History of Ghanaians in America My ancestors come from Ghana, specifically Cape Coast. There are two main ways in which my ancestors and my people in general have come into this nation. The first was involuntary by means of them becoming slaves and the second way was voluntary. Pertaining to the involuntary conditions that my ancestors faced when coming to this country was very dangerous and scary conditions. My ancestors were brought to this country against their will by different groups of individuals. During earlier times in history there were not necessarily conditions in Ghana itself that caused for my ancestors to migrate to the United States. What brought them over here was the forceful migration at the hands of people from other countries. Pertaining to the voluntary conditions, my people came to this country because America is considered the ‘Land of Opportunity.’ Being in this country means a better life for one and their family. America is considered to have more resources and the chance to be a successful person who will provide for the remainder of the family who is back home and cannot make it to the United States. According to Williams-Forson (2014), the African-born population in the United States went from 200,000 to around 1.5 million between the years of 1980 and 2009. The value orientations of my ancestors included hard work.
…show more content…
As Ghanaians, we pride ourselves on working hard. That mentality has gone down from generation to generation. It is believed that the only way to truly be successful at something is to work hard. Another important value orientation of my ancestors is being educated. The mark of a truly successful person is their education. That goes along with the working hard aspect of my ancestors’ value orientation. Humility is something else that is valued. A boastful and prideful person is looked down upon. Lastly, a value that is held dearly by my ancestors and has been brought to subsequent generations is the idea that we are to respect our elders. Those older than is are considered to be full of wisdom and therefore should be reverenced. An issue with the Ghanaian assimilation to the United States has been the emergence of sects that have come forth as a result of different religious views and practices. While trying to assimilate to this nation’s ways, some Ghanaians stick to what and who they know which can hinder true assimilation because going outside of what is comfortable does not feel safe. What ends up happening is the journey to true assimilation to American culture slows down. The influence of these sects is great because it has been found that instead of mainstream institutions, Ghanaians are dependent on the spiritual leaders of their sects when it comes to dealing with different issues such as immigration, unemployment, and illness (Opoku-Dapaah, 2006, p. 232). Something else that comes up with regards to assimilation is the idea that at times the Ghanaian identify becomes different from the one in which one is accustomed to (Williams-Forson, 2014, p. 77). A major reason for this because of the substitution of certain things because what is needed is not in this country. A perfect example of this is food. If there is Ghanaian family where there is no African markets in the area they are living in, it could cause them to change the culture of their eating to suit what is more readily available for them. Ghanaians do not
As Ghanaians, we pride ourselves on working hard. That mentality has gone down from generation to generation. It is believed that the only way to truly be successful at something is to work hard. Another important value orientation of my ancestors is being educated. The mark of a truly successful person is their education. That goes along with the working hard aspect of my ancestors’ value orientation. Humility is something else that is valued. A boastful and prideful person is looked down upon. Lastly, a value that is held dearly by my ancestors and has been brought to subsequent generations is the idea that we are to respect our elders. Those older than is are considered to be full of wisdom and therefore should be reverenced. An issue with the Ghanaian assimilation to the United States has been the emergence of sects that have come forth as a result of different religious views and practices. While trying to assimilate to this nation’s ways, some Ghanaians stick to what and who they know which can hinder true assimilation because going outside of what is comfortable does not feel safe. What ends up happening is the journey to true assimilation to American culture slows down. The influence of these sects is great because it has been found that instead of mainstream institutions, Ghanaians are dependent on the spiritual leaders of their sects when it comes to dealing with different issues such as immigration, unemployment, and illness (Opoku-Dapaah, 2006, p. 232). Something else that comes up with regards to assimilation is the idea that at times the Ghanaian identify becomes different from the one in which one is accustomed to (Williams-Forson, 2014, p. 77). A major reason for this because of the substitution of certain things because what is needed is not in this country. A perfect example of this is food. If there is Ghanaian family where there is no African markets in the area they are living in, it could cause them to change the culture of their eating to suit what is more readily available for them. Ghanaians do not