| Revision as of 09:41, 17 November 2008 editSamEV (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers16,886 edits The population table was wrong. The 1990 data was actually the number of each national origin who came to the US in the 1980s. See this source: http://www.census.gov/prod/2005pubs/06statab/pop.pdf← Previous edit | Revision as of 09:48, 17 November 2008 edit undoSamEV (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers16,886 edits +Footnote, wikilinkNext edit → | ||
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| |population = '''612,548'''<ref name=mumford03>{{cite web |url=http://mumford1.dyndns.org/cen2000/BlackWhite/BlackDiversityReport/black-diversity03.htm |title=Lewis Mumford Center Census 2000 Metropolitan Racial and Ethnic Change Series |accessdate=2008-11-15}}</ref><br>{{smaller|(0.2% of the U.S. population in 2000)}} | |population = '''612,548'''<ref name=mumford03>{{cite web |url=http://mumford1.dyndns.org/cen2000/BlackWhite/BlackDiversityReport/black-diversity03.htm |title=Lewis Mumford Center Census 2000 Metropolitan Racial and Ethnic Change Series |accessdate=2008-11-15}}</ref><br>{{smaller|(0.2% of the U.S. population in 2000)}} | ||
| |regions = ], ], ], ] | |regions = ], ], ], ] | ||
| |languages = <!--Ordered according to ]--> ] (], ]), ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], others | |languages = <!--Ordered according to ]--> ] (], ]), ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], others | ||
| |religions = ], ], ], others | |religions = ], ], ], others | ||
| |related = ]ns, ], ] | |related = ]ns, ], ] | ||
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| ==Population== | ==Population== | ||
| The top Black African ancestries with a specified country reported in the 2000 Census were: Nigerian (165,481), Ethiopian (86,918), and Ghanaian (49,944).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/QTTable?_bm=y&-context=qt&-qr_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U_QTP13&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U&-tree_id=403&-redoLog=true&-all_geo_types=N&-_caller=geoselect&-geo_id=01000US&-geo_id=NBSP&-search_results=01000US&-format=&-_lang=en |title=United States - QT-P13. Ancestry: 2000 |accessdate=2008-11-17 |publisher=]}}</ref> However, the largest Subsaharan ancestry was the general response "African", with 1,183,316. But although this group does not include those who identified as "African American" in the Census Bureau's tabulations,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/home/en/epss/glossary_a.html#african |title=American FactFinder Help |accessdate=2008-11-17 |publisher=]}}</ref> those in the group who who did not name an African country nor were born in Africa were classified as African American by other experts.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mumford1.dyndns.org/cen2000/BlackWhite/BlackDiversityReport/black-diversity02.htm |title=Lewis Mumford Center Census 2000 Metropolitan Racial and Ethnic Change Series (page 2) |accessdate=2008-11-17 |quote=We classify people reporting their ancestry and/or country of birth as a specific sub-Saharan African country as “African." We classify the remainder of the black population, including those who report their ancestry as “African" without a specific country reference but whose place of birth is not Africa, as “African American."}}</ref> | The top Black African ancestries with a specified country reported in the 2000 Census were: Nigerian (165,481), Ethiopian (86,918), and Ghanaian (49,944).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/QTTable?_bm=y&-context=qt&-qr_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U_QTP13&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U&-tree_id=403&-redoLog=true&-all_geo_types=N&-_caller=geoselect&-geo_id=01000US&-geo_id=NBSP&-search_results=01000US&-format=&-_lang=en |title=United States - QT-P13. Ancestry: 2000 |accessdate=2008-11-17 |publisher=]}}</ref><ref>There are some ancestries classified as Subsaharan geographically, but which are not classified as Black by default when no race is specified, such as Cape Verdean and South African. See for the Census Bureau's code list.</ref> However, the largest Subsaharan ancestry was the general response "African", with 1,183,316. But although this group does not include those who identified as "African American" in the Census Bureau's tabulations,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/home/en/epss/glossary_a.html#african |title=American FactFinder Help |accessdate=2008-11-17 |publisher=]}}</ref> those in the group who who did not name an African country nor were born in Africa were classified as African American by other experts.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mumford1.dyndns.org/cen2000/BlackWhite/BlackDiversityReport/black-diversity02.htm |title=Lewis Mumford Center Census 2000 Metropolitan Racial and Ethnic Change Series (page 2) |accessdate=2008-11-17 |quote=We classify people reporting their ancestry and/or country of birth as a specific sub-Saharan African country as “African." We classify the remainder of the black population, including those who report their ancestry as “African" without a specific country reference but whose place of birth is not Africa, as “African American."}}</ref> | ||
| ==Culture== | ==Culture== | ||
