BLACK PERSPECTIVES ON RACE & IMMIGRATION: ANALYSIS OF AFRICAN IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S. AND IN CALIFORNIA

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1 2010 Priority Africa Network (PAN) Nunu Kidane, Director BLACK PERSPECTIVES ON RACE & IMMIGRATION: ANALYSIS OF AFRICAN IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S. AND IN CALIFORNIA Produced for the collaborative gathering organized in Los Angeles on December 9, For more information, contact Priority Africa Network Tel: (510) in Oakland, California.

2 African Immigrants Race and Immigration This document is especially prepared for the Black Perspectives on Race and Immigration gathering in Los Angele organized by the Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI). It is intended to provide information for discussion and analysis about contemporary definitions of race and immigration as relate to African immigrants. Interest in the topic of African immigrants appears to be on the rise, at least measured by recent academic research and books on the subject, but there are by far not enough discussions of the subject linking race and immigration; fewer still by those who are working directly in the field with communities that are the subjects of these discussions. In this gathering, Priority Africa Network will first address the major gaps in data collection as relate to African immigrants in the U.S. and looking at California in particular. The relevance of low undercount of this community cannot be overstated. Data on this population group has been made difficult by the unclear position Africans find themselves in, as Blacks AND immigrants. To date, these new immigrants have either been assumed, on the basis of race to be part of the African American community; while as immigrant, they re assumed to be part of the immigrants rights movement. The reality however is that African immigrants don t belong or do not consider themselves to be a part of either group and are in fact falling through the assumption crack excluded from policies directed towards either agenda. All Black immigrants as a whole fit into this dilemma of being both Black and immigrant and having no clearly defined platforms in the current immigration debates. The focus of this paper however is to examine the peculiar position of new Africans, their unique experiences and perspectives on culture and identity and of course the race question. As will be expanded later in the paper, the majority of African immigrants in the U.S. today are not considered as part of the original slave ancestry diaspora and differ in their understanding of and relation to other Black groups in this country. This point is critical to our analysis as it is one of the fundamental bases of alliance building between new and old diaspora groups. This paper hopes to challenge prevailing assumptions about African immigrants and to consider possible strategies on how new Africans can become integral part of Black communities in this country and add their voices into the racial/social justice movement. Proceeding with the basic understanding of race as a profound reality will enable a rich discussion with critical policy and 2

3 funding analysis that must include African immigrant populations in the future of California and the Nation. The paper has been prepared with a broad set of goals, not all of which can be achieved in one meeting; they include the following: 1. Invisibility and exclusion of African immigrants. Intentional or by default, Africans remain outside the progressive social justice movement and virtually invisible to policy makers, locally and nationally. 2. Examining our approach to understanding the unique position of African immigrants within the context of the history of race and immigration in this country. 3. Forming better understanding of cultural/historic differences and similarities between African immigrants and African Americans. This includes the need to form better understanding on the multifaceted cultural, historic, geographic and racial dynamics between the two groups. 4. Provide social justice organizations basic tools for understanding and effective alliance building with African Immigrant community groups through cultural-informed outreach methods 5. Approaches to addressing the perspectives of African immigrants on issues of civic engagement, health care and education from the context of contemporary African civil society. 6. Utilize what is already working with community groups as active and organized groups that meet regularly. Address the lack of adequate support and resources for the small and informal associations. Need for documentation and acknowledgement of the enormous services such associations provide to their members, usually at enormous savings to government agencies 7. Review current and potential social service agencies approach to working with African immigrants: such as hospitals, schools and employment agencies. The majority of the formally organized community associations serving new Africans focus their mandate to direct service: providing ESL classes, job trainings and computer classes, housing, healthcare, translation etc. Few, if any, conduct advocacy on behalf of the new and growing communities to address the collective needs of groups and influence policy. Virtually none provide basic understanding of race and the history of racial struggle or the Civil Rights 3

