A couple of days ago, I was having lunch with a friend. We were having an intellectually stimulating conversation with topics that ranged from hip-hop to social caste systems to history. Definitely learned alot from that conversation. In the midst of discussing the tendencies of Pakistan Culture (her culture of origin), she begin to describe how there lies a litany of practices that exhibit self-hatred within her culture. Understanding the element of dark-skin hatred within the African American Culture, I begin to attempt to compare the self-hatred present in the two cultures. Immediately after hearing this, she looked at me sternly and said “I’m sorry but you guys have no culture.” After hearing her words, I naturally begin to question what she had said. Then the thought stumbled on me, “The very fact that I have to think about this demonstrates a problem.” Having said all of this, let’s examine this question.

Before we can answer this question, it is necessary to define culture. Before understanding if we have a culture, we must be able to define what a culture is and what are its qualities. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines culture in two ways: (A) the beliefs, customs, arts,etc., of a particular society group, place, or time. (B) a particular society that has its own beliefs, ways of life, art, etc.  Now let’s examine these definitions.

The first definition indicates that the African American group must have beliefs, customs, and/or arts that are particular to our group. While we are not a monolithic group, we do have certain beliefs, customs, and arts that link us together. One example is soul food which is in itself both a custom and an art. (I mean you have to be some kind of artist to turn pig guts into chitlins’).

The second definition pretty much indicates the same thing; however one particular word stuck out to me: own. In order to have a culture, it’s not enough to just display its qualities, a group must also have ownership of it as well. Now let us examine if African American own the customs and the beliefs that were brought into the world. As the late and great Malcolm X would say, history rewards all research. So let’s dive into some history

First, let’s look at religion!! It is well documented and a thorough analysis of history will tell you that the first system of salvation was created in North Africa by a group of people called the Egyptians. The name of this system was called the “Mysteries.” (Disclaimer: Understand that the translation of Egyptian words to English will obviously have some effects on its meaning.) From this system, a plethora of symbols and beliefs are still being used and worshiped today in various religions in a manipulated fashion. (The cross as an example)While all African Americans today did not come from North Africa, it is still apart of Black Culture collectively. Is there a reason why everyone else is laying claim to these symbols but us?

Second let’s look at philosophy!! As a well “educated”  American college student who (reluctantly) boasts a 3.811 GPA, I know a lot about some Greek Philosophy. Boy am I well educated, huh? As a matter of fact, I passed that class with an A, no problem.  All jokes aside, let me tell you why the more I learned in that class, the more ignorant I became. Reading the great stories that Plato wrote about Socrates, I venerated these individuals. Wow, who would’ve thought that Socrates could say something as simple as “Know thyself” and it would be regarded as one of the most profound quotes today? After that class was over and the semester ended, I decided to take the summer off. During the summer, I did a little research on Egyptian Philosophy. I mean it can’t be as profound as Greek Philosophy, but it has to have contributed something right? Turns out, after careful retrospection, Egyptian Philosophy birthed Greek Philosophy. After an invasion on the Egyptian civilization by Alexander the Great, the Greeks destroyed all of the Egyptian libraries and took over the one in Alexandria and turned it into a research center. Aristotle, deemed one of the founders of Philosophers, were able to claim all of these books while never once mentioning any association with Egypt in his stories.

Finally, let’s look at our names!! One day, while buying a car with my parents at a car dealership; A car salesman read our last name on a form, instantly looked up and said, “Oh my!! You guys are the darkest Jews I’ve ever met.” As ignorant of my culture and as young as I was, even I knew that I did not have any trace of Jewish blood in me. Then why in the world is my last name of Jewish origin? Again, if you looked at history, you would understand that the slavemaster would strip the last name of the slave and replace it with his own last name to indicate ownership.  (Which is why Malcolm X wore the X on his name. To admit the ignorance of his last name) Don’t believe me? Look up your last name and see if the descent of your name correlates with your ethnic makeup. Even if it does, that just means that it’s a great possibility that your ancestor slavemaster violated one of your female ancestors.

In conclusion, it appears that in essence we do have some customs and beliefs that are present in the African American group. However, many of our significant customs and beliefs have been manipulated and used for the benefit of other ethnic groups. Many African Americans are ridiculed for choosing to change their name to match those of other Africans, while the dominant culture worships the beliefs and cultures of individuals who had those very same names. (While many of the “normal” African Americans are comfortable with wearing some other person’s name and staying away from the beliefs that our ancestors created.)When my friend first said what she did, I instantly felt uncomfortable and thought that she did not know what she was talking about. But maybe she was onto something. Maybe she recognized what 41.7 million Black people in the United States today failed to recognize. Do we own our culture? You tell me.