African and Haitian Heritage and Health Beliefs

Cultural Group: African American

A Brief History

• the race initially emerged in Africa.
• ethnicities and societies developed continuously.
• African Americans were transported to America.
• racial discrimination largely shaped the group.
• African Americans represent a distinctive social group.

Values and Worldview

• worldview determined by the cultural legacy.
• the uniqueness of being African American (Brittian Loyd & Williams, 2017).
• appreciation of African cultural identity.
• perception of itself as an oppressed group.
• struggle for equal social and political rights.

Language and Communication Patterns

• assimilation with the English language.
• continuous transformation of the language.
• a significant impact of ethnic languages.
• development of a unique language.
• the use of ebonics within the group.

Art and Other Expressive Forms

• numerous African Americans influenced culture (Hall, 2014).
• the emergence of jazz and related sub-genres.
• creation of the soul, blues, and R’n’B.
• the development of rap culture.
• impact of the mentioned genres on the music..

Norms and Rules

• the majority of rules are implicit.
• relationships based on these rules.
• the importance of implicit norms.
• social behavior determined by collective responsibility.
• the significance of the group’s opinion.

Lifestyle Characteristics

• historically, slavery largely determined lifestyle.
• racial prejudice continued to shape lifestyle.
• low-skilled jobs and poor income.
• the inability to get an education.
• nowadays, lifestyle is average.

Relationship Patterns and Common Rituals

• the importance of familial relationships.
• women traditionally care for children.
• common rituals are related to church.
• attendance of church events and gatherings.
• community services provided by churches.

The Degree of Assimilation or Marginalization from Mainstream Society

• historically, the group was marginalized.
• the movement for equal rights.
• discrimination and racial prejudice in the 20th century.
• currently, open discrimination is eliminated.
• assimilation process is not completed.

Health Behaviors and Practices

• insufficient access to healthcare services.
• low levels of health education.
• prevalence of unhealthy behavior patterns.
• the impact of traditional medicine.
• distrust of the official medicine.

Socio-Cultural Group: Haitian Heritage

A Brief History

• the confluence of indigenous and European cultures.
• a colonial state for a long time.
• the impact of slavery persisted.
• revolution of 1804 as a turning point.
• the immense influence of indigenous legacy (Christian & Herbert, 2016).

Values and Worldview

• relative isolation after gaining independence.
• development of unique cultural beliefs.
• pride of the first Black-ruled country.
• African culture’s moderate yet distinct impact.
• spirituality is highly valued among Haitians.

Language and Communication Patterns

• the development of language is complicated.
• the French language was prevalently spoke.
• the “Kreyol” language was developed.
• recently, English also gained importance.
• Haitian group influenced by several languages.

Art and Other Expressive Forms

• the richest tradition in dance and music (Henry, 2015).
• dance as the culture’s integral part.
• graphic arts are largely appreciated.
• traditional decorations and handicrafts are widespread.
• literature works written in French.

Norms and Rules

• social stratification has a large impact.
• the distinction between classes is evident.
• skin color as a marker of social stratification.
• patriarchy as the social basis.
• etiquette rules are diversified and strict.

Lifestyle Characteristics

• children are early engaged to work.
• population’s majority is rural people.
• any education is valued high.
• carnivals and festivals are traditional.
• familial relationships shape the society.

Relationship Patterns and Common Rituals

• marriage as a cornerstone of the society.
• family forms a domestic unit.
• equal inheritance by men and women.
• festivals and carnivals as social events.
• the role of religion is values.

The Degree of Assimilation or Marginalization from Mainstream Society

• historically, Haiti was a colonial state.
• the indigenous population was marginalized.
• the situation changes after the 1804 revolution.
• a period of cultural isolation.
• currently, society is largely assimilated.

Health Behaviors and Practices

• numerous serious diseases are widespread.
• HIV, STDs, malaria, tuberculosis, intestinal parasites.
• the access to healthcare is significantly low.
• indigenous medicine is highly developed.
• population vastly rely on informal medicine.

Two Groups

Comparison and Contrast

• groups have similar cultural origins.
• historical development possesses similar traits.
• groups are marginalized to some extent.
• African Americans rely more on official medicine.
• Haitians are less culturally assimilated.

Differential Approaches

• consider the low health education.
• respect for culturally determined traditions.
• educational work in the community.
• promotion of safe health practices.
• using the culturally sensitive approach (Streets, Wolford, & Nicolas, 2015).

References

Brittian Loyd, A., & Williams, B. V. (2017). The potential for youth programs to promote African American youth’s development of ethnic and racial identity. Child Development Perspectives, 11(1), 29-38.

Christian, C., & Herbert, B. (2016). Perceived socio-economic, socio-ecological and socio-cultural impacts of the Caribbean’s tourism sector. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 3(12), 166-182.

Hall, S. (2014). Cultural identity and diaspora. In Diaspora and visual culture (pp. 35-47). Routledge.

Henry, A. R. A. (2015). Cultural heritage and representation in Jamaica: Broaching the Digital Age. Web.

Streets, B. F., Wolford, K., & Nicolas, G. (2015). A Culturally Competent Immersion Protocol: Petit Goâve, Haiti. International Research and Review, 5(1), 1-24.