4 movement as relate to these new immigrants. On the contrary, the prevailing assumption is to omit all mention of the word race as relates to the new African immigrants who are encouraged to view this country as a colorblind society. Introduction Race: any people united by common history, language, cultural traits; a family, tribe, people or nations belonging to the same stock Immigration: the movement of non-native people into a country in order to settle there Race: As racial groups, the majority of the Africa-born in the U.S. are classified as black or African ancestry or even African American. In strict definition there is no racial identity as an African and there are varying versions of understanding of racial categories under the term. For the purpose of this document, we focus on the presence of persons largely from Sub Saharan Africa, who are recognized as belonging to black race and will use the general term of African immigrant. This is done for the sake of ease. The majority of new Africans do not use the continental term of African to refer to themselves but use national or ethnic identities such as Nigerian or Ethiopian etc. The generalized label of African gives an assumed meaning of homogeneity where none exists. Africa is the second most populace continent in the world with population of nearly a billion with 54 different countries and over a thousand languages. It is the most diverse continent in the world and terms like African give the impression of a nation state rather than a diverse and complex continent. Immigration: For new Africans who come to the U.S. being foreign-born and black within the current debates on race and immigration is a least favorable position. The current political atmosphere is mired by blatant racist anti-immigrant sentiments by the growing vocal rightwing Tea Party and the legacy of racism towards Black people is very much alive and well. More Africans have come to the U.S. over the past four decades than during the Trans Atlantic slave trade and immigration is fast changing the face of Black America. This has not been acknowledged within the African American community, let alone strategies and analysis to help forge inclusive agenda towards new Black immigrants. Deeper analysis on race and immigration as relate to African immigrants is virtually nonexistent in the discourse over immigration or race studies. Despite the growing size of the Africa-born population, new immigrant communities themselves have remained in close-knit 4

5 clusters of national and ethnic identity group formations, more inward-focused and largely silent on the issues of race and immigration. There are sporadic appearances of books or academic research on changing demographics and identity of Blacks in America; but for the most part, perspectives of new Africans on these issues remain unknown. ************ Between two groups: It s not that easy being green It's not easy being green. It seems you blend in with so many other ord'nary things. And people tend to pass you over 'cause you're not standing out like flashy sparkles in the water or stars in the sky. Kermit the Frog Caught in the in-between African immigrants are neither part of the immigrants rights agenda nor the racial justice movement. Immigrants rights movements see their targeted population as largely Spanish-speaking people who are in fact numerically the majority, but not exclusively, and to some extent Asian/APIs. Messages and media on issue related to immigration therefore use language and culture approaches that speak to limited audience. Similarly, the racial justice agenda is heavily influenced by the experiences of African Americans of slave ancestry who frame it from solely within the history of enslavement and Jim Crow. Newer African immigrants, who identify largely on their national/ethnic identities, are therefore outside the scope of such narrative and entirely excluded from outreach by African American institutions. New to this country, with virtually no understanding of how profoundly relevant race is to their lives and policy, new Africans are in a most vulnerable position of exclusion from Black/African American outreach and support. When there are attempts to work with the new communities, it fails due to lack of understanding of the contemporary social and political reality many come from. African Americans insisting that new Africans accept the racial term as Black as their sole identity base begins the conversation on a difficult path mired with misconceptions and stereotypes on both sides. Assumed to be part of the general Black population, data collection by the Census Bureau and schools and hospital forms leave out a high percentage of this in between group which neither identifies solely on race nor immigration status. 5

