When Culture Clashes

A few weeks ago, I recalled a memory from my freshman year of college. I attended school in New Orleans, Louisiana. During that time period, I met a friend from Chicago, whom I love dearly. She was in a new place and full of curiosity. When Mardi Gras came around, she asked me if I would attend the parades with her. I declined. As a native of Louisiana, I was quite familiar with the festivities and did not want to take part. She went with others, instead.

When it was time for Spring Break, both of us were leaving New Orleans. She rode with me because the airport was on my path. On the way there, the driver asked my friend about her experience being in Louisiana. My friend, attempting to be kind, began to describe with fascination the things that she witnessed at Mardi Gras - the partying, drinking and gyrating. She then stated to me and the driver "Your culture is interesting."

I responded, "that's not my culture." The driver let out a nearly silent chuckle. I realized that the driver was proud of me for not allowing someone to stereotype me based on my skin and where I was born. My friend and I meant well to one another, but we were new young adults, learning and freshly experiencing the world without our parents' shelter. She wanted to be politically correct about what she did not understand. And I was baffled about why she thought that was my culture after having observed my faith. In fact, she knew my faith so well that years later, she did an excellent job at recommending my senior-year roommates to me due to their similar beliefs.

Nevertheless, I think that was an important moment in my life because I chose faith over culture. I have many loved ones of other ethnicities who are under the same pressure as black people. We are being told what our culture is and what we should enjoy because of our skin and origin. But when we join the Kingdom of God, we have to be able to call out the things that are actually destructive to our identities and our families.

Not all culture is bad. But when the culture promotes harmful activities and requires a diminishing of our Christ identity, we must stand on our faith.