|
|
| Notables (U.S.): Angélique Kidjo · Akon · Kwame Anthony Appiah · Charlize Theron |
| Total population |
|---|
| 1,035,253 [1][2][3] |
| Regions with significant populations |
| Washington, D.C., New York, Minneapolis, California, Dallas, Atlanta, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Houston |
| Languages |
|
English (Various Forms of African English, American English), Arab, Yoruba, Ashanti, Igbo, French, Wolof, Swahili, Hausa, Portuguese, Capeverdean Crioulos, Spanish, others |
| Religion |
|
Christianity, Islam, Traditional, others |
| Related ethnic groups |
|
Sub-Saharan Africans, African Americans, Nigerian Americans, Africans, White South African, White Africans of European ancestry |
African immigrants in this article refers to recent immigrants to the United States (those who have migrated to the US from Africa during their life time within the last few decades) and their children.
This group is to be distinguished from Afro Americans who are descended from Black Africans who survived the slavery era within the boundaries of the present United States, as well Americans with roots in other parts of the African diaspora such as the Caribbean. Meaning, the term encompasses individuals of recent African ancestry. "African", in the scope of this article refers to national origins rather than racial affiliation as defined by the United States Census.
Contents |
| 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 |
| Greater Los Angeles Area | 25,829 | 2.7 | 0.3 |
| Detroit, MI | 24,231 | 2.1 | 0.6 |
| Houston, TX | 22,683 | 3.1 | 0.5 |
| Chicago, IL | 19,438 | 2.4 | 0.7 |
| Dallas, TX | 19,134 | 3.6 | 0.5 |
| Boston, MA-NH | 17,344 | 9.8 | 0.7 |
It is estimated that the current population of African immigrants to the United States is about 881,300.[2] Countries with the most immigrants to the U.S. are Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Egypt, Somalia, and South Africa.
Additionally, according to the U.S. Census, 55% of immigrants from Africa are male, while 45% are female. Age groups with the largest cohort of African-born immigrants are 25-34, 35-44, and 45-54 with 24.5%, 27.9%, and 15.0% respectively.[2]
Africans typically congregate in urban areas, moving to suburban areas over time. They are also less likely to live in segregated areas.[4] 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 through remittances.
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 African American 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.
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.[5][6] Estimates indicate that a significant percentage of black students at elite universities are African or the children of African immigrants, a notable example of this is Barack Obama.[7]
Harvard University, for example, has estimated that two-thirds of their black population is not traditional Afro Americans.[8] This is true for other universities such as Brown, Yale, Princeton, Penn, Columbia, Duke and Berkeley.[9] As a result, the benefits of affirmative action are not efficiently serving traditional multi-generational black Americans who are descendants of American slaves.[8]
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 other 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.[10]
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 white Americans and 3.8 percent of adult black Americans in the United States, respectively.[11] This information suggests that America has an equally large achievement gap between whites and African/Asian immigrants as it does between white and black 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 61.8% percent of the total foreign-born population.[12] Immigrants groups in general tend to have higher high school graduation rates than the native-born general American population.
Africans from Nigeria (98.1 percent), Ghana (96.9 percent), Botswana (96.7 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.[12]
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.[13]
Of the Asian-born, 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.[14]
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.[15][16] Black immigrants have a higher standard of educational achievement, on average, than the overall Canadian population.[17]
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 because English is one of the most spoken languages in Africa.
| 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% | 10.6% | 21.2% | 23.5% | 57.4% |
| College Degree | 23.1% | 23.3 | 51.1% | 42.5% | 28.9% | 9.1% |
| Advanced Degree | 2.6% | 4.2 | 10.2% | 7.8% | 5.8% | 1.9% |
SOURCE: 2000 US CENSUS
According to the 2000 U.S. Census, income levels among Africans are also typically higher than among Black Americans. This can be attributed to the higher education levels.
American immigrants from predominantly black nations in Africa and South America 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 have been shown to be healthier than American born Blacks.[18][19]
The study was published in the September issue of Social Forces and is the first to look at the health of black immigrants by their region of origin.[20] The study also showed that the advantage enjoyed by those black emigrants from predominantly non-white nations tended to erode the longer they remained with in the American social framework. The researchers believe this may be the result of being exposed to more stressful life events.
| Ancestry | 1990 | 1990% of US population | 2000 | 2000% of US population | Percent change from 1990 to 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Ethiopian |
27,200 | negligible (no data) | 86,918 | negligible (no data) | 219.6% |
 Ghanian |
14,900 | negligible (no data) | 49,944 | negligible (no data) | 235.2 |
 Nigerian |
35,300 | negligible (no data) | 165,481 | negligible (no data) | 368.8% |
 South African |
15,690 | negligible (no data) | 45,569 | negligible (no data) | 190.4% |
| Other | 136,910 | negligible (no data) | 292,088 | negligible (no data) | 113.3% |
| TOTAL | 230,000 | 0.1% | 640,000 | 0.2% | 166.9% |
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 not for profits like the Malawi Washington Association[12] organize by national identity, and are inclusive of all Malawians. 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.[22]
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 first Black President of the United States, is a member of the group, as his father is a Harvard University–educated economist and native of Kenya. A few notable African academics in the U.S. include John Ogbu, Philip Emeagwali and Kwame Anthony Appiah. In sports, Hakeem Olajuwon, Oguchi Onyewu, Freddy Adu, and Joseph Addai are prominent, and in entertainment, actor Gbenga Akinnagbe, singer Akon, and rapper Chamillionaire are also well-known.
These are Americans with at least one parent from Africa.
|
|||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
   | Segregation Stats - Lewis Mumford Center Census 2000 Metropolitan Racial and Ethnic Change Series |
| | Berkeley, SF Chronicle - Shades of gray in black enrollment / Immigrants' rising numbers a concern to some activists |
| | African Immigrants, NY Times - University of Houston : University Offices |
| | Diversity in Black and White - Lewis Mumford Center Census 2000 Metropolitan Racial and Ethnic Change Series |
| | New York Times: Solace From a Multiethnic Tapestry - Solace From a Multiethnic Tapestry - New York Times |
| | New York Times: Tastes of Nigeria, Sounds of Sierra Leone - Tastes of Nigeria, Sounds of Sierra Leone - New York Times |
| | New York Times: Bronx: Beyond the Yankees and the Zoo - Beyond the Yankees and the Zoo - New York Times |
| | African Immigrant Culture - FAF 1997: African Immigrant Culture in Metropolitan Washington, DC - Diana Baird N'Diaye |
|
|
Wikis
Quiz
Map
Search
