There are 6 people in my family and we are African Americans. I have 4 siblings, one girl and three brothers that were born in Opelousas. When I was two years old my father left us. Growing up in Opelousas was a lot of fun. In those days it was still rather rural.
My friends and I grew up playing stick ball, dodge ball, and other neighborhood games. While growing up in Opelousas, my mother passed along all she knew about the family history. I knew my family history “by heart.” I was told how African Americans were treated during slavery and in the society I grew up in. During the fifty’s African Americans were denied access to many businesses and were thought to be inferior beings. My family was poor; we remain this way for a long time, and face great barriers to our acceptance in a white society. Many of my family members did not speak much English because our family spoke Creole (a broken down language of French.
) My mother, who raised and supported her family by doing domestic work, headed our home until her second marriage. She faced economic problems that many African Americans families faced. We would celebrate the holidays by inviting all of our relatives over for Christmas Eve dinner. My mother would cook a huge meal. My favorite holiday memory is receiving the puppy I wanted all year. You should have seen the smile on my face! I’m very happy that my family has kept the family tradition of the family gathering on Christmas Eve.
The Essay on Extended Families African American
Extended Families in the African American Culture There are some lines attributed to Victor Hugo which read:" She broke the bread into two fragments and gave them to her children, who ate with eagerness. 'She hath kept none for herself,' grumbled the sergeant. "'Because she is not hungry,' said a soldier "'No,' said the sergeant, 'because she is a mother.' " These lines of writ are truly ...
I always look forward to spending that holiday with my extended family. Our home was a happy home and was church oriented. I was raised as a Baptist and attend church regularly (Sunday School, BTU, etc. ).
My mother is a great spiritual influence; especially seeing her commitment to prayer and fasting impacted my family believe in God. I have old-fashioned values because of my home training as well as religious affiliations. My family believes it takes a whole village to raise a child. Therefore, my family did not only reared me, I was also reared by several of the members of the New Zion Missionary Baptist Church, school and my community. Credit must be given to the matriarch of the family, my mother. She ensured her children were exposed to all books, the arts and church could offer.
I had a great formal education with a GPA of 3. 60. I also accredit some of my teachers for my success. I am especially thankful to them because they touched me profoundly and inspired me to achieve successes I never considered. My mother is extremely proud of the products that God has given her. She shares with others how her seven children are anchored in the Lord and how it has allowed them to excel in all the right ways.
My husband and I followed in my mother’s footsteps as we raised our four daughters. Teaching them about the love of God and the value of an education in my four daughters. My daughters were brought up working in the church and attending church regularly. They were taught to love and to show love to others.
God has blessed my husband and I with the necessary means to educate of our daughters. Our oldest daughter is working on an education degree and the youngest is pursuing a degree in mass communication. Our two middle daughters are pursuing degrees at Clark Atlanta University. The older of the two is working on her PHD in Biochemistry and the younger of the two is working on her master’s degree in English.
