The African American and Mexican Culture: Compare and Contrast Essay

Introduction

Throughout the American history minority and immigrant groups have sought to have a room for themselves, therefore, broadening the definition of America. The minority experiences act as a dominant source in creating America's self-image (Hooker, 2018). Half of the 21st century the Jews were a paradigmatic American minority by which all the other minority experiences were understood. During the second half, African-Americans who were the descendants of an enforced migration set the standards for the national debates altering the nation's vision. The two cultures had unique perspectives on cultural and racial synthesis that profoundly changed the nation's attitudes (White, 2015). This paper highlights the comparative analysis of the two individual cultures, describing the cultural groups in their similarities and their differences.

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History of the African-American and the Mexican Americans Slavery

The African Americans were among the first to document the arrival of the few men and women who were captives from Ndongo arriving at Jamestown. With time they grew in number and also began to die due to the illnesses acquired from Europe and as they attempted to escape the Spanish and Portuguese imported them to work on the farms. They were punished and mistreated including rape and sexual abuse and the overseers abusing the slaves to reinforce their dominance.

The Spanish slavers took the Africans to Mexico since they were more in numbers than the Europeans and during the colonization, they used them as slaves. Mexico contained the most significant amount of the African slaves. The duration of African slavery was a result of the devastation brought about by the destruction of the deadly diseases from the Europeans which nearly wiped them out.

The Afro-Mexican

It was during 2016 survey, which the Mexican government familiarized with the many millions of the residents who had an African descent. This survey served as an initial count whereby the Africans Americans debut as an official group (Medina, 2017). The dominant force behind this was the activist group formed to increase the visibility of the Afro-Mexican culture and their recognition.

Intergroup Similarities

In consideration of the growing Mexican population and the multiplying common issues that the two communities face, the political coalition they formed to address the shared concerns was practical and potentially useful in the creation of a social change. Their shared interests sprout out because of the similar historical proficiencies encountered in the United States. They were both stereotyped and radicalized due to their perceived race characteristics that marginalized consequently in the American society (Garcia, 2016). Additional the two groups were also exploited economically, politically disenfranchised, educationally deprived and also socially segregated.

Economic Exploitation

Historically, the Mexicans and the African-Americans popular culture played significant roles in advancing the images of their race whereby the movies they produced in the 20th century stereotyped and publicized them. Their economic exploitation is also a similarity where they were forced to work as agricultural laborers (Fredrickson, 2015). In the mid 20th century they experienced discrimination in workplaces and confined to very low paying and low-level jobs as they moved from the agricultural and industrial sector. Currently, in some parts of the United States, individuals confined within these two communities are working in low paying jobs, and also in the dangerous situations available therefore lacking enough benefits and insurance Du Bois, 2017). In result to this, a high percentage of the Mexican- American and the African-American comprise of the individuals working poor and their children living below the poverty-level.

Discrimination and Segregation

Discrimination and segregation are also evident socially between the Africans-Americans and Mexican-Americans. In the 19th century, both communities attended low standard schools and even confined to the segregated neighborhoods. They both lacked opportunities of pursuing higher education in the primary institutions (Cobas, Duany, & Feagin, 2015). Also, the two communities lacked access and received unfair treatments in social accommodations. Many social places such as hotels, businesses, and restaurants refused giving service to either of the communities or provided them with services that were sub-standard.

Disenfranchisement

Disenfranchisement is also another shared experience of the two groups politically. Studies suggest that the historical and current affairs proficient by the two groups fell outside the whiteness norm in civil rights and voting. During the 19th century, the two significant events, the Mexican American war, the two groups grieved due to the introduction of myriad laws and its practices that supported violence and intimidation (Cobas, Duany, & Feagin, 2015). This systematically denied and excluded them their full citizenship. It was a process stripping them off their political rights and their rights to vote thus initiating an era of discrimination and segregation. They were also denied the opportunities of holding offices or participating in political processes (Acuna, 2015). This inability to exercise their political rights led to far-reaching economic, social and political effects on both communities thus causing a limitation of their efforts in being fully respected, embraced and recognized as ordinary American citizens.

Music

Hip-hop, also known as rap music, developed out of inner-city New York in the 70s, the global prevalence of this musical style nowadays is undeniable. Hip Hop is a huge part of the African American community combining the elements of spoken word, rap and often sampling from older tracks, making hip-hop to be no longer just music, but an entire subculture for the Black community, and now the world as a whole (Bryc et al., 2015). Along with US-based rapper Chhoti Maa and her immigrant, feminist and post-colonial lyric, her music is captivating and impactful. Influenced by her grandmother, her raps stem out of poetry first and foremost, as well as the Mexican oral tradition.

