differ. Not all universities are. With that being said racism has been said to be a common issue as well within PWIs pushing many individuals away. Because of this, you don't see many individuals who look like you striving to make a mark and difference at that school. Additionally, PWIs aren't as understanding for African American individuals as well as other minorities. Their expectations can sometimes be higher, leaving many individuals unable to attend. Class sizes again can be larger which can be a negative factor as well. The list goes on for negative factors, but remember there are good factors and aspects of PWIs as well. Again, I  encourage you to take a look at some more PWIs and gain more information to help in your decision, as well as allow you to get a better idea on Predominately White Institutions.

Here are some Additional PWIs: Radford University, Rutgers University, Stanford University, California State University, Virginia Common Wealth University, University of Virginia, Florida State University, George Mason, William and Mary, and Virginia Tech. 

Cultures

What is culture by Definition? 

Culture, based on Merriam-Webster Dictionary "is the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations." 

Culture, if thought about in great depth can be translated as beliefs and traditions developed throughout generations, or in other words, people forming their opinions with time and throughout generations. Much of this thought process can be compared to that of Joseph Henrich, who is currently an anthropologist professor for the university of Harvard. Henrich came up with a hypothesis stating that "the idea that the real driver in the expansion of human brains was this growing cumulative body of cultural information." This hypothesis concludes that as we store more and more information and transmit it to other generations, we begin to build what is now known as culture. His goal in this study was to convince individuals that they should stop differentiating culture and biological evolution as a separate, and think of them as biological evolution. 

This building of traditions and beliefs can be thought about for example, as a simple carrying on of a chocolate chip cookie recipe.  A recipe from the past, carried for about 100 years gets passed on to a daughter who changes the shape. Then gets passed on to a granddaughter, who adds something in addition and so on. As the recipe gets changed and carried throughout, it becomes a tradition and a combination of cultures, which then later on becomes part of one specific culture. 

When looking at culture in great depth, the diversity in it becomes evident. In today's modern world people are able to find these answers due to biology, technological advances, and the study of past generations. What scientist have actually found is an understanding of humans trying to find out who they were themselves, and why they were there initially. These Questions and many more have had a great impact in why we have cultures and why they have such a great impact on our lives.  

What does Culture mean to me

I've decided to write about what the word culture altogether means to me. In my opinion, the world culture does not necessarily have to relate to ethnics. Culture can be a variety of things. For example, location is something that people relate culture with. I feel as if you can develop new culture as you explore a variety of things that you normally don't partake in your everyday life. For example, trying a food from some place you have never even heard of , or traveling to a country you can hardly pronounce. Culture is all around us as human beings on a daily basis. Many people tend to tie culture to only a specific example of something diverse but that is not always the case.

One major thing that ties to the word culture is location. Many people embrace or practice their culture from wherever they may be from. For example, the continent of Africa has many ways they embrace their culture. Dancing is one way the people of Africa, express themselves. For example the Suo Dance, was primarily in the western part of Africa. According to answersafrica.com , this dance was so popular that it paved the way for the paved its way for the Nigerian entertainment scenario.







 Another popular way that the continent of Africa expresses their culture is through their foods. Africa is notoriously known for its " Fufu " dish. Fufu is mashes plantains mixed in with cassava flour. It is also served along side with soup, and is the national dish for Ghana.



So in conclusion to me, culture is not just represented from where you are from. It can deal with things like food, location, clothing, and even music. Culture is around us in some way, shape, or from everyday and whether we know it or not we apply something cultural to our daily lives,

The Differences in Cultures

I have not only lived in many different places but I've had the opportunity to travel and visit different places. Last spring, I traveled to Amsterdam, Italy, and France. There were a lot of similarities between those places and America but there were also a great number of differences. I thought it would be a good idea to list some of them. For example:

In Japan and Europe, manufacturers model their cars by putting the steering wheel on the right side of the car instead of the left. My parents had to change their driving ways a little bit, but they seemed to adapt to it pretty well. Studies say that the reason for this is because most Japanese people are right handed.


 When I visited Italy, I was introduced to a couple of new ideas. For dinner, they are 5 courses. Instead we ate 3 courses (which was already enough for me); primo (pasta), secondo (usually meats), and dolce (sweet). For our first course, we had pesto. It was made up of noodles covered in pesto sauce. The second course consisted of a piece of lamb and french fries. The third and last course we were introduced to was tiramisu.


 In France, it is disrespectful to start a conversation in English. I learned that the hard way. Although, my French was rusty, I tried to start every conversation with a simple "Bon Jour." They will respond in a more friendly manner just by you trying to master their language.

It's the little attributes that make a country so unique and different from ours. Who would've known that its disrespectful to not try and speak a certain language when you're in a certain country or that some countries have more than one meal for just dinner alone. I find it quite fascinating. And being able to have been apart of it was one amazing experience and I hope to be apart of it again, real soon.

American cultures

Culture is the shared beliefs, behavior, values, and much more. It is a learned way of life shared by a group of people. It is a lifestyle of a group of people which is passed down from one generation to the next. Culture distinguishes one group of people from another group of people. Different groups of people have different cultures. Their food, language, beliefs, and value differ from each other.

According to Geohive America is the third most populated country in the world. It is a very culturally diverse country because of the immigrants who settled here. American culture is a blend of Native Americans and the immigrants who came to America years ago from all around the world. American culture has been influenced by almost every region of the world. Culture in america is also referred to as a "melting pot", because people in America from around the world have brought in something new to add.

Even though most people in America speak English many other languages can be heard throughout America. Almost every language is spoken in the United States. More than 300 languages are spoken all through the U.S. Many languages such as Spanish, Italian, French, Swedish, and many more are spoken.

People in America have freedom to practice any religion they choose. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are amoung the many religions practiced in the U.S. With the freedom to practice religion comes the freedom to not practice a religion at all.

Europeans and Native American foods, corn and beans, have had a great influence on American food. Hot dogs, potato chips, and hamburgers are identified as common American food. Mexican food has also had an influence on American food. Chipotle is among the many famous Mexican places that almost everyone likes to eat at. Pizza has also been very popular around the U.S. It is looked up as being weird when someone doesn't like pizza or burgers in America. Food from all around the world is appreciated in America.

One factor that is different from the rest of the world is the holidays celebrated in America. In the U.S 4th of July is celebrated for the freedom gained from Britain. Memorial day is celebrated to honor those who have served in the military protecting the people of America. Labor day celebrates the workforce of America. Another holiday making America different from other cultures is Thanksgiving. This holiday dated back to the colonial times to celebrate the harvest. Many more different holidays are celebrated that make America different than the rest of the world.

While the American culture is greatly influenced by the rest of the world some rituals are unique to only America. Since America is such a diverse place a little of every culture can be found here. Languages, religion, and food can be found in America from all around the world. One thing that makes America different are some of the holidays celebrated here. While America has it's own thing other cultural influences have helped incorporate all the different aspect from different places.

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