| Because of the extremely diverse nature of African ethnic groups, there is no single African immigrant identity. However, cultural bonds are cultivated through shared ethnic or national affiliations. Some organizations like the Ghanaian group Fantse-Kuo and the Sudanese Association organize by country, region, or ethnic group. Other groups present traditional culture from a ] perspective. Using traditional skills and knowledge, African-born entrepreneurs develop services for immigrants and the community at large. In the Washington area, events such as the annual Ethiopian soccer tournament, institutions such as the ] African Liberation Ministry, and "friends" and "sister cities" organizations bring together different communities. The extent to which African immigrants engage in these activities naturally varies according to the population. While there is often a conflict of identity over whether an African immigrant is American, African-American, or an undefined category, the general trend is toward assimilation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.folklife.si.edu/resources/Festival1997/afrindi.htm |title=African Immigrant Culture}}</ref> | Because of the extremely diverse nature of African ethnic groups, there is no single African immigrant identity. However, cultural bonds are cultivated through shared ethnic or national affiliations. Some organizations like the Ghanaian group Fantse-Kuo and the Sudanese Association organize by country, region, or ethnic group. Other groups present traditional culture from a ] perspective. Using traditional skills and knowledge, African-born entrepreneurs develop services for immigrants and the community at large. In the Washington area, events such as the annual Ethiopian soccer tournament, institutions such as the ] African Liberation Ministry, and "friends" and "sister cities" organizations bring together different communities. The extent to which African immigrants engage in these activities naturally varies according to the population. While there is often a conflict of identity over whether an African immigrant is American, African-American, or an undefined category, the general trend is toward assimilation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.folklife.si.edu/resources/Festival1997/afrindi.htm |title=African Immigrant Culture}}</ref> | ||
| ==Visibility== | ==Visibility== | ||
Revision as of 09:48, 17 November 2008
Ethnic group| Osi UmenyioraAkonOsi Umenyiora · Akon | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 612,548 (0.2% of the U.S. population in 2000) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Washington, D.C., New York, Minneapolis, California | |
| Languages | |
| English (African English dialects, American English), Arabic, Yoruba, Twi, Igbo, French, Wolof, Swahili, Hausa, Portuguese, Spanish, others | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity, Islam, Traditional, others | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Sub-Saharan Africans, African Americans, Africans |
Black Americans of African immigrant origin are Black Americans who arrived in the United States as immigrants from Africa or are descendants of them.
This group is to be distinguished from African Americans, who are descended from Black Africans who survived the slavery era within the boundaries of the present United States, as well as from Americans with roots in other parts of the African diaspora.
Educational attainment
Africans have the highest educational attainment rates of any immigrant group in the United States, with higher levels of completion than the stereotyped Asian American model minority. It is not only the first generation that does well, as estimates indicate that a highly disproportionate percentage of black students at elite universities are African or the children of African immigrants.
Harvard University, for example, has estimated that two-thirds of their black population is not composed of traditional black Americans. This is true for other universities, such as Brown, Yale, Princeton, Penn, Columbia, Duke, and Berkeley. As a result, the benefits of affirmative action are not efficiently serving traditional, multi-generational black Americans who are descendants of American slaves.
In an analysis of Census Bureau data by the Journal of Blacks In Higher Education, African immigrants to the United States were found more likely to be college educated than any other immigrant group. African immigrants to the U.S. are also more highly educated than any native-born ethnic group including White Americans. Some 48.9 percent of all African immigrants hold a college diploma. This is slightly more than the percentage of Asian immigrants to the U.S., nearly double the rate of native-born White Americans, and nearly four times the rate of native-born African Americans.
In 1997, 19.4 percent of all adult African immigrants in the United States held a graduate degree, compared to 8.1 percent of adult whites and 3.8 percent of adult blacks in the United States, respectively. This information suggests that America has an equally large achievement gap between Whites and African/Asian immigrants as it does between White and African Americans.
Of the African-born population in the United States age 25 and older, 86.4% reported having a high school degree or higher, compared with 78. 9% of Asian–born immigrants and 76.5% of European–born immigrants, respectively. These figures contrast with the 61.8% percent of the total foreign-born population. Immigrant groups in general tend to have higher high school graduation rates than the native-born general American population.
Those Africans born from Ghana (96.9 percent), Zimbabwe (96.7 percent), Botswana (95.5 percent), and Malawi (95 percent) were the most likely to report having a high school degree or higher. Those born in Cape Verde (44.8 percent) and Mauritania (60.8 percent) were the least likely to report having completed a high school education.
Of the European–born, those born in Bulgaria (92.6 percent), Switzerland (90.5 percent), and Ireland (90.4 percent) were the most likely to report having a high school degree or higher. Those born in Portugal (42.9 percent), Italy (53.7 percent), and Greece (59.9 percent) were the least likely to report having completed a high school education.
