reflection paper 2

Reflection on Chapter 4 of “The Helping Tradition in the Black Family and Community”.
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The Helping Tradition in the Black Family and Community
The Helping Tradition in the Black Family and Community is a book written by Joanne and Elmer Martin in 1985. I found chapter four of the book as very interesting and informative. I agree with most of the ideas presented by the authors though I would differ with a few of their arguments. I agree that the blacks have a healthy helping tradition both as a family and community level as demonstrated when the Whites attempted to segregate them through slavery. Unlike other races where individuals would opt to fight their battles, the Blacks came together amidst the segregation and formed organizations to assist the needy black families. I concur with the authors highlights that the helping tradition was more prevalent in the rural areas and small towns. The reason for this is because in the rural areas most people saw each other as family members and did most of their community activities as a team. The statement that stresses on Hill’s study about the helping tradition of Black Families and Communities not being primary as a result of racism and segregation is true. The tradition exists because unlike other races, the blacks had humble beginnings and had no social classes. They all lived as one big family, and all had equal opportunities. Consequently, even before their segregation they assisted each other and did not look down on any of their community members.

As stated in the Chapter, the helping tradition of the blacks also extends to the urban areas. The extension is a reliable indicator that there exists a strong helping culture among the Black Family. I think helping is part of the Blacks especially considering how most people living in the cities show little concern for others. As the authors explain, the cities are seen as destroyers of traditions since people come from different regions, communities, races among others. However, the Blacks exhibited a mixed reaction towards each other even after relocating to the city. Consequently, this shows existence a strong helping tradition within the families and communities. The chapter presents Black communities as believing they are one big family.
The chapter also looks at the decline of the helping tradition of black families and communities. I agree with the authors that today the culture has gone down and is mostly diminishing. As highlighted in the chapter, urbanization has played a critical role in lessening this tradition. My view is that urbanization brings different people together. As a result of urbanization, the cultures of the blacks and those of the whites were brought together which had some conflicts. Based on how the whites viewed and treated the Blacks, the traditions and practices of the whites dominate over those of the blacks hence some black people dropped their culture and copied that of the Whites. However, I feel that despite the decrease in the significance of the Black traditions in urban areas, the helping traditions still exists especially in small urban areas. The black communities often prefer living in the same estates with other blacks, and where there is the needy family, they gang up and form community help groups to cater to the needs of the needy amongst them.
In conclusion, I enjoyed reading this chapter as it allowed me to reflect on how people treat others. Joanne and Elmer present various incidences demonstrating how the Blacks value helping others. Additionally, from the chapter, I have learned the threats facing the Black Helping Tradition which is an eye-opener as it can assist me in future research and study based on the Black families and communities specifically on their traditions. This chapter is essential for anyone with an interest in understanding the decline of the helping culture amongst the Blacks.
References
Joanne, M. M., & Elmer, P. M. (1985). “The Helping Tradition in the Black Family and Community. ISBN: 978-0-87101-497-9