Harris Cultural Background Paper.edited

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HARRIS CULTURAL BACKGROUND PAPER 1 Harris Cultural Background Paper Larry D. Harris School of Behavioral Science, Liberty University Author Note Larry Harris I have no known conflict of interest to disclose. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Larry Harris. Email: lharris43@liberty.edu

HARRIS CULTURAL BACKGROUND PAPER 2 Family Cultural Background Culture is defined in many ways by different people. Tanaka and Matsumi (2020) noted culture as an information system shared by people that links their social, historical, and political context, which allows individuals to meet their basic. I identify with African culture from Nigeria and the Western Bantu peoples. My family on my father's side came over on slave ships and was given the last name "Grayer." McGoldrick, Giordano, and Garcia-Preto (2005) report that families of African heritage come to the United States from many different countries and are, therefore, very diverse in terms of geographic origin, acculturation, religious background, skin color, and socioeconomic status, with most being descendants of enslaved Africans. A Nigerian woman approached me one day and asked, “What tribe are you from?” Surprised by the question and unsure how to respond, I just shrugged. This kind lady looked at me and said, “You are Nigerian; I can see it in your facial features.” McGoldrick, Giordano, and Garcia-Preto (2005) found that solid African American kinship bonds are traceable to Africa, where various tribes share broader commonalities than bloodlines. For this assignment, I will focus on my “African American” heritage as this is the one I am most familiar with. Growing up in a small town in Michigan and going to a blended school, I never thought about culture, race, or differences between people. Ironically, with a mom from Chicago’s southside filled with gangs, violence, and drugs and a dad born in the south in the 1950s, my parents never discussed culture and race in my household. My cultural identity was grounded in strength poured out by my mother, who told me she grew up not thinking about race and its effects but about how to survive as she fought her way out of the ghetto. Additionally, my father, before his passing when I was eleven years old, only advised me to stay in my race as it relates to my interest in girls. This advice was reflective

HARRIS CULTURAL BACKGROUND PAPER 3 of his upbringing in Mississippi and observing the heinous acts committed by white men against black men and women. I became aware of my racial and cultural identity when I was ten years of age. My friend and I were at a music store looking at CDs. We were browsing the aisles and discussing hip-hop songs while my mother watched gospel music. A white male employee at the store posted near the end of the CD rack of the aisle we were looking at and continually stared at us. This went on for about ten minutes. As my mother went to check out, I advised my friend to walk over near the guitars with me, not telling him why but to see if this same man would follow us. Surely enough, he followed us to the guitars, stood away, and watched us. Something did not feel right, and at ten years of age, I did not know why. I had never dealt with differential treatment or knew what racism was. Moreover, I walked up to this man and asked, "Why are you following us?" He replied, "If you were not watching me, you would not know I was following you." This had to be one of the most confusing statements I had ever heard. Even today, as a 34-year-old man, that statement makes no sense. I told my mother what was taking place, and let's say she had some colorful words for the store and that man. This incident revealed that people could treat me differently because my skin was brown. Bowman, Comer, and Johns (2018) argued that many African American parents teach their children to be passive as a protective measure against being a minority. My mother only knew one approach: survival through strength and grit. The social distance created by the majority culture due to their lack of insight and knowledge of black culture did not influence my parents in raising me to put ethnicity and culture over everything (Bowman et al., 2018).

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HARRIS CULTURAL BACKGROUND PAPER 4 My father passed away when I was eleven. I spoke with my aunt, my dad's baby sister, about growing up and what role cultural identity played in their lives. She advised me that in Mississippi in the 1950s and 60s, they attended all-black schools and churches. She stated that my grandparents did not teach them to see the skin color of a person but advised her older siblings to be cautious about looking at white women. This explained why my dad always told me to stay in my race when I was young. My grandfather feared something would happen to his children if they did not. In addition, I learned that my dad was considered a hard worker, and my grandma made him work in the cotton fields to make up for what my uncles lacked. This represents what McGoldrick et al. (2005) found: there is variability among African American men in employment, child rearing, and active presence in the home. I felt my dad's impact by his presence and intellect from traveling the world in the Navy but not his activity in domesticated duties. God and the church community have always been pillars of the African American community. As a child, I attended church every Sunday and one time during the week. We followed the church and pastors throughout the Midwest for revival services and other speaking engagements. I attended Sunday School and often had to recite scriptures and poems before the church. After church service, my parents always met with another church family for Sunday dinner, or we ate out at a buffet. I could not tell you who or what God was back then. I only believed it because my mother told me I had to. At times, I do not think my parents had a relationship with Christ, but I journeyed through life believing church attendance and gatherings were needed to get to heaven.