Of the Asian–born, those from Mongolia (94.8 percent), Kuwait (94.7 percent), the United Arab Emirates (94.5 percent), and Qatar (94.3 percent) were most likely to report having a high school degree or higher. Those born in Laos (48.1 percent), Cambodia (48.4 percent), and Yemen (49.9 percent) were the least likely to report having completed a high school education.
In Canada similar trends can be seen where both foreign-born and Canadian-born blacks have graduation rates that exceed those of other Canadians. Similar patterns of educational over-achievement are reached with years of schooling and with data from the 1994 Statistics Canada survey. Black immigrants have a higher standard of educational achievement, on average, than the overall Canadian population.
African immigrants to the United States are the largest immigrant group that has the lowest percentage of people not fluent in English. This is likely due to the fact that English is one of the most spoken languages in Africa, and possibly the best known continent-wide.
| Areas | U.S. Population | All Immigrants | African Immigrants | Asian Americans | Europe, Russia & Canada | Latin, South America & Caribbean |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not Fluent in English | 0.6% | 30.5% | 7.6% | 23.4% | 11.5% | 44.0% |
| Less Than High School | 17.1% | 39.1% | 12.1% | 21.2% | 23.5% | 57.4% |
| College Degree | 23.1% | 23.3 | 43.8% | 42.5% | 28.9% | 9.1% |
| Advanced Degree | 2.6% | 4.2 | 8.2% | 6.8% | 5.8% | 1.9% |
SOURCE: 2000 US CENSUS
Income levels
According to the 2000 U.S. Census, income levels among Africans are also typically higher than for Black Americans. This can be attributed to the higher education levels of the former. However, Africans still earn on average less than White Americans and Asian Americans with similar or lower levels of education, suggesting ongoing discrimination.
Demographics
| Metropolitan Area | African Population | % of Black total | % of Total Metro Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington, DC, MD-VA-WV | 80,281 | 6.1 | 1.6 |
| New York, NY | 73, 851 | 3.4 | 0.8 |
| Atlanta, GA | 34,302 | 2.9 | 0.8 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI | 27,592 | 15.4 | 0.9 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA | 25,829 | 2.7 | 0.3 |
| Boston, MA-NH | 24,231 | 9.8 | 0.7 |
| Houston, TX | 22,638 | 3.1 | 0.5 |
| Chicago, IL | 19,438 | 1.2 | 0.2 |
| Dallas, TX | 19,134 | 3.6 | 0.5 |
| Philadelphia, PA-NJ | 16,344 | 1.6 | 0.3 |
It is estimated that the current population of Black African immigrant origin is over 600,000. Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia, and Somalia are especially well represented.
Africans typically congregate in urban areas, moving to suburban areas over time. They are also less likely to live in racially segregated areas. The goals of Africans vary tremendously. While some look to create new lives in the U.S., some plan on using the resources and skills gained to go back and help their countries of origin. Either way, African communities contribute millions to the economies of Africa by sending money to their family members.
Immigrants from Africa typically settle in heavily urban areas upon arrival into the U.S. Areas such as Washington, D.C., New York, Columbus, Ohio, Atlanta and Minneapolis have heavy concentrations of African immigrant populations relative to the general black population. Often there are clusters of nationalities within these cities. For instance, Washington, D.C. has large Ghanaian, Eritrean, and Ethiopian communities; Minneapolis has large Somali and Ethiopian populations; and Africans in Houston are predominantly Nigerian. The longer African immigrants live in the United States, the more likely they are to live in suburban areas.
Health
Immigrants from predominantly black nations in Africa and the Americas are generally healthier than black immigrants from predominantly white nations in Europe. A study conducted by Jen’nan Ghazal Read, a sociology professor at the UC Irvine and Michael O. Emerson, a sociology professor at Rice University, closely studied the health of more than 2,900 black immigrants from top regions of emigration: the West Indies, Africa, South America and Europe. Blacks born in Africa and South America were shown to be healthier than American–born Blacks.
The study was published in the September, 2006 issue of Social Forces and is the first to look at the health of black immigrants by their region of origin. The study also showed that the advantage enjoyed by those black emigrants from predominantly non-white nations tended to erode the longer they remained within the American social framework. The researchers believe this may be the result of being "exposed to more stressful life events caused by discrimination."
Population
The top Black African ancestries with a specified country reported in the 2000 Census were: Nigerian (165,481), Ethiopian (86,918), and Ghanaian (49,944). However, the largest Subsaharan ancestry was the general response "African", with 1,183,316. But although this group does not include those who identified as "African American" in the Census Bureau's tabulations, those in the group who who did not name an African country nor were born in Africa were classified as African American by other experts.
