Running head: MINI ASSIGNMENT B

Mini assignment B: Cultural Biography Anita S. Allen Georgia State University

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Mini assignment B: Cultural Biography My roots trace back to the West Indies on a small island called Barbados. My paternal great grandparents Napoleon and Gertie Mae Blackwell Allen met and married there. Obedient servants of God, they came to the United States to start a church in Anniston, Alabama. It wasnt long before they started a family as well. Gertie Mae Blackwell did domestic work and was a wonderful homemaker to her husband and eleven kids including my grandfather, Clarence Allen Sr., and his twin brother. When I consider where Americanization started in my family I suppose it would be with my grandfather. Clarence Allen Sr. moved to Ohio, working for the city of Cleveland until he retired. There is where he met his American wife Emma Sue Allen. Eventually having seven children, Emma Sue became a house wife doing domestic work and taking care of her family. Family culture and Americanization Coming from a family with strong religious values, my father often participated in church revivals, traveling across the states to fellowship with other ministries. I can only assume that his constant communion with Black Americans as well as other ethnic groups, led to further Americanization. According to Ferguson, cultural exchange now occurs in the absence of firsthand continuous contact that accompanies population migration (2012). This is an accurate assumption when it comes to my family. In addition to my great grandparents starting their family in America, the lack of regular contact with other West Indians contributed to the acculturation of my family. My father eventually met my mother, Belinda Allen at a church revival in Mobile, Alabama where she is originally from. The two only dated shortly before marrying at a young age. She and her twin sister left their other four sisters and parents to move to Atlanta, Georgia with my father for religious endeavors. My dad started and pastored a Pentecostal church called True Foundation Church of God. Both coming from big families, it wasnt surprising that within ten years Clarence and Belinda had eight children of their own. Born on June 17, 1989 I was their fifth child. Self identity I was born and raised in Suwanee, a suburban city in Gwinnett county Georgia. My family lived in a five bedroom house, though we later added on two bedrooms and a garage, located on about an acre of land. This is actually where I still reside today. The neighborhoods around us were predominately white, as were the schools I attended although now the area is exceptionally diverse, including a vast population of Asians. Growing up, most of my school friends were Caucasian. However, being a PK (pastors kid) of a predominately African American church, I had a lot of Black friends too. Being able to spend time with people of numerous other races played a big role in my acceptance to diverse groups. Like most children, my impressions and behavior towards other ethnic groups were also shaped by my parents, who I never witnessed discriminate against anyone because of their race. Having the biggest yard and family, the Allen house was always busy with kids from school and church. We were especially popular on the weekends when we could play all day and night, have sleepovers, then have Sunday dinner cooked by my mother to look forward to after church. Our house was often a place of refuge for family or friends who found themselves going through a hard time. I

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remember numerous house guests that came and stayed from days to months at a time. There were already so many of us in the house, but my parents never denied someone in need a place to stay. I was a very fortunate, but I never really felt privileged as a child. At an early age my siblings and I, mainly my sisters, were taught to cook and clean. In our house these were duties for women. Many of my White friends had maids and housekeepers to come clean their homes. We often complained about the chores we had to do, but my parents argued that God gave us able bodies for a reason. Quite often I felt out of place with the wild, curly mane of hair I had on my head. I can recall my friends asking to play with my hair and being so fascinated by the texture. I constantly begged my mom for a relaxer to straighten my hair out like the other girls at school. I also remember always having to share my clothes and wearing hand me downs. I especially remember the strict dress code we had to follow because of our religion. My sisters and I werent allowed to wear pants, ear rings, or anything else deemed inappropriate for our age and gender. The long dresses or skirts we had to wear often attracted unwanted attention. However, my older sisters endured much more pestering from other children than myself. It wasnt until the late 90s that the reigns were loosened on us. Unfortunately, On August 14, 1996 two days after my oldest sisters thirteenth birthday, my father passed away from a sudden heart attack. The loss was unexpected and extremely hard on the family he left behind. The event of my fathers death really affected me as it would most children. I was definitely considered a daddys girl. At seven years old, I understood what death was, but never had to experience losing someone close to me. I was always taught not to question God, but I did for a long time. I started acting out and even resented my mom. Although we received a lot of support from our family, friends, and church members, my mother knew she had to find a way to continue supporting our family. At the time she was a paraprofessional at an elementary school. She continued working and went back to school studying early childhood education. She eventually earned her bachelors, masters, and more recently doctorates degree. While she was doing what she had to do to support her family, I didnt understand why she wasnt always around like she used to be. I struggled in school striving to release a buildup of energy and anger I had and fighting for attention. It wasnt long before I was being scheduled to see the school counselor on a regular basis. This one on one time with the guidance counselor gave me clarity, and served as a tool to address problems I didnt even know I had. I contribute this experience, as well as a few others, as to why I want to be a social worker. Close to ten years after my father died and I was in high school, one of his nephews came to the states from Montego Bay to stay with us. Meco came to Atlanta for education, better job opportunities, and to help my mom out. My mom felt that my younger brothers needed more male role models. All of my uncles resided outside of Georgia and so did my only living grandfather. Although several men from our church dedicated time for them, my mom thought Meco moving in would be good for both him and my brothers. He was by far my favorite of the many house guests we had from time to time. Most of my dads family lived up north or outside of the United States. I can only remember visiting family in Ohio two or three times as a child. Before Meco came to live with us, I wasnt even aware that I had family from other countries. This is why I have never really been able to identify with that part of my heritage. I was intrigued by my cousins accent more than anything. He regularly taught us phrases to say in Jamaican Patois and even still today I have a desire to learn my ethnic language. However, I also remember the devastating stories he used to tell us. If we were ever caught acting ungrateful, Meco seemed to always have a story to shame us. I lived a very sheltered life and never

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experienced or even remember seeing the types of things he described. He told us all about the slums and the extremely poor people who went without food or shelter more often than not. It wasnt until my teen years that I started to realize how good I really had it. Between the stories Meco had carved into my subconscious and mission trips I went on, I had found an inner appreciation for everything Ive been through. All of the things I complained about were nothing compared to much more significant problems many people face every day. I took for granted a lot of things and opportunities others would have cherished. I took advantage of the learning experiences I was often provided, the home cooked meals always available to me, material things like the car my mother purchased me for my senior year of high school, and the supportive family system I was born into. Conclusion. According to Greene, while the external social environment is important, those early influences within our families are powerful (2010). Internal intersections like my religion, family background, and job definitely were powerful influences in my life and continue to be today. When I was finally old enough to understand the values and principles my parents were trying to instill into us at early ages, I knew I wanted to help people. I took a year off after high school to visit family and go on several mission trips. I was able to meet a lot of family members I didnt know before. Although most of them are Americanized, I was able to meet some of my family from the Caribbean. In 2009, I started school at Georgia Perimeter College. After changing my major several times, as many students do, I decided that I wanted to study social work. I earned my associates before transferring to Georgia State University to work on my bachelors and eventually masters degree. External intersections such as my gender, ethnicity, and social class are factors that have shaped the outcome of many of my circumstances. While my life has not been an easy journey, I feel that many of the events and experiences Ive endured have prepared me to fulfill my lifes purpose of becoming a social worker.

MINI ASSIGNMENT B References Ferguson, G. M., & Bornstein, M. H. (2012). Remote acculturation: The Americanization of Jamaican islanders. International Journal Of Behavioral Development, 36(3), 167-177. doi:10.1177/0165025412437066 Greene, B. (2010). Intersectionality and the complexity of identities: How the personal shapes the professional psychotherapist. Women & Therapy, 33(3-4), 452-471. doi:10.1080/02703141003757547