As a Black American, I can say that for most Black people in the United States, Blackness is a universal connection. We might have different lingos or expressions, yet Black people can speak to each other in a way only understood by people of the culture.
Even with the never-ending battle of which is better, East Coast or West Coast rap, many Blacks in the United States have this unspoken connection.
However, this unity among Blackness can be limited to US borders. This limitation became more apparent while listening to a podcast Black Stories Black Truths, which gave me a new perspective on identity and Black culture. I became more aware that the commonalities that many Black Americans share don’t always exist with Black immigrants within the United States.
In the podcast, several Black immigrants spoke about their transition into America and their abrupt introduction to Black American culture. After listening to the episode titled “I didn’t know I was Black until I came to this country,” I questioned how the concept of Blackness has been used to divide and unite Black people throughout the diaspora. In addition, it made me see the importance of Black people coming together despite cultural differences.
Learning from the perspective of African immigrants in the United States
When I think of Black people in the United States, thoughts of Southern hospitality and hip-hop culture come to mind. Likewise, when I think of immigrants, I don’t necessarily think of Africans coming to the United States. Yet a Pew Research study showed that 1 out of 10 Black Americans are African immigrants.
Unlike immigrants from other cultures, Africans who have immigrated to the United States face a unique experience. Because of Africans’ dark skin color, there is a double layer of expectation and assumption.
African immigrants are often expected to assimilate into Black American culture without knowing much about Black American lingo and social norms and little about Black history. For instance, one immigrant on the podcast admitted not knowing who Martin Luther King Jr. was simply because it wasn’t taught in her African schools.
Every immigrant coming to the United States carries the expectation to in some way assimilate into the larger American culture. African immigrants face the uncomfortable choice of trying to assimilate to Black culture or not assimilating and identifying more with their African culture to separate themselves from Black American culture.
Why would an African immigrant create this separation of culture? The simple answer is racism. Being a Black American means there is a higher chance you will receive more mistreatment because you are Black.
The divide between African immigrants and Black Americans
On social media, I have occasionally come across what is known as the diaspora wars. According to the National Black Cultural Information Trust, the diaspora wars can be described as cross-cultural arguments in which different people of African heritage or background dislike one another for various reasons.
These wars, although rooted in white supremacy, have caused great misunderstanding and misperceptions of a variety of Black cultures across the world. For instance, due to limited media coverage, Black Americans often know little about the recent conflicts in countries such as Sudan or South Africa. The same could be said for the Africans not knowing about the water crisis in Michigan and Mississippi.
Because of the misinformation and lack of information in the mainstream media, social media can often spread false narratives that further divide Black Americans from Africans or other people of African descent worldwide. Thus, Black people worldwide must focus on what connects and strengthens us.
Bridging our cultural gaps
I believe three main things connect Black Americans with Africans and those of African descent. The three things are food, music, and dance.
Our food
As highlighted in an article on Feathers and Whiskey, no matter the dish’s name, there are common ingredients between Southern Black American cuisine and African cuisine. When brought to the United States, enslavers stripped enslaved Africans of their African culture. Yet their culture was reborn through food. Many Southern dishes use staple African ingredients such as black-eyed peas, collard greens, watermelon, okra, and yams.
Our music
Black Americans held onto their music despite threats of having their hands cut off if they played traditional African instruments. They created spirituals, music with their hands, and jazz music. Music has often been this unspoken language of influence between Africans and Black Americans — something very evident in the new African music craze Amapiano, which is heavily influenced by jazz music.
Our dance
From music, dance naturally evolved. Dance is an art form that plays ping pong between African culture and Black American culture. Thanks to pioneers such as Pearl Primus, who brought African dances back to the United States, and the streaming of dance craves worldwide, Black dance has evolved into a collective work of art.
When Black people, whether African or Afro-Latina, stay open and curious, we can all strengthen our connections and become stronger as a collective.
