by
Elle D.
Nearly a month after Donald Trump’s election to the presidency, issues of race and culture continue to be discussed heavily. Some black members of the media have even invited controversial conservatives and white nationalists on their shows to discuss opposing views. Most notable is Daily Show host Trevor Noah who recently invited alt-right activist Tomi Lahren on his show. 24-year-old Lahren has been referred to as “KKK Barbie” for her incredibly racist and white nationalist views. Noah is South African, the child of a black African mother and white father and in a misguided New York Times piece that compared a divided “Trump America” to apartheid, he explained why he engaged with Lahren.
“In South Africa, where I come from, we also use comedy to critique and analyze, and while we don’t let our politicians off the hook, we don’t eviscerate one another. If anything, my stand-up shows back home are a place where we can push away the history of apartheid’s color classifications — where black, white, colored and Indian people use laughter to deal with shared trauma and pain. In South Africa, comedy brings us together. In America, it pulls us apart.
I grew up under the harsh racial oppression of apartheid as a person of mixed ethnicity. The lines between black and white were clearly drawn and enforced with guns and tanks, but because I am neither black nor white, I was forced to live between those lines. I was forced to communicate across those lines. I was forced to learn how to approach people, and problems, with nuance. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have survived.”
Noah’s willingness to give Lahren a platform, thereby legitimizing many of her dangerous beliefs, has brought to light the disconnect between black immigrants and black Americans, and instances where “immigrant privilege” possibly comes into play. Growing up, I recall a strong tension between black Americans and African immigrants – as a child, I had immigrant teachers scold us about American children being lazy, or hearing tales of Africans disliking black Americans and considering themselves better because they were not descendants of slaves, which resulted in a backlash of xenophobic slurs and negative perceptions towards Africans. Both sides seemed to be constantly going back and forth. It seems absolutely crazy when I reflect on it today, but those were common occurrences.
Afro-Brit journalist Christiana Mbakwe, who has written for Complex, The Baltimore Sun and OkayAfrica, took to Twitter to express her thoughts on the topic and why Noah’s thoughts were rooted in naiveté, and many others have stated they’ve experienced similar perceptions or situations.
https://twitter.com/Christiana1987/status/805963410668023808
https://twitter.com/Christiana1987/status/805963895701504000
https://twitter.com/Christiana1987/status/805964789448994817
https://twitter.com/Christiana1987/status/805965439985545216
It should also be made clear that black immigrants still experience systemic racism and prejudice in this country – no one is discounting or denying that. But this reasoning gives a possible explanation regarding Noah’s call for a unified country or an ability to “look past” dangerous rhetoric to see a good person.
In Malcolm Gladwell’s 1996 essay, “Black Like Them,” he addresses the racism that black immigrants experience and how they react in describing his cousins from Jamaica:
This doesn’t mean that my cousins haven’t sometimes been lumped together with American blacks. Noel had a job once removing asbestos at Kennedy Airport, and his boss there called him “nigger” and cut his hours. But Noel didn’t take it personally. That boss, he says, didn’t like women or Jews, either, or people with college degrees–or even himself, for that matter. Another time, Noel found out that a white guy working next to him in the same job and with the same qualifications was making ten thousand dollars a year more than he was. He quit the next day. Noel knows that racism is out there. It’s just that he doesn’t quite understand–or accept–the categories on which it depends.
But this essay is from 1996, and it’s 2016 – things are much different now, and some reject the notion of immigrant privilege, viewing it as another tactic to divide people of color in America and bash immigrants. But that really isn’t the point in calling it out – there are times where a social group may have privilege, but that doesn’t mean they are to blame, or even actively perpetuate their privilege. Sometimes, having privilege means that it’s important to listen to another group, rather than dictate or judge their reactions while comparing their situation to your own.
Some have pointed out that while direct immigrant privilege exists, it diminishes the longer one is in the country or through generations. For instance, the privilege a direct immigrant might have will most likely not be observed in the same capacity for their US-born children, who will grow up immersed in American culture and mannerisms. One may also view the situation in the same sense that many view colorism – at the end of the day, we are all black, so whatever privilege exists becomes ultimately overshadowed by our race outside of intraracial environments.
There are definitely reasonable points on both sides of the debate, but I think that we can all agree that immigrant privilege or not (because we’ve seen similar situations happen with black Americans), giving conservative white nationalists a platform and playing nice with them isn’t the proper way to address racial issues in this country.
