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Briana McNeal
3510
10/2/14
Ethnographic Study of One's Family of Origin

Growing up in an African American family can come with many challenges and
struggles. My mother (Mae Woods) and her family are from Lansing, MI. and my father
(Bronson McNeal) is from Flint, MI with family who came from southern states like Alabama,
Mississippi and Georgia. My mother really didnt have an extended family because she was in
and out of foster care. Her mom and sister passed away at a young age and her brother was in
and out of jail so she moved to Flint with her foster parents. My father was close to his extended
family especially on his dads side but I was only close to the immediate family on his moms
side. We only see other members of the family at the family reunions or at a funeral.
I was born and raised in Flint, MI. Flint is a city where there is high poverty, high
unemployment, and struggling businesses. Growing up in Flint was a struggle but we have
overcome a lot of obstacles to get where we are today. Being in a minority group or family you
are more likely to have less education, less health insurance coverage, and a larger risk of being
prison inmates, unemployed or low-paid workers (Gradin, 2012, p. 3794). As an African
American family from Flint, MI., we were at risk with a lot of these factors, but we continue to
get through these challenges by relying on education, and our religious beliefs. We have stuck
together through hard times because our family traditions have made us closer and they have
taught us many things that I look back upon and realize how blessed I am today.

One of the major challenges my family faced was poverty. Poverty is very common in
Flint, MI. My mom was a single mother of 4 (3 boys and 1 girl). My mother and father split
when I was a couple months old, but he always has been a big influence in my life because I am
his only child. As a single mother with little help we struggled because my mother was on
disability, which disallowed her to work, and my father didnt have a legitimate job .My father
always did what he could for me but my mother couldnt rely on help from my other siblings
fathers because they were not around and this made it hard to raise four children with little to no
help. This struggle led to less food, no money for brand new clothes/ shoes, and other necessities.
Although poverty had a big effect on not only my immediate family but my extended
family, we always find ways to cope with the everyday struggles and challenges. One way we
cope with the struggles of poverty is by relying on our religion. We are a predominantly
Christian family. My mom made us get up early every Sunday morning to attend church. No
matter how much we hated it, it was the norm for members of my family. I didnt understand
why we had to attend church all the time but I soon realized that the church was full of families
that were struggling just like ours and it was kind of like being in a support group for my mother.
According to a questionnaire for older African Americans in Milwaukee WI researchers found
out the role of religion and spirituality and their affiliation to them contributed to their quality of
life (G. Williams, Keigher, & A. Williams 2012). This study also found out that a number of
these African American people felt support from church members and that their sense of
connection to God is a source of strength with coping with personal challenges (Williams et al,
2012). I believe that this is how members of my family as well as my own immediate family
coped with a lot of issues and challenges they were facing. Religion and spirituality have
historically played a unique role in the lives of African American people in general (Williams et

al., 2012, p.356). Religion is used to deal with the daily stresses of life and the problems we
continue to face in my family.
Another way my family coped with the issue of poverty amongst us is by stressing the
importance of education. We were taught that our education will get us far in life. It was kind of
a hidden expectation to get good grades. This was easier said than done for members of my
family, as well as the black community. We didnt receive the best books or opportunities in
school, so it was normal to see members of my family receiving bad grades. I was one of the
members who always received good grades. At first you would receive money for getting good
grades, but then it sort of became what was expected of me because they were so used to seeing
me get decent grades. I sometimes felt uncomfortable with getting good grades because members
of my family would tell their children (my cousins and brothers) to be more like me. It made me
feel obligated to get good grades, but I didnt like the pressure I felt because I started to feel
tension between my sibling, cousins, and I. According to Lopez (2011), research suggests that
Asian and European American students parents are more involved in school related activities
than parents of African American student, but African American students are most likely to face
barriers such as low socioeconomic status, unemployed parents, parents working more than one
job, among other societal issues. Nonetheless, there are examples of success in parental
involvement amongst African American students in which a combination of community
involvement and leadership appeared to be the solution in overcoming economic and societal
disparities (Lopez, p.1). Unlike most people in the African American community my family was
actually involved in my education. My parents may not have known how to help me with my
homework but they tried to be involved with the school regarding their child/ children. This
showed me that getting good grades will allow you receive a better education, which will help

you get a better job. Getting a better job will help you receive better pay, which will hopefully
allow you to be in a better living situation.
As a social worker my cultural identity might influence my work and values because as
a woman coming from a family with low socioeconomic status and dealing with poverty, I might
have to deal with a client who didnt have these problems. My client might be a rich white
person who in my eyes might have it all. I would not be able to relate with this person and my
feelings about this person having it all might affect me because I may feel like this person
really doesnt need any help. Another way as a social worker my cultural identity might
influence my work is I might have bias toward a person who went through what me in my family
went through. I might think that a person in poverty and with little education might need my help
more than a person who is rich and successful with issues.
All in all, my family did have to face a lot of challenges. We find successful ways to cope
with these everyday life struggles through religion and education. These things also help my
family to adapt to certain situations that are harder to overcome. As I grow older I might rely on
the ways that my family chose to cope with problems in general, as a way to help my own little
family and I cope with our future problems.

References
Gradn, C. (2012). Poverty among minorities in the united states: Explaining the racial poverty
gap for blacks and latinos. Applied Economics, 44(29), 3793. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.proxy.lib.wayne.edu/docview/893418824?accountid=14925

Lopez, R. (2011). The impact of involvement of african american parents on students academic
achievement. Nova Southeastern University. The Journal of Multiculturalism in
Education (7), 1-46 Retrieved from
http://www.wtamu.edu/webres/File/Journals/MCJ/Volume%207-2/Lopez%20Raquell
%20-%20Parental%20Involvement.pdf

Williams, G. L., Keigher, S., & Williams, A. V. (2012). Spiritual well-being among older african
americans in a midwestern city. Journal of Religion and Health, 51(2), 355-70.
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10943-010-9378-z

This represents my family because this statue is a man who in its left hand is holding a sphere
with rays that represents GOD/ religion and in its right hand it holds a family representing human
relationships. This statue called Sprit of Detroit is located in the heart if Detroit which is bigger
but then Flint but they have the same problems (Poverty, homelessness, and struggling families).
This statue represents my family and the things we cherish the most (family and religion).

(Youngest brother, Mom, Dad, Aunty, Granny and I)