Growing from victims of slavery to holders of high titles, such as that of President of the United States, African Americans persevered through times of hardship and became respected and successful contributors to the United States and other countries all over the world. A huge contribution to their success was their close connection to their sacred culture which pushed them spiritually to succeed. Over the years, the number of African Americans in the United States has grown tremendously. “According to the Census Bureau, the population of African Americans, including those of multiple races, was estimated at 40.7 million, or 13.5% of the total population as of July 1, 2007” (Campinha-Bacote, 2013, p. 91 ). ). Among those residing in the United States, African Americans have primarily African ancestry, but may be mixed with other races, due to slavery in the 17th-19th centuries (Campinha-Bacote, 2013, p. 91). Although most of these African Americans share common facial traits and characteristics, there may be slight cultural variations due to the mix of races. To properly care for these patients, those working in the healthcare field must be able to recognize this and ask each patient what they would like to be identified in terms of ethnicity (Campinha-Bacote, 2013, p. 91). As stated previously, African Americans have primarily African ancestry. “Varying estimates reveal that 3.5 to 24 million slaves landed in the Americas during the slave trade era” (Campinha-Bacote, 2012, p. 91). Knowledge of their legacy has continued through generations primarily through storytelling (Campinha-Bacote, 2013, p. 91). Although African Americans live throughout the United States, there are densely populated areas...... …interact more within the European American community” (Campinha-Bacote, 2013, p. 96). African Americans do not widely support alternative lifestyles, especially when it comes to homosexuality. “African Americans are less supportive of homosexuality than other racial and ethnic groups, but the reasons have more to do with religion than race” (Campinha-Bacote, 2013, p. 96). According to their religion, homosexuality is a sin and is not supported. For this reason, those who are homosexual in the African American community cannot reveal it publicly. Although African Americans face challenges, like any other race, they rely on family, religion, and education to succeed. Their strong support systems give them the strength to persevere through it all. This cannot happen without a strong cultural sense. Their culture is the glue that holds them together.