HARRIS CULTURAL BACKGROUND PAPER 5 Although my father grew up in the Jim Crow South, my aunt told me they never had a bad experience with white people. She advised that they moved to Michigan when my dad was 14 years old, and all the negative experiences they heard about regarding whites, they never experienced. When asked how she thought my dad would see today's political, social, and cultural context. She stated he would likely be a conservative advocating for limited government and responsibility, not using history and past experiences as a crutch. However, the experiences have had an impact. This information revealed how I came to my outlook on life and reflected my parenting. Similarities and Differences The American Counseling Association (ACA; 2014), in its Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, encouraged counselors to demonstrate respect for all human beings' inherent worth and dignity while endeavoring to understand their clients from the client's cultural framework. This has always been an indirect fruit of my childhood, adolescence, teens, and adulthood. I wanted to be loved and love people without truly knowing it. Growing up, I mainly interacted with white Americans and Laos Americans. Some similarities with white Americans were attending church, enjoying sports activities, and having outdoor cookouts. Similarities with the Laos community would be the desire to excel in school and close-knit with family members. Davis (2020) stated that culture constrains human behavior through cultural traditions and norms. The cultural mandates that dictate human action are often not felt or oblivious to the individual due to the profoundly ingrained norms of their environment. The differences I have experienced have been due to other cultures and people not being aware of negative undertones and behaviors within their culture that have plagued my culture in history. Always being the sole brown-skinned male in a classroom, workplace, and family-oriented activity, I have not only felt

HARRIS CULTURAL BACKGROUND PAPER 6 but been treated as invisible. As a government employee, I have been called hoodlum and mud and been asked to leave certain homes due to what I look like. I have had Hispanic Americans think it is okay to use racial slurs when referring to people of my color. To take it a step further, I have experienced so-called "Christians" telling me I would not fit in at their churches or not be welcomed or greeted at said churches when visiting. These experiences have shaped my identity and desire to live out grace and compassion for everyone. American values, freedoms, and rights are granted to all men and women, and with those come the privilege and honor of being treated with dignity and respect. Nothing in the Word of God or the country's founding documents speaks of whiteness (McGoldrick et a., 2005). Racial and Cultural Identity History looks different in different cultures. Different cultures interpret the same past differently, but the understanding of history may also vary from culture to culture or subculture to subculture. I was drawn to Phinney’s model of ethnic identity because it can be applied to all racial groups. Moreover, the model suggests that young adolescents may experience a status of identity that they either have no need for, no interest in, or find the identity irrelevant (Hays & Erford, 2023). Understanding history and how different cultures have been impacted is more critical than a deep-rooted "racial identity." The common denominator in the equation of life is that we are all human. Tony Evans (2022) noted that whenever you insert humanity into the equation, you insert sin, which messes things up. The social environment that surrounded my early years did not consist of placing race and culture on a pedestal to be served. Instead, respecting others, showing love, and thinking of others was more important. Although I did not have racial discussions as an adolescent, I understood the painful history of our country and what people, including my family, went

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HARRIS CULTURAL BACKGROUND PAPER 7 through to gain physical freedom. However, even though the bar of racial recognition was low in history, we continue to dwell on that bar today. Lowering standards does not prepare an individual for success. It often sets them up for failure (Evans, 2022). If people would step out and acknowledge failures in the past but focus on unity, which ushers in peace, as Phinney highlights in his model, the thought of racial identity would be irrelevant. Counselors seeking to integrate faith and identity as Christians must possess a deep knowledge of scripture and its power to address life's challenges. As Hawkins and Clinton (2015) noted, Christian counseling is a form of discipleship designed to help free people to experience God's purpose and power; this is for both the client and the counselor. To be created in God's Image is to be valued at all stages of life. This is the identity that is important for others. This is the identity that matters most. All racial and cultural identities must acknowledge and submit to the one true King, Jesus Christ, and that must never be compromised for the status quo or group acceptance. The Bible speaks about different people and their practices throughout biblical history, and the message stays the same: Our differences make us one. Social Justice and Advocacy The Multicultural and Social Justice competencies speak about the dynamics of power, privilege, and oppression and its effects on racial minorities past and present. The premise behind the competencies is to ensure equality in treatment for all people, which is well-rounded and understandable. However, the most critical question goes unanswered, particularly in a Christian institution where Christ is at the center of education: at what cost? The majority of the African American population today has not been affected by the laws and behavior of many 300 years ago. If that were so, the same cries and moans of the 50's and 60's would be relevant today.

