African Diaspora Research Paper

The story that surrounds the transatlantic slave trade is notoriously known, by both young and old, across the nation. This story has not only survived, but thrived as “truth” through generations for several centuries; Although, it is much closer to a mystical tale than reality. In Reversing Sail, Michael Gomez lays the myths affiliated with African Diaspora to rest. Gomez shows the path of the amalgamation of the African people along with their resources into Europe. A path that leads to the New World, that would potentially become the Americas, would ultimately result in more than just the exploitation of Africans as slaves. Compacted into an eight-chapter undergrad textbook, Gomez uses Reversing Sail to unground the history, complexity, and instrumentality of the African Diaspora. He does such in a

The Kenyan feminist and environmental activist, Wangari Maathai, explores the legacy of colonialism and oppression in her native country through her moving 2006 memoir, Unbowed. Maathai explains that over the course of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Africa experienced a massive influx of white settlers. In an effort to solidify control over recently acquired colonies, many European powers had encouraged large numbers of their ethnically white citizens to make a new home on the African continent. As a result, thousands of native Africans were displaced. Maathai’s ancestors, the Kikuyu and Maasai peoples were among them. The majority of these forced dislocations took

“Berlin, Ira. The Making of African America The Four Great Migrations. By Ira Berlin. New York: Penguin Group, 2011. Pp 289”

The struggle for equality and the battle to have one’s suppressed voice be heard is prevalent throughout the history of the United States. The Native Americans, women, and even Catholics have all encountered discrimination and belittlement in one shape or form, which eventually urged individuals within those groups to rise up and demand equal opportunity. As the United States began to shift away from slavery, one of the most deep rooted, controversial dilemmas aroused- what do black people need to do in order to gain civil rights both economically and socially? Booker T. Washington’s “Atlanta Exposition Address” and W.E.B. Du Bois's “The Soul of Black Folks” were pieces of writings influenced by the puzzle that black people were left to solve. Booker T. Washington and W.E.B Du Bois had contrasting ideas, but they both contributed a piece to the puzzle in hopes of solving the never ending mind game.

In this first-hand account, Blyden speaks directly to African American people encouraging them to embrace their Africa roots. He wants African Americans to feel a connection to Africa, as well as understand important information about Africa. In several places in this text he tries to dispel some myths that were commonly held in the 19th century, and even today. Myths like there was never any great society that existed in Africa, and Africa was completely uncivilized. However, even though Blyden dispelled many of these myths, he also played into them. He did this by stating that African Americans could go to Africa and help “furnish a development of civilization which this world has never seen” (201). He makes an argument that Africa is civilized, and

There is no doubt that African Americans have a rich cultural background and history like the many different ethnic groups who settled in the New World, whose origins lie in another country. For this reason, America was known as the melting pot. However, the backgrounds of each of these cultures were not always understood or, in the case of African Americans, accepted among the New World society and culture. Americans were ignorant to the possibility of differences among groups of people until information and ideas started to emerge, particularly, the African retention theories. This sparked an interest in the field of African culture and retention in African Americans. However, the study of African American culture truly emerged as a result of increased awareness in America, specifically through the publication and findings of scholarly research and cultural events like the Harlem Renaissance where all ethnicities were able to see this rich historical culture of African Americans.

Many of the established, middle class Blacks did not want to be associated with the Black migrants of the south, who they saw as lazy, loud, abrasive, and of poor moral character. Despite these tensions, many Blacks formed fraternities, organizations, and charities to help better the situation of the Black migrants. Osofsky reminds us that these Black communities were often limited to a few city blocks, and teeming with buildings overcrowded with Blacks, thus creating a need for more space or a bigger neighborhood.

