Running head: CULTURAL IMMERSION #3

Cultural Immersion: Part C Leonard T. Thomas II Georgia State University Professor Maria Azuri (SW 3000)

CULTURAL IMMERSION #3

For this third immersion, I decided to interview a friend of mine who possesses a unique cultural heritage. His name is Serius Adame and he is from the African country of Nigeria. I recognized one of my prejudices almost immediately during this interaction. For all of the time that Ive known Serius, Id assumed he was African American due to his appearance, mannerisms, and the way he speaks. Media representations of natively born African people almost always involve a discernable accent and look. It wasnt until we were talking one day that I learned he was African and my generalizations were very blatantly offensive to him. While we remain friends, the interview has had an impact on how he views me. As a general rule, I believe I am a very sympathetic person. However, I never really understood how difficult it could be to live in America among African Americans with a different ethnicity. As an African American individual, I have never thought about the personal and emotional struggles that can accompany being/looking drastically different from those around you and being such a minority. Because I was unaware of these struggles, it was impossible for me to be sympathetic about them. This would potentially make it very difficult for me to assist an individual with a similar background in a practice setting. In school, I have had a number of friends and acquaintances that were culturally and ethnically black. However, that is the extent to what I knew about their heritage. I never asked any questions or delved for more information regarding their culture, customs, heritage or religion. Though I was exposed to individuals who are members of African culture, I would not say that I was very exposed to the idiosyncrasies of what being African actually is. During the interview, I realized I possess much more prejudice that I ever thought I had. I felt very foolish for having assumed he was merely African American. He explained to me that Nigerians werent very fond of Americanized African Americans, as they believe weve betrayed our heritage despite the fact that customs are very similar. I was surprised to hear, however, that he sometimes refers to himself as an African American simply because its easier to explain to others. It was clear that he was very aware of the oppression hed experienced throughout his life. Though he was born in Africa, he spoke of often feeling alienated and isolated from his peers because of his heritage. The oppression he experienced was so profound that his self image and self - esteem suffered as a result. After moving to America, he was bullied in school and judged by American society. He feels these prejudice notions and stereotypes are so strong in society that he even has less access to equal treatment where he works, having never received a raised while most of his peers have. The interview was very enlightening and I enjoyed the process of learning about my friends experiences. I was overwhelmed at the amount of oppression and alienation he experienced due to his heritage. Id always envisioned America as a country that was very accepting and understanding of diverse cultures. However, its apparent that with great diversity comes struggle and fear. Being aware of how society views diversity and the systemic oppression that occurs as a result makes me better equipped to advocate for and understand the hardships of potential clients.