Learning More about My Culture

by Angela Gaston

I find myself, becoming more and more appreciative to African American Studies. I always wondered how my life would significantly change becoming more in tune with wanting to learn more about more culture. African American Studies are constantly increasing my knowledge. I find that the reason that I have chosen to take this class was I didn’t really know the profound basic things that one take for granted. I have found myself getting older and really didn’t appreciate my culture like I should have.

One reason that I felt that I took my culture for granted is because growing up in a large family, I really didn’t reach out to read more. My mother made it her business to take all of her nine children to the library. However, when we went to the library, I never really wanted to read the books on my culture. I would look at the things that my grandparents fought for as it really didn’t matter.

The second reason that I found myself wanting to learn more about our culture is because, I don’t want my children to make the same mistakes that I made. I talk about the things that Martin Luther King, Jr. fought for. I also try to educate my children about the intelligence that our race has. I always make my youth group come up a person of our culture that inspires them or one that they have grown to admire. However, I want to be a good mentor in relating the message of education as well as community services to our generation to come and the ones that are here on this earth now.

The third reason that I want to learn more about my culture is African Americans are so talented. God has given them so many talents. It never seizes to amaze me, when I see another one of my sisters or brothers that come out with the gifts that God gives them. I find that to be an outstanding accomplishment. There are so many of us that have the gifts, but do not know what to do to bring it out. However, if we can receive the motivation and the endurance that a lot of our people did. I noticed that the more that I educate myself about my culture, the more that I am learning to appreciate the things that they have fought so hard for us to have.

The fourth reason, after reading over the material in our book along with Dr. Johnson’s lecture with the different definitions as to why it so important to know our culture. It’s not just about learning our culture, but the reason why the validity of African American Studies. African American culture has so much to offer. It is an inspiring culture to reach out to the black community as a whole. It wants to continue to educate our culture. A lot of us do not have excuses not to get an education. My father was not able to receive the education that he wanted. However, he made sure and he declared that his children would go to school and to college to make something out of their lives.

In conclusion, I am older, but I don’t think that we ever get to old to learn anything. I just hate that I took learning and really applying myself when I was younger for granted. I am learning everyday not to take anything for granted. Learning, African American Studies is such a blessing to me. It’s really something to me because this took place when I was born. That’s why; I wanted to gain as much knowledge that I can about African American Studies