Cultural Uniqueness

Celebrations Commemorating End To African-American Slavery In Texas

Submitted by Rita Cook on Tue, 06/29/2010 - 09:30
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black and white photo of African-American's celebrating Juneteenth

It’s the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States and in fact, the Juneteenth celebration dates back to 1865. It was on June 19, that Major General Gordan Granger and his Union soldiers landed at Galveston, TX, with news that the war had ended and that those who were enslaved were free. In addition, even though the Emancipation Proclamation became official January 1, 1863, it took Texas two years to get the news.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Submitted by Katherine L. Nussberger on Wed, 05/05/2010 - 14:19
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Cinco de Mayo begins on May 5, and often lasts for an entire week. Families of Mexican heritage gather with friends to participate in the parades, festivals, music, dancing, and of course, the food, and drinks that represent the Mexican culture and customs that are unique to Mexico.

This is a great time to really enjoy the food and festivities, but also a time to become more knowledgeable and better understand the history and culture of our fellow Mexican American as well as that of our neighbor, Mexico.

Fashion, Function, and Faith ... Sportswear For Muslim Women

Submitted by Zain Deane on Mon, 04/12/2010 - 23:00
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Muslim women wearing specialized sportswear

As a young Lebanese woman growing up in Australia, Aheda Zanetti faced a perplexing challenge. Like many Muslim women raised in the West, Zanetti, torn between adhering to Islamic clothing norms of conservative dress, and keeping up with prevailing western fashions had to find a middle ground. Neither a burqa (a traditional Islamic garment that cloaks a woman from head to toe, nor a bikini would do at the beach.

Cultural Uniqueness: Raising Our Children To Appreciate All Colors

Submitted by Randi McCreary on Thu, 02/25/2010 - 00:00
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artistic illustration of children of different ethnicities

Imagine a young child working on his first painting, grinning from ear to ear, wrapped in an oversized smock while facing a blank canvas that he has yet to explore. Intrigued by royal blues and warming yellows, he has no more knowledge of how they will fit together on his page than how to hold the brush. Do we point out to the boy that some colors might blend better than others? Should we tell him that red and blue mix well, but green and orange should remain separate so he does not make a mess of his paper?

Miles Dean ... Honoring African-American Cowboys & Cultural Heritage

Submitted by Jennifer V. Hughes on Fri, 02/19/2010 - 00:00
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Miles Dean: modern African-American cowboy riding horse

As a boy, Miles Dean pretended to be John Wayne; imagining that his bicycle was his trusty steed as he shot Indians through the handlebars while cruising the streets of Brooklyn.

I wanted to be a cowboy,” says Dean, now 59. “But I grew to an age where I became uncomfortable being John Wayne because John Wayne was white and I didn’t see any black cowboys.”

Cultural Uniqueness: Hispanic Vs. Latino

Submitted by Holly Beretto on Wed, 02/10/2010 - 00:00
From:
Dancers at the Festival Latino in Bloomington, Indiana

In spite of Shakespeare’s impertinent question, “What’s in a name?” names do matter.

Take Hispanic and Latino, for example. Do we really understand these names? Do we understand what it means when we call someone Hispanic or Latino?

The term Hispanic first appeared as a descriptor on the 1980 census. Prior to that, the bureau had used terms such as “persons of Spanish surname” and “persons of Spanish mother tongue.” However, because of its implicit ties to people who speak Spanish, the term also describes people who come from Spain.

Cultural Uniqueness ... Christmas, An Islamic Perspective

Submitted by Imam Mohamad Bashar Arafat on Fri, 01/15/2010 - 00:00
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painting of Mary with the baby, Jesus

As the preparations for the Christmas Holiday are underway in the U.S. and around the world, it might be of interest to see how Muslims
perceive the birth of Jesus.

It is worth noting that there are no detailed descriptions of any other Prophet’s story in the Qur’an like that of the story for Prophet Jesus’ and his miraculous birth.

Cultural Uniqueness ... The Magic Of Christmas

Submitted by USARiseUp Staff on Fri, 01/23/2009 - 00:00
From:
painting of Santa Claus

As people throughout the world prepare to celebrate the Christmas season, USARiseUp.com wanted to share this journey into the cultural symbols and traditions the children and adults from other countries observe during this magical time of the year.