Garnett S. Huguley Growing up African American

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Iwas born in a small Kentucky town named, Richmond. I had no concept of coloror cultural differences during the first four years of my life. Theone common background of African Americans is our Antebellum Slave heritage. Antebellum Slavery replaced the culture of African people brought into thesystem with a new aberrant slave culture. Remnants of this culture appear toexist in the modern African American culture due to the continued isolation ofthe culture during Jim Crow Segregation. I found these remnants were in me.Iwas subjected to many of the negative images of race during my early life inJim Crow Segregation. Initially my scope of our race, self perception, andself-definition were affected by the molding of Jim Crow Segregation. Myexperience again demonstrated to me that self-determination is the bestpossible scenario for success in life. We can prosper by embracing thepositives of the American culture and benefit from the American Dream.Isurvived the violence, social and psychological impacts of Jim CrowSegregation. I resisted the social and psychological molding of Jim CrowSegregation therefore; I am not the product of Jim Crow Segregation. I am notperpetuating the legacy of Antebellum Slavery or Jim Crow Segregation ineveryday life. I am proud of my heritage. Genetically I am African, WelshEnglish-Caucasian and Cherokee-Native American. I am an American.