BGLH readers, do you think black immigrant privilege exists?
47 Responses
This idea that African immigrants are privileged because of black America is damaging, spiteful and dishonest. If African immigrants owe it to black America, so do all the Asian immigrants, the hispanic immigrants, the Italian, Eastern European immigrants. The truth is, things change over time, and change happens. Enough change happened to lift to some extent the horrid bias that surrounded blackness. To turn around and say how black immigrants are benefiting off the “sole” work of African American is not true, nor is it beneficial in any form or shape to slave-descendant black America. Black America isn’t competing solely with African immigrants…they are competing with ALL immigrants, which is also the case with poor white people, btw. I have immense empathy for black america, however, you keep on perpetuating this idea that you’re owed by other black people SPECIFICALLY, like this dumb British bimbo, who btw was born and raised in one of the most SOCIALLY subsidized countries in the world(!!!) [I mean, have you been to England?] and she has the leg up from the immense benefit that came from living in England and now she jumps the ship to America to come and tell the African immigrants that someone there is more privilege to them without seeing how black America also has a privilege that African immigrants wouldn’t, then bridges are about to be burned. Please stop. And Chrisitina Mbakwe, please go back to England. If you didn’t grow up in the U.S., you wouldn’t understand.
Black immigrant privilege? I dunno. I was born in Jamaica and was brought to the US as an infant. I am a Jamerican through and through. My ancestors were slaves just as AA ancestors were. I love being Jamaican but I can’t imagine myself ever growing up there. The only reason why there isn’t racism in Jamaica is because Black people out number white people. And because Jamaica is a former British colony (just like America) but we are still a common wealth state (still attached to England), we experience racism from the English. Back in the 80s Jamaicans living in England were being beaten up in the streets by white people. We understand racism! I understand it even more because I can relate to both AAs and West Indians. Maybe Africans have this “privilege” but West Indians don’t, at least that’s from my family and myself experience. And this notion that AAs are lazy is of course a lie but its a lie told to Black immigrants by white people. This man told me that Black people are lazy (he didn’t us AA, he said Black), I said “so you think I’m lazy?” He told me no, I’m different because I’m Jamaican. I lived in Jamaica for a couple months in the beginning of my life. I’m pretty much AA. But this lazy notion comes from white people and is feed to Black immigrants to further divide us. And yes, a lot of Black immigrants are drinking that white lie cool-aid unfortunately but trust and believe there are many of us that understand racism, have experienced it , don’t experience privilege and don’t think of ourselves as above you!
I come from black immigrants and I think while some immigrants may have health benefits from not acknowledging racism or experiencing existential stress because of it, the privilege there is trivial. All blacks are systemically affected by racism, and it is not black immigrants fault that black Americans have internalized the division of poc. I will not allow people born in the 1990s to tell me we didn’t have it that bad.
Exactly my thoughts.
No lies detected. Yes, black immigrant privilege does in fact exist, and Christiana Mbakwe’s statements are true. I respect her more for being vocal and honest about the stark differences between two groups. Black Americans sense this unspoken privilege especially because we are in fact competing for jobs the same as black immigrants are applying for. Conversations like this should continue to be had because factually black Americans do not have the same privilege emigrating to other black majority countries seeking similar opportunities. Keep it 100!
The problem is that this line of thinking smacks of the same “wait your turn” racism that white people impose on black people all the time. Are immigrants supposed to wait on the sidelines for all black Americans to be selected before they’re allowed to compete for a living? Do black Americans politely wait their turn to accept jobs only after Native Americans have been hired first? Jobs are jobs. Everyone should have the right to compete for a living regardless of national origin. And let’s be all the way honest: there is no data that shows that black Americans have been losing jobs, housing, financing, or educational opportunities to black immigrants in the U.S. in any significant numbers.
I come from Spanish and Black immigrants. My mother is a dark skin Latina – think Naomi Campbell, but with a Spanish accent. My dad is 100% Island. And Blacks from the Caribe DO the best and better then Afro Latinxs. Because some wont speak English if they know people assume they are Black. They do better then Africans – and they have the strongest family unit. But Africans excel at the top. And WAY better then America Blacks. Island Blacks seem to have on their side the nice weather, strong education, and stable family units.
Also as a group we’re very, very laid back.