HARRIS CULTURAL BACKGROUND PAPER 8 Nevertheless, they are not. Laws have been passed, policies and procedures established, and corrective action has occurred. Of course, more can and needs to be done and acknowledged. In order to stop living in a time of racial chaos, social confusion, and human conflict, society cannot exchange bad times for more bad times or, as understood within social justice circles, redistribute power from one to another. 2 Chronicles 15:3-6 declares, Israel without devotion to a faithful God, teaching priest, and without the law. These times were filled with no peace and adversity (NKJV, 1982/2004). How reflective this is of our environment today. God made humanity in His image, male and female; therefore, all lives matter. That means the black lives that have been dismissed and abused in years past, as well as the white lives that are dealing with guilt, shame, and the undue burden of what others who looked like they did, as well as Hispanic lives who are fighting for better living conditions and community; and lastly lives who are waiting in the womb if their mother will see it through. With the sinful hearts of men and women being addressed, political and economic systems can address injustice in any form (Evans, 2022). In shaping my cultural identity and upbringing, I cannot conduct social justice like the world does. If that were so, the faith I commit my life and death to will continually be wrongly infringed upon because it does not promote idolatry and occult practices of selfishness. Instead, I stand behind biblical justice, the equitable and impartial application of the rule of God's moral law in society. This view protects individual liberty while promoting personal responsibility (Evans, 2022). With compassion at the forefront, advocating for clients from marginalized and disadvantaged backgrounds will be evident in action. As counselors, ensuring that one follows the code of ethics put forth by the American Counseling Association (ACA) and the American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC) should be standard practice before entering into a

HARRIS CULTURAL BACKGROUND PAPER 9 helping relationship. Additionally, maintaining self-care and being aware of your mental state is vital in pouring into others in need (Hawkins & Clinton, 2015). More must be done to advance multicultural, professional, and faith-inclusive initiatives. It is not just enough that the code of ethics has a line on multiculturalism; more people from Hispanic, African American, Asian, and Native American backgrounds need to be represented in the profession from top to bottom. I have lived in Michigan, Indiana, and Arizona and have had difficulties finding a male or female counselor who looks like me. That is not okay. Furthermore, from a Christian perspective, counselors and churches need to advance the Kingdom as it will be reflected on the day of consummation. Many churches and counselors use the "we are all human and made in God's image" as a cop-out. Instead, there needs to be intentionality behind promoting an understanding of actual history and how we can reflect on what the Kingdom of tomorrow will look like today.

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HARRIS CULTURAL BACKGROUND PAPER 10 References American Counseling Association. (2014).2014 ACA code of ethics. https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/2014-code-of- ethics-finaladdress.pdf Bowman, B. T., Comer, J. P., & Johns, D. J. (2018). Addressing the African American Achievement Gap: Three Leading Educators Issue a Call to Action. YC Young Children , 73 (2), 14–23. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26558913 Davis, P. E. (2020). Painful Legacy of Historical African American Culture. Journal of Black Studies. , 51 (2), 128–146. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021934719896073 Hays, D. G., & Erford, B. T. (2023). Developing multicultural counseling competence (4th Edition). Pearson Education (US). https://online.vitalsource.com/books/9780134523736 Hawkins, R. E., & Clinton, T. (2015). The new Christian counselor . Harvest House Publishers. McGoldrick, M., Giordano, J., & Garcia-Preto, N. (2005). Ethnicity and family therapy (3rd ed.). Guilford Press. New King James Bible. (2004). Thomas Nelson (Original work published 1982) Tanaka-Matsumi, J. (2022). Counseling Across Cultures: A Half-Century Assessment. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology., 53(7–8), 957–975. https://doi.org/10.1177/00220221221111810

Harris Cultural Background Paper.edited

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