The words "Something All Our Own" come to mind (the name of Grant Hill's collection of African American art).<p>The motivation to defy expectations has been there for a long time, and makes sense on several levels. It's the same drive, I suspect, that led to utterly unique movements like Jazz, hip-hop, and distinctive forms of dance, which really insisted on creating their own modalities and not borrowing from the pre-existing culture.<p>Some motivations I can think of:<p>One, asserting independence from a dominant culture that in turns delegitimizes and exploits your own. Why would one choose to blend in with this culture?<p>Two, demanding legitimacy / highlighting the fact that there are still dire punishments for choosing to embrace one's ethnicity. Hell, name choice is small beans... consider the racism implicit in having your dialect, spoken by millions, deemed unacceptable at work and school by white authority figures everywhere. Having to deal with the fact that no one will take you seriously if you speak the way you do at home, is a big part of the African American experience and must be a constant reminder that you are not accepted by those in charge unless you toe the line.<p>Three, an attempt at disproving racist forces that wish to deny your intelligence, creative spark, and potential. Self expression was brutally squashed since the beginning of slavery days, and only allowed insofar as it entertained those in power. The desire to actively disregard whether your action pleases the supremacist (who still doles out reward and punishment), and instead celebrate the differences that have normally only meant trouble, is a fully understandable reaction to all this.