The fact of the matter is, Black American slave descendants in America, where my ancestors bled and fought for should definitely have first come, first serve since this is in fact our country and we earned every single opportunity. We did not leave our countries for better opportunities like immigrants do. We helped America build this empire. Immigration isn’t viable for slave descendants of Black Americans as it’s a historical fact based on the economic advancements of immigrant groups over Black Americans. Those are facts. Immigrants groups do not do business with descendants of Black Americans, unless doing business benefits immigrant class.
Immigrant groups don’t by in large do business with Black Americans unless it’s putting $$$ in their pockets. There isn’t reciprocity. So yes, let’s keep it completely 100. It’s really too bad America isn’t like Canada as far as their immigration process, but that’s done by design to undermine the advancement of Black American descendant of slaves.
Your question doesn’t make sense regarding Black Americans competing against jobs with Native Americans. Make no mistake, this land is just as much Black Americans land as it is Native Americans. Native Americans have greater benefits than Black Americans, and that’s common knowledge. Unfortunately in spite of their poverty, they still have their history, customs, language, practices, casinos, government $$$$, free college, therefore it’s not a common practice.
My original post was not posted. I largely disagree with your response, especially the erroneous comparison between Native American and Black Americans competing for jobs. It is common knowledge that Native Americans have a bit more rights and $$, more so than Black Americans. It’s also common knowledge that immigration have hurt Black Americans for 100’s of years.
It’s really too bad America isn’t like Canada as with immigration practices because if they were, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. First come first serve is for Black Americans. Immigrants aren’t competing against whites for jobs, but Black Americans. Yes, immigrants are using the opportunities fought by, died for, and earned by Black Americans and their descendants. Black Americans did not fight for equality in order for immigrants to take their hard earned resources away. Yes, let’s keep it 100. Black Americans have the right to be first in opportunities. We are not going to immigrant host countries taking jobs away from it’s citizens. I’m unsure why there is confusion on your part since Black Americans can’t go to whatever country an immigrants comes from and use the same tactics against Black Americans by immigrants for themselves.
Yes, let’s keep it 100.
Yes, black immigrant privilege does exist. But it doesn’t mean we need to separate and divide over it. It means that it needs to be acknowledged and overcome because when it comes down to it, racism affects us all. But because we hail from different parts of the world, we have a responsibility to come together to share and understand our experiences and unifyl
The thing that irks me about mixed people is this insistance to be identified with blackness while pandering to other racial and cultural identities. Further, there is this priviledge called greater percieved credibility in the eyes of white people that they excersize over us unmixed black people.
Unmixed? WTF is that? Was your family in this country at least 100 years? Then you are mixed BOO!
Im a native African. I know my geneology and i am 100% subsaharan African- luo. I speak 3 african languages. I live on the cobtinent and I can comfortably say that My experience of mixed individuals – is as ursurpers of black voices in universal audiences such as media and whatnot. In Kenya and Uganda growing up, i experienced mixed race kids as covert racists and their non black parents as the same. I can recall an incidence where a mixed student -who was really 1/4 european- at the school i attended said in my presence that she didnt know why the african maid was riding in the family car to pick her up from school. Thats the kind of home grown disrespect for blackness that leads me to this opinion.
but what do you class as mixed then?
anyone that has another culture? or another race? or blood outside their birth place?
i mean i know i’m mixed as hell lol, but i still call myself black.
(to be specific, i’m Caribbean so i know we’re guaranteed to have a mix of something).
And i’m Also British-born.
We insist to be identified as black because we are black, and we want people to see that part of us and to not overlook it.
if we don’t, white people will assume that “we’re on their side” that we “aren’t like those black people”, when in fact we are. we just so happens to have lighter skin or a western accent or a last name that doesn’t have African origins.. we can’t help how we were born but we can help how people see us.
it’s not that we are exercising privilege, it is that we’re trying to be understood.
You wouldn’t understand our struggles the same way we wouldn’t understand yours, but the thing that we can understand is that, we are all black.
not all black people with mixed histories are racist, and we aren’t all trying to compete against Native Africans.
I can only comment from the perspective of a South African who is supposedly “represented” by Trevor’s non black views.
It is important to note that we as South African’s are grappling with Trevor’s constant insistence of reminding us that he is not actually black but ‘mixed race’ while claiming to represent the views of the black community with tropes and stereotypes in public. In South Africa we call people like this non-whites; these are blacks who you could identify using the house n***er field n***er dichotomy.