Culture
Because of the extremely diverse nature of African ethnic groups, there is no single African immigrant identity. However, cultural bonds are cultivated through shared ethnic or national affiliations. Some organizations like the Ghanaian group Fantse-Kuo and the Sudanese Association organize by country, region, or ethnic group. Other groups present traditional culture from a Pan-African perspective. Using traditional skills and knowledge, African-born entrepreneurs develop services for immigrants and the community at large. In the Washington area, events such as the annual Ethiopian soccer tournament, institutions such as the AME Church African Liberation Ministry, and "friends" and "sister cities" organizations bring together different communities. The extent to which African immigrants engage in these activities naturally varies according to the population. While there is often a conflict of identity over whether an African immigrant is American, African-American, or an undefined category, the general trend is toward assimilation.
Visibility
Due to their small population, African immigrants and their descendants are generally under the radar of average Americans. Their achievements and contributions to U.S. culture are relatively small but notable. First and second generation African immigrants can be seen in a wide variety of areas, from academia to athletics to acting. Barack Obama, the junior United States Senator from Illinois and president–elect of the 2008 presidential election, is a member of the group, as his father, a Harvard University–educated economist, was a native of Kenya. A few notable African academics in the U.S. include John Ogbu and Kwame Anthony Appiah. In sports, Hakeem Olajuwon and Joseph Addai are prominent, and in entertainment, Gbenga Akinnagbe, singer Akon, and rapper Chamillionaire are also distinguished. Because of their similar racial background, African immigrants are generally lumped in the with greater African American population.
External links
- New York Times: Tastes of Nigeria, Sounds of Sierra Leone
- New York Times: Bronx: Beyond the Yankees and the Zoo
- New York Times: Solace From a Multiethnic Tapestry
- Oakland Tribune: Black immigrants: The invisible model minority
- United African Congress
See also
References
- ^ "Lewis Mumford Center Census 2000 Metropolitan Racial and Ethnic Change Series". Retrieved 2008-11-15.
- "AsianNation.org".
- "RealClearPolitics - Articles - Black Immigrants, An Invisible 'Model Minority'".
- "African Immigrants, NY Times".
- "Berkeley, SF Chronicle".
- "The New York Times > Education > Top Colleges Take More Blacks, but Which Ones?". New York Times.
- ^ African Immigrants in the United States are the Nation's Most Highly Educated Group. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, No. 26 (Winter, 1999-2000), pp. 60-61doi:10.2307/2999156
- ^ Dixon, D. (2006). Characteristics of the African Born in the United States. Migration Policy Institute. January, 2006
- Dixon, D. (2006). Characteristics of the European Born in the United States. Migration Policy Institute. February, 2005
- Dixon, D. (2006). Characteristics of the Asian Born in the United States. Migration Policy Institute. April 2006
- Guppy, Neil and Scott Davies (1998). Education in Canada: Recent Trends and Future Challenges. Ottawa: Statistics Canada and the Minister of Industry
- Boyd, M. (2002). Educational Attainments of Immigrant Offspring: Success or Segmented Assimilation?
- "The Canadian encyclopedia, 2007".
- "[[Vanderbilt University]]".
{{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help) - "Lewis Mumford Center Census 2000 Metropolitan Racial and Ethnic Change Series (page 4)". 2003-08-15. Retrieved 2008-11-17.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - "Lewis Mumford Center Census 2000 Metropolitan Racial and Ethnic Change Series (page 5)". Retrieved 2008-11-17.
- "Lewis Mumford Center Census 2000 Metropolitan Racial and Ethnic Change Series; Residential patterns within metropolitan regions". Retrieved 2008-11-17.
- ^ "Today@UCI: Press Releases:; Black immigrants from Africa arrive healthier than those from Europe, suggesting racial discrimination harms health". 2005-09-06.
- "Black immigrants from Africa arrive healthier than those from Europe: From MedicineWorld.Org".
- "Project MUSE".
- "United States - QT-P13. Ancestry: 2000". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-11-17.
- There are some ancestries classified as Subsaharan geographically, but which are not classified as Black by default when no race is specified, such as Cape Verdean and South African. See2000 Race and Hispanic or Latino Summary File for the Census Bureau's code list.
- "American FactFinder Help". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-11-17.
- "Lewis Mumford Center Census 2000 Metropolitan Racial and Ethnic Change Series (page 2)". Retrieved 2008-11-17.
We classify people reporting their ancestry and/or country of birth as a specific sub-Saharan African country as "African." We classify the remainder of the black population, including those who report their ancestry as "African" without a specific country reference but whose place of birth is not Africa, as "African American."
- "African Immigrant Culture".
| African immigration to the United States | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Africa | |||||||||
| Sub-Saharan Africa |
| ||||||||
| African ethnic groups in the United States | |||||||||
| Several African ethnic groups are dispersed throughout different areas of Africa, regardless of countries or regions. | |||||||||
| African diaspora | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geography |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Secondary Afro-American diaspora |
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