Ethnographic Study: My Family's Great Migration Journey

Ethnographic Study of My Family Origin Deja Journey Wayne State University SW 3510: Human Behavior in Socl Envt Professor Lawrence October 8, 2020

ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY 2 This paper will discuss my family’s ethnographic origin. Migration During the years of 1916 to 1970, the Great Migration happened, where around 6 million African Americans moved from rural areas of the South to Western, Midwestern, and Northern cities. Owing to scarce economic advantage and prejudice laws, many African Americans moved up North to land jobs as industrial workers. In between relocation, Blacks began to create new lives for themselves, while defending themselves from racial prejudice and economic, political, and social challenges. This event created an African American culture would greatly make an impact in the years to come. “By the end of 1919, some 1 million blacks had left the South, usually traveling by train, boat, or bus; a smaller number had automobiles or even horse-drawn carts. In the decade between 1910 and 1920, the black population of major Northern cities grew by large percentages, including New York (66 percent), Chicago (148 percent), Philadelphia (500 percent) and Detroit (611 percent)” (History.com Editors, 2010). Most migrants started working in factories, slaughterhouses, and foundries, though it was strenuous and not safe. The women struggled more finding jobs, because of stiff competition. Movement to urban areas for blacks meant longer work hours and women going into the workforce, which led to a disruption in the African American family structure. With the guardians both working, kids were deserted and parents sometimes lefts for days and weeks. Since the beginning of the century, social researchers have claimed that slavery brought about disorder and danger in black families. “Detroit underwent its most rapid growth in the 1920s--not coincidentally, the same period when automobile production skyrocketed. By 1930, Detroit's population had expanded to

ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY 3 almost 1.6 million, making it the fourth largest city in the United States. Although auto production and population growth slowed during the Great Depression, the city continued to be a magnet for newcomers until the early 1950s, when the city's population peaked at nearly two million. During the boom years of World War II and the late 1940, migration to the city took on a southern accent, as poor whites from the upper south joined a new wave of black migrants from the Deep South in making Detroit their home” (Automobile in American Life and Society, Sugrue n.d para 8). Through my mother, I found out that during the 50s and 60s my very own grandma and grandpa along with their children (my mother and her siblings) moved from Tennessee to Michigan, where my grandpa found work in factories. While my grandpa worked long hours, my grandmother was a homemaker and raised my mother and her siblings. With his job being so far and having to work long hours (like most of the other surrounding black families) it negatively affected the family since it left women attempting to raise the boys, most guys didn't have a dad figure. The relocation destroyed families from their different family members, this event led to the disengagement of the other relative who made the move. I am a result of the movement since I did not know any of my grandfather’s or grandmother’s side of family until recently since they still now live in the south. I only knew my family starting from my mother and her siblings for the longest. Once I met those parts of my family, I realized that not knowing them for so long affected my socialization skills. My research started with my parents Theresa Banks and James Journey who both moved here from down South with their parents as children. Theresa and James had never gotten married to each other, but shared 8 children with each other, 4 of them not biological to my father.

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ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY 4 Family Tradition My family had many traditions, and everyone went along with them even if they did not believe in them. My mom and dad made sure we always sat down and had dinner as a family every night. After my mom and dad separated in 2004, this tradition rarely happened unless it was a holiday. On Sunday’s me, and my siblings met at my grandmother’s house with other family members for companionship, food, and bible study. Now that we are adults, with many responsibilities and children we cannot this anymore. My family celebrates Birthdays, New Years, Passover, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas together as a family until this day. On these holidays' and birthdays, me and my siblings were customed to cooking big dinners together and inviting over other family members to celebrate. Our choice of food has always been “Soul Food.” Our soul food included things like red meat, chicken, fish, greens, rice, grits, yams, corn, eggplant, leafy greens, corn bread and homemade desserts. The tradition of holidays is changing since everyone is baring more children and building families. Everyone is starting to celebrate and reflect in their created immediate family. Religion Religion in my family was very important, since my mother was raised by her parent as a Christian, she decided to raise her own as Christian, while my dad was Muslim but me and my siblings never practiced being Muslim. We used to attend church every Sunday for years until I was around the age of 12. We as a family decided to just do a bible study at home on Sunday’s and gave up the religion of Christianity. My family realized that you did not have to live by a religion to believe and know God. Bible study consisted of us reading scriptures, breaking them down, learning the meanings of them and answering questions. Me and my siblings loved reading the bible and working to abide by it. We pray to God throughout the day for everything

ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY 5 and have faith that he will provide us with whatever we need; he is our friend, doctor, and lawyer. Today I have a bible study with my six-year-old son and husband and will continue to do so as my son grows up. I believe in a creator who works miracles but not a controlling religion. Rearing It took a village to raise me and my 7 siblings. My mom and dad were a couple all the way up until I was 10 years old. After interviewing James and Theresa, I found out that they were in a relationship for 12 years before splitting. Although my mom and dad had separated, they still co-parented and did their best to teach us everything and provide for us. One week, we lived at my mother’s household, the next week we would stay at my father’s house. Living in two large households we learned from each other’s mistakes, so my parents did not have to discipline us much. Family Crisis When crisis approaches us, we all come together to find a solution and pray to God. Like, when my father kept falling ill and going back and forth to the hospital for a kidney stone. Every time he came out of the hospital, he was worse, and we did not understand how. We decided to do our own research about his symptoms and pray on how we as a family could help him. We concluded that he was having symptoms of kidney (renal) failure. “Symptoms of kidney failure are due to the build-up of waste products and excess fluid in the body that may cause weakness, shortness of breath, lethargy, swelling, and confusion. Inability to remove potassium from the bloodstream may lead to abnormal heart rhythms and sudden death. Initially kidney failure may cause no symptoms” (Wedro, 2019). We immediately took him back to the hospital and low and behold his kidney had failed due to high blood pressure and had to start dialysis right away. He

ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY 6 had surgery, and they took his dead kidney out and placed him on the list for a new one. As a family we prayed and prayed, after two years of being on dialysis, my father received a new kidney and no longer needed dialysis. Today my father is staying healthy and thankful of us for handling things the way that we did during that crisis. Seeking help Before my father received his new kidney, he received dialysis treatments that weakened him. Since he was weak, he could not do many of the things that he used to do on his own. He could not drive on his own after treatments, he was not able to do house chores or work anymore. No one in the family had the money and time to help him, so we had to seek help with a social worker. Although my father was in denial about needing help, like a lot of other people in my family, we got the help that he needed. The social worker helped us set up transportation through his health insurance so that he can make it back and forth to dialysis, and she helped us file for social security disability insurance so that he could have some type of income. Seeking out help seems to be a problem in my family, because everyone has so much pride. On top of having so much pride, my mom and dad felt like the doctors, (which were mainly white) did not care about them enough to help them. This event could be an effect of slavery in my own family due to the fear of the white man. They believe that they will be harmed by doctor in some way by going to the hospital or seeking any type of professional help. Medical History Interviewing Theresa and James, I found out that high blood pressure runs in both sides of the families. "Some scientists believe that high blood pressure in African Americans is due to factors unique to the experience of blacks in the U.S. Blacks worldwide have rates of high blood

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ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY 7 pressure that are similar to whites. In the U.S., however, the difference is dramatic: 41% of blacks have high blood pressure, as compared to 27% of whites. What is more, black people in the U.S are more likely to be overweight than blacks in other countries. Some experts think that social and economic factors -- including discrimination and economic inequality -- are responsible for this difference" (Beckerman, 2019). I also found out that my father’s mother secretly had diabetes, and nobody knew until after reading a letter she wrote before dying of suicide. Social Structure In my family, the social structure was based upon gender roles at first. Me and my siblings were taught from our parents that men went to work, paid the bills, and led the family. The women were to cook, clean, take care of the children and obey the men. After my mom and dad split that changed, since we almost all lived with my mom. Things were not gender based anymore, my mom worked, and everyone helped around the house no matter the task. The boys and girls were taught the same things. Elders encouraged us to have a goal of getting married and having families. It was not until I interviewed my mother that I learned that they were shunned by elders if they dated or married anybody that was not black. Conclusion Throughout my research, I found that my family has a history of high blood pressure, and diabetes. I found out that my grandmother kept the secret of having diabetes until she took her own life. Our family suffers because they are too stubborn to seek help sometimes. Not seeking help gets us into bad situations that could be avoided. Lastly, through statics I found that the

ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY 8 issues in my family are common in many black families. This issue is because the African American family still suffers the effects of slavery, and it shows in social skills, eating habits, medical history and more. After my research, I found out that my cultural identity might influence me as a social worker. This is because I can relate to and understand more people who share the same cultural identity as me.

ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY 9 Works cited Beckerman, J. (2019, September 6). High Blood Pressure in African Americans: Genetics, Risks, Causes, and More. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood- pressure/guide/hypertension-in-african-americans. History.com Editors. (2010, March 4). The Great Migration. History.com. https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/great-migration. Wedro, M. D. B. (2019, July 9). 13 Symptoms and Signs of Kidney (Renal) Failure, Causes & Stages. MedicineNet. https://www.medicinenet.com/kidney_failure/article.htm.

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