Trevor, like other non-whites subscribes to Mandela’s ‘rainbow nation’ idea which treated the symptom of racial injustice by adding blacks to a system without acknowledging or correcting the inequalities of the past. South African’s commonly say that the rainbow nation idea treated a bullet wound(racial injustice) with a plaster/band-aid (non-racialism).
rainbow nationalists are simply content with living side by side with whites and don’t believe white privilege exists.They don’t believe that there is such a thing as an anti-black system within which they live.
I come from Botswana and I agree. I think Trevor tries too hard. He knows fully well about the plight of black Americans, after all he was born during Apartheid.
Trevor is one of the ‘new blacks’ who want to placate white people, and alleviate their guilt, reassure them that he is a new generation of blacks. He is not angry, he wants to work with them, be humorous and lighten things up.
What I have never understood about Trevor is, as much as he is indeed ‘colored’, didn’t he grow up in his mother’s township when his coward Swiss father left them to fend for themselves? He speaks Tswana, his mother’s native Xhosa fluently and is far removed from the South African colored and white communities. He does not speak Afrikaans.
As African immigrants in the West we know fully well what’s going on. We are less concerned with our brothers and sisters pasts as slaves, but we want the benefits of whatever it takes to kow tow to whites to get ahead.
Hello….I’ve always been curious….did Black South Africans agree with the ‘truth and reconciliation’ position after the end of apartheid….or is this a silly question?.
It’s not a silly question. South Africans (of ALL races) really did’nt have a choice – the country was tethering civil war mode. Archbishop Tutu was preaching reconciliation and people wanted to find some form of closure.
On the other end, my parents came into the country with less than nothing and weren’t even able to really communicate for interviews for jobs. And rather than to “exploit” opportunities, it was to escape a war torn country.
I do agree that some people might look at immigrant blacks and see them in a better light, but it’s also likely that people (both black and white) look at immigrants with xenophobia and hate them for the sole fact that they are immigrants. In some ways black immigrants might have privileges but black Americans have certain privileges as well. And to a racist white person, it makes no difference, so we should stand together rather than trying to qualify who has it worse.
I think a lot of what they feel is privilege is just self perception. I think it’s comical to think of white Americans having some sort of special affinity for foreign blacks- especially Africans. Just because they talk bad about black Americans to your face doesn’t mean they aren’t saying the same thing about you when you aren’t there.
I also question the special affinity that was stated, but why especially Africans to you? Are they worse or something? I took it as (if it was true) their lack of seeing things as racist a lot of the time. Many things are dismissed by them as nothing, but it could also be their forcefulness and mindset to work hard since they are foreigners.
The stereotypes about Africans in the US are much worse than about a black person from somewhere like Latin America, Jamaica or England. AIDS, famine, war etc.. The less foreign you and your culture are the better to people who are racist.
I truly don’t think we are seen as being all that different (and we aren’t really). Racism is such a physical thing.
exactly! the privilege is not only self perceived, but I don’t think they really know. For example, my daughter’s grandparents and father are African immigrants. Her grandmother has been here for 20+ years – did NOT know the significance of the confederate flag, did not know what the “Don’t Tread on Me” bumper sticker meant, doesn’t know that environmental racism exists, school to prison pipeline, etc. I told her this about 2 months ago – mind you, her son is completely Americanized as he came here at 3. She thinks racism was worse in the 60s than it is today & I told her racism is still here, it’s had just morphed into something (private prisons, being denied loans/mortgages, the lack of funding for predominately black schools, etc.) that’s not as in your face like the 60s (segregation, lynchings occurring on a daily basis), but it has not gone anywhere.
American racism is extremely complex. If you came here and never bothered learning about it, it’s not recognizable unless it’s extremely blatant.
I believe the saying is all of my skin folk ain’t my kin folk.
And Trevor is not even black. He’s pretty weak and lacks courage. Neither Jon Stewart or Steven Colbert would gave gotten down with that ish.
I never want immigrants, especially african immigrants, to address these issues because most are simply ill-equipped. West Indians are better because of their history.
I’m Southern African like Trevor and I totally agree. Its just not in our place to address the issues that West Indians and African Americans experience. I have worked with white Americans here in London and was told constantly what a breath of fresh air I was.
I was promoted by my white American boss who said I was a model of how relations ought to be between blacks and whites, I presume because he meant that I am not African American and not subject to the usual American bulls**t. With Africans, they can start again with people who don’t constantly remind them of the past.