The purpose of my research paper is to build awareness, which has been disconnected between the two groups. This paper will underline the very basis of the chasms that have caused this disconnect between African-Americans and Africans. Awareness is essential

African Americans have been making history for years knowing people will think they are not capable of exceeding anything, that african Americans are incapable to change the world but it was possible and the proof is right in front of you with the products they have created that benefit everyone today. Math is one of the reason that help us understand why the world is like this today and how everything function, also it brought us mathematician which is an expert in math, so anyone can be a mathematician and it doesn’t matter what gender, race, ethnicity, and etc. An african-american mathematician known as Dr. J. Ernest Wilkins Jr. is known for america’s most important contemporary mathematician which is a big title for this individual was

Despite its inception some 400 odd years ago, slavery continues to impact families of African descent. Al though forcibly taken to American shores with shack les and chains draped around them like garments, Africans retained some sense of family both mentally and spiritually. The familial bond which was present those 400 years ago still exists today. It is the tradi tional African family structure that is the baseline for the past, present and future black American family. It is therefore imperative that we examine this tradi tional structure.

Throughout the second chapter of DuBois book The Souls of Black Folk, the author goes deeper into relations between white and black people, he describes their daily interactions, it is important to notice here that these encounters between the two races always have been under the control of white people and that the blacks have at all times been under white rule, which left the suppressed people, the black folk, extremely vulnerable to violence and a slave like environment still exists although slavery had been abolished years ago. The interactions and relations between white and black extend further than in previous years whilst slavery still existed, the interactions and relations now extend into a political and economic level as too previously it was illegal for blacks to own anything. Now there are wealthy white and black families or entities yet the wealthy ones do not interact and live apart geographically, whilst the poor population, white or black, lives in the immediate vicinity. It is very evident to DuBois that there was a development of social facts that occurred throughout the time, black people identified themselves as lesser and subordinate to white people and this social fact delegated the social interactions in the time, for example the fact that almost every black person in the

It is essential to note that the term African Diaspora does not describe any single event, group of people or set of customs. It represents a current state of being for many citizens of the world and provides context for understanding the social structures and intercultural relationships of the world we live in today. Collin Palmer provides great insight into the context of diaspora. He writes that there have been several movements, massive migrations of people, throughout history. There is no single “diasporic movement or monolithic diasporic community” to be studied, but rather a confluence of people, events and ideologies that span thousands of years, across every continent. Each period of movement, each diasporic stream, happened for different reasons. Palmer’s approach to the African Diaspora begins with a look nearly 100,000 years into the past. He identifies five major streams, with the first African diaspora that occurred as a

According to (Harris 2001), "the importance of the historical Diaspora was that Africans like other people have traveled abroad as free people, settled down and made important contributions to many Europeans and Asian countries. " The Historical Diaspora was mainly the dispersion of Africans in the world and their settlements. They maintained a consciousness of Africa and their Identity while adapting and making positive contributions to their adopted homelands. This made them create an identity of who they want to be because in the historical Diaspora there was "free fluidity" and that enabled them to do whatever they wanted for that reason there was no constraints. Prior to when the Europeans conducted slave trade, Arabs conducted a slave trade across the Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea taking Africans to Arabia, India and the Far East.

During the European Renaissance, the immigration of African individual to Europe were mostly for economic purposes which, indirectly caused an increase in cultural diversity within Europe. However, a vast majority of Africans during the European Renaissance were slaves. European’s definition of “civilization” was to classify aliens and divide them into two class, “civilized” and “the barbarian”. To be considered civilized, it depended on a number of factor regarding hierarchical structure, social organisation, and descendant history. This label allowed European to distinguished themselves apart from Africans by labeling them uncivilized. Their notion forecasts the relationship with Africans in the Renaissance. Throughout the European Renaissance, not much was known about Africans due to the European's poor documentation of them. Recovering pieces of Africans’ history, especially the relationship with European, is vital because more knowledge of their past will demystify any misconceptions.

Now, there are several salient points that can be made about Symoné’s comments. Symoné’s concern with her inability to accurately trace her African roots is reminiscent of the Pan-Africanist point of view. In this interview, Raven is privileging the Pan- African point of view, deciding that her blackness cannot be validated unless she can show a clear connection to Africa. The Pan-Africanist point of view came about during the time of 18th century slave revolts and continued throughout the 19th century abolitionist movements and the rise of new antisystemic movements in the 1960s (Lao-Montes 311).