Differences between the Africans-Americans and Mexican-Americans

Family Values and Beliefs

Similar to the ethnic groups nationally, African American families' have values that reflect numerous shared objectives and standards, yet additionally vary according to the geographic area, cultural and social foundations and the prevailing financial conditions. Before the abolishing of slavery, African American families separated as guardians and the children sold to various individuals and taken to different geographic regions (Wade, 2017). Many African Americans promised to locate their lost friends and family and, even before the finish of slavery, spared cash and made arrangements to discover the lost ones and restore their freedom. In Africa, the custom of assigning friends and loved ones as nieces, uncles, aunties, and nephews is evident as a result of the separation from the blood relatives.

Amid the time of bondage, African Americans discovered quality and solidarity through mutual love. Numerous depended on their confidence to give them the motivation they expected to push ahead and help them to remember the energy of generosity and absolution, even notwithstanding the best shamefulness and pitilessness harsh shared love. Numerous depended on their confidence to give them the motivation they expected to advance and help them to remember the energy of consideration and absolution, even notwithstanding the best treachery and remorselessness (Wade, 2017). Amid the time of subjection, African Americans discovered quality and solidarity through collective love.

Numerous depended on their confidence to give them the motivation they expected to push ahead and help them to remember the energy of benevolence and pardoning, despite the rough communal worship and cold-bloodedness. Around the 1960s, structures of the African American families' structures began to change. Statistics socially assessed that almost 80 percent of African American families who were in their sixties had a father figure and the wife thus working as a team. The financial conditions evolved and the poverty-stricken areas sprout in the main cities and hence several African American women acquiring degrees as they even started working far from home. Such developments encouraged psychological and monetary ripples bringing about numerous African American families in the present headed by one spouse who is usually the mother of the children.

For a Mexican, the family is the most critical social establishment. They have expansive, affectionate families, and distinctive ages live respectively. The Mexicans trust that solidarity is quality. They help each other through challenges and are dependably there for each other through various problems (Wade, 2017). Mexicans are happy for their traditions and customs having their senior citizens of the family attempting their best to look after them and pass them on to the subsequent ages. Each from the prompt or even more distant family is treated with adoration and regard.

Married couples move out to begin their own particular families in independent houses from their parents but also engage in taking care of the parents during old age. The whole family settles geologically near each other, and even sometimes their family generations live together. Usually, it is the families' roles and responsibilities in providing moral and material support and helping each other in the midst of any emergencies. Families are more similar to clans, giving passionate help and also showing practical guidance.

A Mexican family has particular gender roles whereby the father is the bread-winning individual from home, while, ladies deal with the family unit and youngsters. Machismo or solid feeling of manly pride is exceptionally unmistakable in Mexican families. All the critical choices are taken by the men of the house. A mother is extraordinarily respected and is in charge of the childhood and care of the kids. She cooks, cleans, and is the heartbeat of the family, keeping all family members together. She is associated with the therapeutic services of the youngsters too. Be that as it may, the men exercise complete authority in the house, therefore, requiring the women to be submissive.

Conclusion

In conclusion, both cultures are trying to continue fighting for a brighter future despite the cultural differences. A survey conducted served as an initial count whereby the Africans Americans debut as an official group. The dominant force behind this was the activist group formed to increase the visibility of the Afro-Mexican culture and their recognition. This move shows that the Afro-Mexicans group is on the rise and can now exercise their own rights.

References

Acuna, R. (2015). Occupied America. The Latino/a Condition: A Critical Reader,, 61-4.

Bryc, K., Durand, E. Y., Macpherson, J. M., Reich, D., & Mountain, J. L. (2015). The genetic ancestry of african americans, latinos, and european Americans across the United States. The American Journal of Human Genetics, 96(1), 37-53.

Cobas, J. A., Duany, J., & Feagin, J. R. (2015). How the United States racializes Latinos: White hegemony and its consequences. Routledge.

Du Bois, W. E. B. (Ed.). (2017). Black Reconstruction in America: Toward a history of the part which black folk played in the attempt to reconstruct democracy in America, 1860-1880. Routledge. Tindall, G. B., & Shi, D. E. (2016). America: A narrative history. WW Norton & Company.

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