MARIETTA, Ga., Oct. 2, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- African American culture is prevalent in pop music today. The doctrines of hip-hop and rap has become the status quo for the MTV generation, but the messages conveyed are often negative representations of African American culture. In his new book, Growing Up African American: Struggling Through the Legacy of Slavery and Jim Crow Segregation (now available through 1stBooks), author Garnett S. Huguley hopes to counter these negative connotations by exhibiting some of the more positive aspects of African American culture.
"(L)ike any culture, the African American culture has its negatives and positives; the bad and the good, but I feel the perpetuation of the negative parts of the African American culture has kept us in isolation from American society as a whole. We should learn to assimilate --- which means to become absorbed and accepted by American society," Huguley says.
His book analyzes African American culture through several facets, from its distinct history, social habits, self-perceptions and male and female behaviors to marriage, family, education, health, economics, spirituality and politics. Growing Up African American illustrates how the negative parts of African American culture can be destructive to individuals and to the race as a whole. By sharing some of his life experiences, Huguley hopes to help readers overcome the negative aspects of cultural, racial and family heritage to reach their full potential. He also provides statistics and facts that demonstrate how African Americans, as a whole, lag behind Caucasians, Asians, Latinos, Arabs and other American racial and cultural groups.
"My book also displays the positives and the diversity within the African American culture, again by sharing my life experiences and describing how my life changed for the better when I decided to embrace the positives of my culture and with statistics and historical facts that show that African Americans are a people with a vision and with a viable role and a bright future in American society," Huguley says.
In addition to Growing Up African American, Huguley has published a medical mystery novel titled The Other Side of Bluegrass. He also enjoys painting, drawing and reading.
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