What’s funny is I don’t have the same camaraderie with white South Africans. They know that I know their bulls**t so there is usually tension between us
As a daughter of black immigrants, I think yes, its just hard to admit. There are really only three main ways that I have seen without luck to enter the US is by 1. they let you immigrate (being educated, rich, valuable, etc) 2. being a refugee 3. without documentation. And don’t know the data but the “successful” black immigrants are usually in the first category obv.
And if you are coming to a new country I feel like you are also leaving the place where that specific system has been holding you down so there is privilege in being able to leave that specific system. And if you are leaving a “bad” place the US is gonna seem great so things like racism won’t be seen as a big deal, and then its easy to trivialize other peoples struggle.
I think also since in my college environment I have been around alot of Asian Americans who have parents who immigrated, alot hold the same sediment that alot of black immigrants feel toward black people from the United States. That they work hard and deserve what they have as opposed to seeing that maybe systematic oppression have been pushing on these ppl for a long time, like in the place you left.
Making hierarchies intragroups (?) to keep us relatively satisfied with our positions and in the mindset that were are better than other people and gain some privilege. Also seen with light skinned ppl distancing themselves from dark skinned ppl to gain any sort of privilege. They don’t benefit from it at all (and hence why you see the longer people have been in the US the more they get it generally),but takes a while to learn.
(the theory that talks about how systems of oppression have kept blacks and asians seperate is called Trigulation theory I believe).
Hopefully that makes sense. And happy that this article was posted.
“And if you are coming to a new country I feel like you are also leaving the place where that specific system has been holding you down so there is privilege in being able to leave that specific system.”
Does that also apply to Americans who move overseas? America is not the only place people move to in this world, and plenty people move to America (like students, workers, people who’ve fallen in love, tourists who’ve decided they just enjoy the country) for more reasons than being held down by their home country. It’s arrogant and insulting to assume that America is automatically everyone’s promised land, and assuming that that’s the case specifically for black immigrants is outright racist. America is just another plot of land on this planet.
I was more just talking about specifically relating to my people who left Liberia to come to the United States because they felt like they were going somewhere better, on some subconscious or conscious level. Reality here was much different than they expected however, I am now here because of that move.
Thanks for this comment though because I think your comment needed to be said.
And I for one am not someone who thinks that the US/The West is better, just different.
Thanks for the clarification. I have family members that emigrated because they thought America was better, and others who emigrated despite thinking America was overrated. I also the US/West is just different, not better or worse.
Privilege definitely exists and I witness it first hand. As an immingrants’ kid and having a family active in a Diasporan community (I’m Ugandan American), I see the disconnect, not only with people and racism, but with the idea of race versus ethnicity. There’s a lack of unity and empathy, as well as wanting to reach out to other peoples across the Diaspora as well as African Americans. Maybe, unfortunately, Trump will help, if he doesn’t drive my people back to Uganda smh.
The only place that I could possibly see a real divide between black immigrants and black Americans is that they may think differently of certain situations and culture a bit. If her argument is on the grounds of they are landing on grounds that have already been worked on, then wouldn’t that apply to current day black Americans as well. Our parents tell us this is the country that your ancestors fought for so do well with it. So even though I come from them, I still have a privilege they didn’t have. The fact that we even look alike mostly makes me think really what difference is there with us? And we also SHARE a lot of the same experiences. What we should be doing is getting rid of the this one is better than the other idea. The point is if you have African ancestry you may be unfortunately treated a certain way. It reminds me of how some black Americans told some black immigrants to leave that they were taking their jobs. And it is just like the brexit situation, with the British having issues with other Europeans coming in and filing job positions. Shouldn’t the person most rewarding of the job receive it. I have heard from black immigrants that black Americans are lazy and they work harder so they get the jobs. It isn’t a nice or right thing to say at all, because you can find lazy people in all groups. The similarity I do see is black immigrants are told to work hard because they are going to a foreign mans land, just as black Americans are told to work hard because they are simply black in a white-dominating nation. Really how different are we?
Wait. Are you seriously using a South African who was born under apartheid, which didn’t end until he was seven as an example of PRIVILEGE? Really? Just because he uses his platform in a different way than a black American might? This just seems like a stretch. And then to paint a picture of immigrants being discriminatory to black Americans without also painting the side where black Americans have been discriminatory towards black immigrants (I still get snide remarks from black Americans as well as microagressions at work about my heritage, and I’m in my mid-30s)? Let’s stop acting like black progress has only occurred within the American borders and start recognizing that black people around the world, yes, including Africa, have been putting in work to get the global state of blackness to what it is today. Claiming that black immigrants benefit from ground broken by black Americans completely erases the work that revolutions around the world have done for black Americans even before an immigrant chooses to step foot in this country. Black Americans do not hold the patent or monopoly on black progress. So how about we stop taking jabs at one another when your real problem is with that Tomi girl, not the South African who dared to speak to her.
