For a long time, there has been a long-existing history of an unfathomable and a silently raging rift between Africans and African-Americans or “Afro-Americans,” as some now refer. It should be noted that the relationship between these two races can never be erased or forgotten even though there seems to be a discouraging high-level of historical ignorance or lack of in-depth understanding, especially amongst the newer generations of both races.
Understanding the nuances between these groups is crucial for fostering inclusivity and addressing systemic issues. Black Lives Matter protests have opened up conversations about the history of privilege, racism, and the lived experiences and identities of black people in America. The two terms are often used interchangeably, but that isn't always accurate, and it's important to understand the nuance when discussing race both in America and on a global scale.
“Black and African Americans” is a phrase used to describe a diverse array of people. Racial and ethnic identities-and the language surrounding them-are continuously evolving, both generationally and through nuanced self-identification. Generally, the term Black denotes a racial identification, while African American refers to an ethnicity, specifically Americans with ancestry from one or more of the African continent’s Black racial groups.
In this context, “Black” refers to a race while “African American” refers to an ethnicity. In 1988, Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. suggested Black Americans should be called “African-Americans” to create and promote ethnic identity and cultural integrity. Watkins-Hayes described the adoption of the term African American as a "very deliberate move on the part of black communities to signify our American-ness, but also signify this African heritage." Over time, immigration to the United States increased, and people who identify as black in America were also likely to be first and second-generation immigrants without a direct connection to the history of slavery in this country.
“The move that you see now towards black is really to recognize the global nature of blackness,” Watkins-Hayes said. "So, I think that that is the more universal term." The recognition of a larger community of black people is also part of the rationale given for capitalizing the word. "It's recognizing the cultural and historical and social significance of black as a category, such that is deserves capitalization," Watkins-Hayes explained.
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“We are all connected,” LaBeach said of what the term black means for him. “Our experiences are different, but we are still linked.” But Watkins-Hayes adds that if someone wants to know for sure how a black person identifies, it's best to simply ask what their preference is.
As a Black first-year genetic counseling student, I am constantly delving into articles and papers for my coursework. Repeatedly encountering demographic information that categorizes participants as "Black/African American" in the "Race/Ethnicity" sections has become a source of frustration for me. I am Black AND African American. Despite recognizing and grieving the unfair and inhumane history of Africans being forced from their homes and into slavery, I take pride in the resilience of my ancestors who shaped and sustained African American culture, traditions, and language (Ebonics or AAVE - African American Vernacular English).
However, it’s crucial to recognize that this specific label and cultural pride does NOT extend to every Black person in this country. No one should be forced to categorize themselves in a way that is inauthentic to their cultural, personal, and societal experiences. Every Black person should have the autonomy to accurately label themselves, representing their unique cultural pride and ancestral history.
Black and African American are distinct labels. Recognizing and respecting this differentiation is essential in the genetic counseling profession to cultivate a more inclusive and culturally sensitive approach to student supervision, patient care, and research.
Black Identity: Delving into Racism | Carmen Lewis | The Hudson School
Historical and Cultural Context
We begin by looking at the words of Audrey Smedley, who believes race or ideas about the difference in human color was developed during the era of African slavery. He believed up until the 18th century, Africans were generally positive people who engaged mostly in farming and cattle breeding. They had industries, arts and crafts, commerce and an existing form of government. After invading Africa, the Europeans realized Africans were better farmers and laborers, and immune to several diseases, which were perfect attributes in high demand within the colonialist world at the time.
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African slave trading became a lucrative business avenue amongst the Portuguese, Spanish and Dutch, and after North America was colonized by Europeans, there were vast lands in dire need of labor which led to the purchase of the first permanent African slaves from Dutch in 1619. Due to their physicality and agricultural abilities, the slaves proved to be highly productive on the farms where they mostly cultivated cash crops ranging from sugar, rice and tobacco.
After the abolition of slave trade, issues of race got more intensified due to the non-acceptance of black people and has since become the central point of human attention, interaction and relationship. It constituted the major form of human identity, a discouraging phenomenon that still gallantly exist in our world today. The creation and addition of a new race in form of Africa-America started a new chapter in human existence and history, which has led to a whole new level of feisty societal restructuring, rebalancing and rearrangements till date.
Map of slave trade routes across the Atlantic.
Points of Tension
Although whenever issues relating to racial differences arise, most people would most likely always refer to the forever existing tensed-filled relationship between African-Americans and the White race, but not so many would consider the possibility of any discord between other races, most especially Africans and African-Americans.
The first reason to consider is the comparison debate between Africans and African-Americans, about who have suffered or continuously suffers the most. We begin by considering the latter’s historical slavery struggles which has obviously spilled over and transformed into the present-day inequality and inequity they are continuously forced to endure. History clearly made us realize the dehumanizing and disheartening low-level of inhumane treatments and conditions they had to go through before the abolition of slavery, and it is no longer news that the present American structure and system is continuously finessed to favor Caucasians who are majority over the minority blacks.
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With this understanding, some African-Americans always see African immigrants as opportunist who are profiting from their struggles despite not having shared in their pains or experienced the horrible and derogatory racial discriminations like they did, which is a reason for their mutual relationship with White Americans. On the other hand, Africans continuously grieve their pathetic level of underdevelopment which evidence suggest came as a result of the European invasion. As earlier stated, the entire African continent was developing at a steady pace but lost the plot when valuable human and material resources were taken by the colonialists.
