Essay On African American Church Culture

Culture is something everyone has and is a part of. It surrounds us every day and makes us who we are. Many people have a variety of different cultures that they identify with, being and African American woman, there were many cultural identities I could have chosen to reflect on. The culture I feel is most prominent in my life is the African American Church culture. Because I am a Pastors kid and have been raised in the church all of my life Church culture is something that affects me on a day to day basis. One major aspect of African American Culture is fellowship through food. African American churches often have many events throughout the year where members of the church will bring home cooked food to share with the congregation. Many common foods found at these fellowships fall under the “soul food” category, with things such as macaroni and cheese, fried chicken, and banana pudding. These functions are not only a time of food but they are events that can last for hours where people have a chance to converse and gossip about the other members of the church. This usually done in good nature because the African American church has a very family focused environment. The African American church is a very Collectivist culture, it
It affects how I dress, what I say, and the kind of people I hang out with. Because of the nature of the African American Church culture, as a member of the church I tend to be more conservative with my morals and with the way I dress. This part of my culture also plays a major role in my Contextual Identity. Contextual Identity is the notion that different parts of our identity are based on the context in which we find ourselves in (Schwartzman, 2014, p. 60). Contextual Identity is a big part of my African American Church culture and being a Pastors daughter, the conservative aspect of my identity becomes a bit more exaggerated at church versus at school or