African culture V.S. African-American culture

Most Americans tend to see our culture as better than others. This is prior to ever having any experience with any other cultures. In his essay, 20/20 Hindsight, Jay Ford brings this fact full circle. He aptly compares and contrast Kenyan culture with American culture. Ford calls on his experience with an exchange program in college to bring his point full circle.
Upon first reading Ford's essay, I was quick to respond by saying, "Why should he have to assimilate to Kenyan culture to feel acceptable?" My thoughts were that the Kenyan people should have accepted him either way. To better understand the point Ford was trying to make, I reread the essay a second time. Upon reading it a second time, my eyes were opened. I began to see the point that was trying to be made.
In America, Black people are classified as being African-American, but if we look deeper, many of our customs and traditions are more American than African. With that being said, how can we call ourselves AFRICAN-American. Being immersed in Kenyan culture forced Ford to take a step back and reevaluate himself. Although he and the Kenyan people shared the same skin color, they had little else in common. Most African-Americans can not idenitfy with anything African besides skin color. Culture is more than just about skin color. It is about art, food, religion, dance, and much more. To get the most out of his experience, Ford absorbed every aspect of the Kenyan culture. He learned new languages, customs, and gained a different view of life itself. Before leaving Kenya, Ford began to experience a lingering sense of pride for his African culture. As African-Americans, we should all feel that exact sense of pride when talking about or hearing about Africa and its diverse culture. We should want to learn about different things associated with the culture. Upon taking a closer look at the two cultures, ask yourself which is superior. Is it the culture that is more advanced but naive about its background or the culture that is very knowledgable about its background but less advanced??????

Have American race relations changed since the election of President Obama?

Since the election of President Barack Obama, many Americans are thought of to be more open minded. The election of an African-American president is a milestone that most Americans thought would never be crossed. With the crossing of such a monumental milestone, one could assume that finally a prolific change was taking place in America. In some ways, a change was taking place, but there will always be people that resent change and stubbornly refuse to do so. In this case, many Americans refuse to accept the fact that there are other races and ethnicites in this world besides their own. A sociologist would call it ethnocentrism, but many people, including myself, see it as racism. Sadly, many people still have a racist mindset. Because of this, many people are not able to grow and form relationships with people of different races and cultures. The relationships that can be created are very limited and restricted. This is not restricted to one race. Many different people from many different races have a racist or ethnocentric mindset. Because of the results of the recent election, many people wanted to believe that all Americans would come together in harmony. A survey taken by USA Today the day after the election showed that 28% of Americans thought race relations would get better. That percentage has gone down 13%; today, only 15% still hold on to that belief. When many people voted, their thoughts were not on the color of the candidate's skin. Their thoughts were on which candidate could better repair our nation's economy and run the country. Therefore, many people retained their same mindset and racist ways. These things have and continue to restrict race relations in America.