Culture

Defined as the sum total of the languages, mores, music, art, foods, styles, religions, child-reading, rituals, achievements, contributions, struggles, faith, and other patterns of behavior and interpretations of reality, culture both defines the greater black community and illuminates its salient themes.

At the core, if not the center, of the Africans’ experience in America is the vast concept of culture.  Defined as “the sum total of the languages, mores, music, art, foods, styles, religions, child-rearing, rituals, achievements, contributions, struggles, faith, and other patterns of behavior and interpretations of reality,” culture both defines the greater Black community and illuminates its salient themes.  Most central to African Americans, and without which “cultural themes” are impossible to sustain, are the expressions of faith in their God; education as the currency of achievement; and the organizations and institutions that hold communities together.  This one, busy, and inevitable intersection serves as a vortex for looking backward into history and the apex for looking forward across the frontiers of innovation, and the imminent demands to preserve our rich heritage and develop the next generation of leaders in every field.