It is a well known fact that the foundation of our nation lies on the backs of African American labor, in addition to a culture that has influenced the arts of ‘American’ culture, such as music, cooking, fashion and other trends. Despite this trendiness, African Americans are also generally influenced academically by institutionalized accounts of history and geography. Meaning, that the history taught in curriculum is not the complete truth. And, you know what they say, a half truth is nothing but a lie. The middle man of the operation is no other than the one who reaps the most of the system. In an age where we must plea that black lives matter, it is essential that brown, black, no matter the shade stick together. However, interestingly enough, both Africans and African Americans tend to differentiate from one another, creating tension due to ignorance between the two.
When walking down the street as a Chinwe or a Tyrone, a non-person of color (POC) will see brown skin, coiled hair and other Afro-like traits and automatically think "black" and all the other prejudices that come along with it until they hear your accent (if you have one, or your name). With that being said, the tension starts where the differentiating begins.
Many first generation African Americans view the world differently than our African born parents. They see black Americans as lazy, dangerous and less than. So, as a result of their prejudice, they raise their children to make sure that they are different, that we work hard to not fall into the assumed lifestyle that our American peers have. We can only blame the media for portraying African Americans as thugs with baby mama drama, criminals or underemployed womanizers. The propaganda feeding the media is also behind the preconceived notion that Africans are savages and that Africa is underdeveloped. Growing up in the American public school system we are prone to hearing ignorance from our peers, i.e “African booty scratcher”, clicking of the tongue. Little things like this have triggered resentment among us.
Eventually, some African immigrants will understand the oppression that African Americans face. It was misunderstood that American blacks overlook the opportunity granted to them in the U.S, and that the lingering resentment they have against whites is out of bitterness. There is a system that is branched above all as an umbrella. The same system that feeds us propaganda and scraps of taxpayer money. See, African immigrants don’t understand the oppression in America unless they interact beyond the African community.
For first generation Americans like myself, our identity is formed by the African American experience. We understand the struggles of black Americans because we know that white supremacy is real and exists today. Both black Americans and Africans complete the census in the same way, having to check the ‘Black or African American’ box. Though there is a distance between the two cultures due to difference in history/roots, I believe that both groups should come together to empower themselves in this country as a united minority. Especially in an age where presidential candidate Donald Trump can denounce other races, we need to get over ourselves and work together. The same problems that affects African Americans, affects Africans. There are also major issues in Africa that Africans can inform blacks about. We all have a common interest in the light of oppression and white supremacy.
Long story short, for justice's sake, whether you are a prince in Zambia or an HBCU All-American graduate, merging as a people will enhance our social and political interest in this nation.
