Black Americans are the largest minority group in the United States, making up 12.5 percent of the total population. Before the turn of the twentieth century most blacks resided in the South. Traditional southern black American foods included such things as bacon, black-eyed peas, chayote squash, corn, greens, ham hocks, hot sauce, okra, peanuts, watermelon, and yams. Most blacks moved to metropolitan cities such as New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia. Today, over half of black Americans live in the South.
Religion is essential part of black culture.
The extended family is highly valued, by both wealthy and poor black Americans. Today, the majority of black American families are headed by women. More than half of black children are born to single mothers and nearly half of those to teenage girls. The black culture has acquired many of the values of its white counterpart. In general, blacks have been trying to gain broader participation in the mainstream.