Please name one revolution fought outside of americans oil for the benefit of black american? Question mark? I will wait
The Haitian Revolution galvanized Nat Turner to begin his rebellion. Don’t live in a bubble. Black Brazilians are having a mini revolution as we speak.
If it weren’t for the Haitian Revolution, there would be no Civil War, and black Americans would still be slaves. Black history did not start and end in the U.S.A. Expand your mind.
Black Americans forget Ethiopians were NEVER slaves. The Blacks in the Caribe were given land in Hondorus (Central America) because why? Refused to be slaves. AND they speak Spanish. The Blacks in Madagascar and Brazil – like give us NON American Blacks some credit.
She’s specifically talking about what Black Americans have done in the US not what has happened around the world. Highlighting all the work Black Americans have done in this country is not negating all other movements around the world. Pointing out a real issue with Black communities in the country in not taking a jab. We need to have these conversations. I’m coming from the children of Jamaican immigrants who constantly hear the denigration of Black Americans as lazy, ambivalent about education, wanting government handouts, loving welfare etc. There is an heir of “I’m better than these Black Americans. Don’t lump me in with them.” But as I’ve told Black immigrants who I’ve met, people don’t care where you’re from. Before you open your mouth to speak, you’re seen as just a Black American and you’re seen within the same stereotypical lens. Black immigrants and other immigrants as well have benefitted from the work of Black Americans. And then often times people come to the US and promulgate anti-blackness to move up within this particular white supremacist society. So I definitely understand some of the negative sentiments from Black Americans toward Black immigrants. I hear it from both sides.
Americans don’t live in a vacuum. Many of the successes black Americans were able to achieve are direct results of the work that was done outside of the U.S. There may be cultural nuances from one country to the next, but that doesn’t make the experiences and outlook of black immigrants as it relates to racism less valid than black Americans.
Maybe we need a few years of Trump before black folk get that we’re all in this thing together. There are wealthy black americans who have more privilege than poor black americans. Black celebrities have more privilege than other black folk, SO WHAT NOW?????? I don’t get the point of this divisive and speculative essay. When cops pull us over or ram a baton up our asses, do you think they parse whether we’re immigrants or not?
It may be speculation from your perspective, but it’s happening. There *are* a lot of Black immigrants unaware of the race concept here in the US and who feed into the images of US a lot more, cranked out mostly by White Supremacy and believe in the American Dream. They are unwilling to connect with and unify with Black folk outside of their culture, their ethnicity and their region. To deal with a problem, you have to acknowledge it exists, then come up with solutions.
I agree.
This is quibbling. Of course there are differences. Do you have any idea what is said in AA households about immigrants? My point is, these words and attitudes are meaningless because we control no resources, we’re economically weak so we fight over crumbs. White people understood that the only way to maintain power in the long term was to recategorize Jews, Italians, Irish, Polish, light skinned Africans and light skinned Latinos as White. You expand the tent to strengthen your position, not engage in this kind of divisive nonsense.
So you’re fighting from a White Supremacy point of view?- that is just dumb. As they DO HAVE resources are economically STRONG and are NOT fighting over crumbs. So we can’t do what you suggest and expand the tent to strengthen a mystical position we don’t have.
Actually, these “words and attitudes” are not “meaningless” if they DO divide Diasporans, to the point where we WON’T invest in each other and work together. Actions start from the mind. Even the reclassification of ethnic peoples such as Jews, Arabs and other Semites as White is failing in this era of Trump. Pointing out a problem doesn’t mean you agree with it. That’s like saying I agree with misogynoir because I point it out as a Black woman. To unify, or “expand our tent”, we should understand the divide between African Americans and Black immigrants (regardless of culture and nationality) and deal with it.
I’m an immigrant from the South American diaspora – think Sammy Sosa. And I approve your message.
Pointing out a real issue within Black communities is not divisive. This is what happens when colorism or misogyny within our communities is mentioned. It is not divisive to speak about these issues. This conversation is uncomfortable and necessary.
What is your problem with having a discussion? It seems very anti intellectual and immature.