According to Nathan Nunn, slavery is the major factor for Africa’s underdevelopment till date; a phenomenon which has created ethnic fractionalization and undermined the effectiveness of several African nations. Recent studies suggest Africa’s 72% average income gap with the rest of the world would not have existed if not for slave trade. He believes the reason for the continent’s poor economic performance is due to the effect of slave trade and colonialism which has led to the endless poverty and incessant conflict, poor leadership, lack of basic social amenities and infrastructure, over dependency on foreign aid, poor health and educational facilities, amongst other challenges.
It also affects the present cultural and social outcomes of the continent responsible for the present ethnic division, trust concerns, HIV prevalence, ethno-religious differences, and the high rate of polygyny.
Another reason to consider is the trust issues that exits between the two races. So many African-Americans have some misconceptions that Africans cannot be trusted due to their willingness in allowing their fellow brothers and sisters be taken or sold into slavery, while some perceive them to be highly promiscuous due to the high rate of polygyny in the region. To point out the fallacy with the former, studies have revealed that majority of African slaves were captured through acts of kidnappings, raids and warfare, and through judicial processes, while only a few were literally sold by their relatives or friends as slaves.
Furthermore on the factors to consider, there is a wide belief or notion amongst Africans about African-Americans misusing their available opportunities despite enduring numerous challenges and difficulties. It is important to note that Africans alongside other races also, share in the belief that America is a land of dreams and opportunities and will always be a dream destination for many.
Black people in the United States have been called an array of terms throughout history. From “Colored” to “Negro” to “Black” to “African American".
The Immigrant Experience
For Henry Ukazu, a Nigerian born immigrant in the US, the social distance between African-Americans and African immigrants is also a matter of competition for economic resources. A lot of Africans come here for different reasons. Some come for school, professional development, work, or vacation. When they are done with school, those who want to work are ready to start from scratch, accepting low income and entry level jobs.
Part of the dynamics of social distance between African-Americans and African immigrants is the coinage of the term akata, a Yoruba name for “wild cat”-used by some African immigrants to describe some African-Americans, especially during hostile encounters. “I personally do not like the sound of the word so I don’t use it,” said Oshomah John, a Nigerian immigrant in the US.
In elementary school, I was bullied by other kids for wearing traditional Somali clothing, bringing home-cooked meals for lunch and smelling of uunsi - a staple incense Somalis use to fragrance their home. My tormentors would refer to me as “smelly African,” “nappy-headed,” “African booty scratcher,” and tell me to “go back home.” I became embarrassed to engage in any cultural activities that called the slightest attention to my ethnicity. The most bewildering aspect of it all was the fact that some of my bullies were other black students who seemed to attack me because of cultural differences. We share the same skin color - shouldn’t you be on my side?
Because of this bullying on the part of other black students, I began to seriously question facets of my cultural and racial identity. As an immigrant from Kenya born to Somali parents, I have seen firsthand the divide between African immigrants and African-Americans. This division, which is largely rooted in misunderstanding and ignorance, is most evident in schools where kids often make crude jokes about one another’s racial and ethnic identities. Sometimes, this rift can lead to outright violence. Personally, this rift has left me uncertain about my cultural and racial identity. Do I identify as black, African or Somali-American?
Back then, I used to dislike being called “black” because I believed it put the focus away from my Somali heritage. However, I’ve grown to learn that “blackness” is not a monolith, and that it covers all people of African descent. Do such distinctions matter? Maybe. It matters in the sense that African immigrants may not necessarily share the same histories and experiences as African-Americans. But at the same time, black and African immigrants often contend with the same challenges, particularly racial terror - slavery, colonialism, racism.
All three terms - black, African, Somali-American - now suit my identity because there isn’t a singular iteration to express blackness.
Diversity within Black communities.
Addressing Misconceptions and Promoting Understanding
Likewise, Iheduru observed that Western media representations of Africa as the “Dark Continent” have created negative images in the minds of African-Americans, who now see their ancestral homeland as a primitive place in need of civilization. And these few examples that exist are not perfect ones. Coming 2 America, Eddie Murphy’s recently released sequel to the 1988 comedy film Coming to America, has been criticized as another example of Hollywood’s poor representation of Africa.
“The only thing worse than lack of information is misinformation,” Hawthorne Smith, a psychologist and Director of the NYU/Bellevue Program for Survivors of Torture (PSOT), told me. Smith recounted how, as an African-American, he experienced a greater culture shock when he returned to the United States from Senegal, where he had traveled to study at the Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar.
After his return from Africa, Smith ran into an African immigrant who broke down in tears five minutes after they exchanged a warm greeting. “We’ve heard people talk about when they first came to the United States and being afraid to leave their apartment because they just thought everyone out there was a potential threat.
It is true we have all gone through various levels of hardship, turmoil, and suffering which serves as reasons we continuously hold deep grudges against others, but its high time we looked beyond and move on. In as much as we feel justified about our present bitterness or anger towards certain people or races due to our past experiences, we should remember the adage which says, “Two wrongs can never make a right”.
It is almost certain that whenever we cloud our minds with negative judgements before relating with others, we would most likely find a way to justify our negative thoughts about them irrespective of the outcome, as such, we all should always set aside our presumptions, perceptions and judgements when relating with others and it is only through this means, can we look beyond our racial differences and respect each other as humans.
