Growing Up As A Young African American Girl - 869 Words

Growing up as a young African American girl in Philadelphia was not always easy, however, having a strong family structure, old fashion southern culture, and beliefs have molded me into the strong women that I am today. Now that I am a mother, following my family’s culture and beliefs are not always the easiest thing to do. Times has changed and I feel like I am forced to conform to the everyday social norms of America, which makes me feel impuissance. Yes, growing up was not easy, but my family and youth kept me in the dark when it came to how society treats individuals of darker complexion, what to expect once I left the confines of my family and neighborhood, and how to befriend or interact with individuals of other racial groups. All of the things that I listed were things that I had to learn through trial and error, which makes life a little harder than it already is. Having dark skin, full lips and long thick hair has always been things that I was proud of, because th is was the way that all the women in my family looked. My mother and grandmother always made me feel like being me or looking like me was the greatest gift in the world. However, I learned from the constant teasing and hair pulling from individuals in my 5th grade class, that looking like the rest of my family was not seen as a good thing to others outside of my home. That is when I became truly aware of my differences and I believe those negative experiences changed the way I viewed my ownShow MoreRelatedThe Black Doll Test Was First Performed In The 1940S By983 Words   |  4 PagesAfro-American girls and giving them a white and a black doll with the purpose of identifying each one as either the good or the bad doll. The result was that every girl chose the black doll as the bad one and the white doll as the nice and good doll. 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