Sociology
Examine your own ethnic or racial heritage, if known. If your ethnicity or race is mixed, then select the one that you believe to be the most dominant heritage in your life. If your ethnicity or race is unclear, or not known, then examine your own socialization into an ethnic or racial group. Note that many people, because of adoption or other factors, may not know their original ethnic heritage, but may be able to identify their own racial heritage.
Prepare a minimum of five-page report on your experience as a member of your particular group. Gather as much background information as possible in exploring your own ethnic or racial heritage. If known, trace the ethnic history of your own family, such as the approximate date of your ancestors’ migration to the United States, the obstacles they faced, their cultural practices and experiences from childhood, their activities, and their family experiences. Include activities with extended kin members, type of education received, if any, and church as well as neighborhood experiences. Record any other event or experience that influenced your identity and membership in the group.
Provide a conclusion and an evaluation of this project.
Make a cover page on a separate sheet of paper and a bibliography also on a separate sheet of paper in addition to the five-page report. Page number your report.
ANSWER
Racial Heritage
I am an Afro-Haitian. A majority of us are descendants of enslaved Africans brought to the island by the Spanish Empire and the France Kingdom to work on plantations. According to the 2013 reports, Afro-Haitians make up the major ethnic group in Haiti. Afro-Haitians make up 95 percent of the country’s population, with 5 percent being made up of Mulattoes and other minor groups (Laguerre, 2018). The African people in Haiti come from different areas spanning from Senegal, Congo, and mostly from West Africa. The Africans in Haiti were imported by the Spanish and then by the French and arrived in Haiti in the 18th century. The revolutionaries proclaimed liberty, and this slavery came into question during the French revolution. Before 1789, critics attacked and were against slavery in the colonies. White people across the world stuck to the belief that Africans and their descendants were inferior and could never revolt against their slave owners. They were proven wrong by the revolution against France, which established the first independent black republic, Haiti.
However, the Western nations did not respond positively to the revolution and the formation of this republic and thus denied them the privileges and respect granted to the other modern nations. The discrimination and prejudice against Haiti and Haitians from the whites were because the success of the revolution proved to the white people that their wealth and privilege were built on the myth of white supremacy (Schiller, 2017). The success of the Haitians gave hope to the slaves across the Atlantic nations as they did not accept the phenomenon that they were inferior and did not appreciate the cruelty and violence that came with slavery. They found proof that they were humans and that the white oppressors were equal destructible humans. Haiti became a symbol of freedom and black humanity.
Haitians have been migrating to the US since the end of World War II. Haitian migration into the US can be divided into four different periods. Each period is characterized by a wave of political unrest and economic depression. The first wave of Haitian migrants into the US took place between 1957 and 1964 (Laguerre, 2018). The Haitians who migrated to the US at the time did not foresee their future in the country as they thought that they would be in the country until the Duvalier regime was overthrown. This was to their dismay as the US government supported Duvalier, and therefore, there was no hope of his regime being overthrown.
My family and migrated to the US when I was 15 years old. This was after years of my family staying in Haiti. Migrating to the US, I was already aware of the problems that face black people in the country, and I was prepared to do whatever it took to rise above those problems. I was, however, shocked by the realization that the Haitians in America do not have good relations with African Americans due to the accent and most of the African Americans assume that we have money and do not understand how we do it while they have spent most of their lives in the country and they are not yet as ahead as the black Haitian migrants. Different stereotypes about African Americans and black Haitians in America have led to a development of hostility and relationships, which is not good as we are of the same descent and we both experienced slavery. Despite the differences between African Americans and black Haitians, we both face the same discrimination African Americans face in the US (Foner, 2016).
Religion and spirituality are central to my culture as a black Haitian. Our practices are multifaceted and a combination of many religious practices, including African religious practices, Catholicism, and Protestantism (Laguerre, 2018). People in my family are given a choice on what religious practices one should follow as soon as we start understanding religion. I decided that all the religious practices of my people are essential, but I have not settled for any specific religion and prefer to explore them all before deciding which one is suitable for me. Some of my family members are Catholics, others are Protestants. I also have relatives who have delved into voudou, and although the Christian members of the family are not happy about it and try hard to convert them, I believe my family is beautifully blended and happy that considering we were enslaved at some point in life, we were given the freedom to choose the religion that fits us without the influence of our slave masters.
I find voudou quite interesting as it bridges the divide between the spiritual and the material world. Voudou is a product of the Yoruba ancestry. Before we migrated to America, I studied a little bit of it with some of my relatives, and it mostly involves practices such as music, drumming, dance, and art which plays an important role in these practices. Voudou was, however, suppressed in my country until 2003, when President Jean Bertrand Aristide acknowledged and recognized it as a religion in Haiti. I also find that voudou has been stereotyped, and most Haitians living in America keep it private or have been assimilated into other religious practices such as Christianity. When we migrated to America, I thought I would find the other Haitian migrants still delving in voudou, but I found out that these practices had been suppressed, especially among African Americans.
When we moved to the US, I expected that we would move to a neighborhood that was predominantly black, and I would get to mingle with the African American teenagers and talk about issues facing the people of our descent. We, however, moved to a neighborhood that was predominantly consisting of Haitian immigrants and mostly interacted with our people using our language. This factor explains why we do not get along with African Americans. Sometimes I think they feel like they were robbed of their chance to express their originality, and our presence in the US robs them of the many things they have been fighting for centuries to achieve. I also find my fellow black Haitians prefer to be referred to as immigrants rather than African Americans. According to the feedback I have on why they prefer to be immigrants, they find that referring to oneself as an immigrant has a higher chance of acquiring upward mobility than when they refer to themselves as African Americans. This is one of the troubling facts about the whole issue because the only reason Haitians can migrate and enjoy peace in the US is because of the struggle of African Americans.
Generally, I am glad to have moved to the US despite the problems faced in the country. Sometimes I miss home and the many cultural practices, but I am also glad to be here because I have access to quality education by being here. Schools in Haiti are not nearly as good as the ones in the US. The classes are overcrowded, and back home, we do not have the resources like the ones in the US. The Haitian government is working towards improving the education system, but before they get to really doing it, I am glad I had a chance to study here. There are also better opportunities here compared to back home. I, however, have plans of going back home to help improve the lives of my people and possibly share my knowledge with them on a few things.
In conclusion, as a black Haitian in America, I understand the meaning of cultural erosion and also understand the importance of holding on to one’s culture. I am glad that my ancestors held on to some of their cultural practices and passed them on to their future generations. I have also experienced life more than the Haitians who are still in Haiti as I came to America, and even though we do not always get along with the African Americans due to differences here and there, I got to experience life in America from the perspective of a black person. I have faced racism in my years in America, and even though there is a lot of progress in terms of racism, I have first-hand knowledge that it still exists. My experience with racism in the US helps me understand the African Americans better because, unlike me, who has a home in Haiti, this is their home, and they do not deserve any of the discrimination. Nobody should be discriminated against based on the color of their skin.
References
Foner, N. (2016). Black immigrants and the realities of racism: Comments and questions. Journal of American Ethnic History, 36(1), 63-70.
Laguerre, M. (2018). Haitian immigrants in the United States: A historical overview. In American Odyssey (pp. 160-174). Cornell University Press.
Schiller, N. G. (2017). Transnational lives and national identities: The identity politics of Haitian immigrants 1. In Transnationalism from below (pp. 130-161). Routledge.