6 Facts and Figures on African immigrants in the U.S. To date, African immigrants are estimated to make up 6% of the overall Black population in the U.S. Caribbean immigrants are higher at approximately 12%. We can only estimate that the combination of the two make up the majority of the Black immigrant population; other groups like Afro-Latinos from Latin and South America are not recorded on race basis al on Census or the Department of Homeland Security statistics; making it nearly impossible to have accurate counts of total black immigrants in the U.S. While the broader discourse on race and African American history is based on the legacy of slavery, the black population in the U.S. is changing with the vast increase of black immigrants from the world. In 2002, a New York Times article stated that more Africans have come to America since 1970 than during the slave trade. This does not change the fact that majority of those considered African American today are still persons of slave-ancestry, but the statement significantly changes our assumptions about homogenous Black populations in this country. A research from Migration Policy Institute from 2009 produced a concise fact page on African Immigrants in the U.S. The first statement signifies the vast increases in the neo-diasporan population in a relatively short period of time. The number of African immigrants in the United States grew 40-fold between 1960 and 2007, from 35,355 to 1.4 million. This growth was further enhanced in the post 1990 immigration of vast populations from Africa; nearly 75% of the current African immigrant community in the nation arrived after This is highly significant change in less than a generation and invokes race analysis for the near and far future. Figures from the 2007 Census show African immigrants at 1.4 million making up nearly 4% of the overall immigrant population. It is important to note these are conservatively low estimates. The process of counting communities who are of mixed identities on race and immigration status poses a complex problem which has resulted in the vast undercounting of many neo-diasporan Africans. This issue has, and continues to be debated in discussions around the census and definitions of race as self-identity. Latest figures for U.S. population are: 301,237,703; with the Black/African American population at 37,131,771. Of this, 1.4 million are African immigrants who live largely in urban 6

7 metropolis. The following top ten states have the highest African immigrant population, with New York, California and Texas in the lead. State African Population Size New York 151,824 California 145,453 Texas 113,696 Maryland 109,554 Georgia 71,958 Virginia 71,323 New Jersey 77,037 Massachusetts 71,091 Minnesota 62,638 Florida 59,167 The California Picture California is the most populous state in the country with an estimated size of over 37 million of whom 9.4 million (higher proportion than any other state) are immigrants. The figure for African immigrants may appear much lower in comparison to other immigrant populations, but there are factors of the concentrated presence in specific areas that differentiate them. Following New York, the state of California has the largest population of African immigrants. Given the Census Bureau s measure of margin and error, the difference between the two states is virtually insignificant. Overall, the population is vastly undercounted and it is entirely possible that the California population should be projected at higher. From Census California County African Population Los Angeles County 47,859 San Diego county 11,905 Orange County 10,387 Alameda County 8,340 The difference between New York and California is 6,371. In terms of population concentration, New York s African population is spread among adjoining counties in smaller numbers than California counties. For purposes of outreach through established institutions of education and 7

8 health, as well as community building, largest numbers of populations residing in specific counties make it significantly easier in California than in New York. New York County African Population Manhattan 15,838 Kings County (Brooklyn) 23,588 Bronx county 28,656 Queens County 20,148 Although there are no detailed national data on further profiles of California based African immigrants; community assessment are: - Younger and newer populations of African immigrants in California - Well established, higher educated, professional and skilled labor - Higher numbers of the population own their homes/property in California than in New York The challenge of securing dependable and accurate data as relate to African immigrants is an ongoing concern to community groups. Funding from government and private sources is highly dependent on accurate data and where none is available; the results can be detrimental to the community at large. Race and the African Continent Historic Background The first African to have set foot in this country is as recorded as early as 1609; making African Americans founding members of this country since it its establishment. Much has been written about the emergence of race as a distinguishing factor in the treatment of enslaved Africans and African people in general. Without doubt, Africans who were forcibly removed from their homes enslaved and transported thousands of miles endured tremendous pain and suffering; not only from the voyages and the treatment during, before and after the journey, but in the trauma of separation from their homelands, their identities, language, culture and the essence of their being ubuntu. 8

9 The African diaspora is the largest mass migration over a period of time to be recorded in the history of the world. No other continent has suffered more in mass forced removal of its people than Africa. The disbursal of Africans into the Americas has meant loss of contact with their original homeland and contributed to the current multitudes of mixed identities in different geographic locations. How does this relate to contemporary migration of Africans to the U.S? To understand the evolution of this, one has to go to the relatively recent history of the end of colonial rule in Africa. Until the 1950s and 1960s, much of Africa was under the colonial control of a handful of European countries, led by the British and French. During the early years of the 20 th century, new concepts of racial unity emerged from within Africa and the diaspora. These led to the rise of resistance movements and end to colonial rule in Africa. There were vibrant international formations of third world alliances of people of color with strong solidarity support which extended beyond rhetoric into practical assistance and support. These race-based political alliances have given way today to more focus on economic globalization and the emergence of neo-liberal economics in Africa. While critical and detrimental, it has moved away from Pan- Africanism as central ideology. Today s population of Africa is relatively young and the majority of the population were born after post colonial rule. Concepts of solidarity or third world seem archaic in the age of hip hop and mass technology, especially for the urbanized population and youth. The popular language of the progressive movement uses economic factors to measure poverty and marginalization; rarely does race come into it. (With the exception of South Africa perhaps) The first truly historic global event that placed race as a central theme was the World Conference on Racism held in Durban South Africa in September Not since the Bandung Conference of 1955 has the world been forced to come to terms about institutional forms of racism and discrimination in their full historic and contemporary manifestations. That WCAR was held in newly liberated South Africa was a statement in itself of the last vestiges of race based separation policies in the world. But at least in the discourse of immigration, race is beginning to be analyzed, globally and increasingly in the U.S. 9

10 Race and the African Immigrant The majority of African immigrants in the US are young adults of working age. It can be assumed that almost all were born post-colonialism or have little or no memory of the race based power imbalances of the previous decades. This does not mean that post-colonial Africans do not understand or recognize race based differences in their countries or elsewhere. After all, colonial powers may have removed themselves from the picture when they left the colonies, but they had instituted key elements of ethnic/race separation policies which cause havoc all over the continent today. For the most part race is understood differently, experienced different and affects Africans differently than their American counterparts. Neo-diaspran Africans are unlike other older diasporans as they are disconnected from the geography and history of the slave trade which marks the majority of globalized Africans today. Making the links between the two identities is one of the key analyses that must emerge in such gatherings. Like millions of immigrants before them, the typical response of Africans arriving in the U.S. is to find a home-based association of their ethnic/national groups with shared language and culture and faith. This has practical uses in helping find shelter, education, employment and healthcare, but also helps in easing the integration process which can be shocking and traumatic to many new comers. Unlike the enslaved ancestors of previous centuries who were forcibly excluded from their culture and community, African immigrants thrive in this country at getting the best of the resources with strong community support base to depend on. For the majority of Africans coming to the U.S. the identity groups they associate with range from national to ethnic and family groups. Belonging to such groups help affirm and strengthen the identity and sense of self, which provides tremendous support and strength, individually and collectively. As such individual immigrants hold on vehemently to these affirmations as a sense of themselves, linked directly to their home-town in Africa. Many members of the community may appear well integrated into mainstream American life excelling in their respective fields. The majority (especially of the new comers) hold on to their home-values and group identities which reject liberal ideas and values and resist loosing themselves to the broader U.S. society. 10

11 It is the strong and vehement attachment to a home-identity which on the one hand helps Africans gain strength but also places a barrier to integration or understanding of U.S. history especially race history and forming close political relations with African American institutions. Relations with African Americans It is virtually impossible to have a discussion of, or propose policy ideas about African immigrants without also looking at the relations with their American counterparts. It is assumed that there are serious tensions between the two groups who share racial and ancestral heritage yet seem to differ vastly in so many other ways. The standard narrative of Black-Black dialogue between the two groups is one that calls for racial unity solidarity and let s all get along romanticism. At times, such sentiments invoke historic calls for Pan- Africanism sans-politic which are well intentions but rarely result in substantive and deeper analysis of what lies underneath. There are known differences in social, political, cultural and other realities between the two groups which often cut into raw emotions, unexpressed sentiments and resentments. Meaningful changes that lead towards addressing substantive unity remain elusive for the most part because there has not been adequate studies, structures and energy placed in first acknowledged and then preparing forums for open dialogue on real issues and conflicts. Priority Africa Network initiated the African Diaspora Dialogues as a way to begin ongoing process to help forge alliances among collective members of the community over a period of time. It starts from the recognition that existing differences were took time to manifest and will also take time to work through, pealing layer by layer, in good old fashioned relationship building. There is no speeding up this process or working through a timeline of beginning and end. Working closely with the Black Alliance for Just Immigration, the San Jose based NAACP, diverse African immigrant community associations in the greater Bay Area, Priority Africa Network uses these forums of the African Diaspora Dialogues to advance real connections among the two communities and to forge alliance that lead towards common agenda. ********** 11