Diverse News 2008®

NEWS FEEDS
The Obama Generation: The Emergence of Africans in America
    ST. LOUIS, July 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is an Essay
by Dr. Benjamin Akande, Dean, Webster University School of Business and
Technology:

    A lot of Americans are wondering these days, some with awe, some with
alarm, who is this Barack Obama and where did he come from? To many, it
seems that the man who is one -- albeit large -- step away from the White
House, came seemingly from out of nowhere, charming the masses and the
media in equal measure. Rather, he, as a representation of the African
immigrant population in the United States, has been quietly emerging all
along.

    The influx of African immigrants to the United States in the last two
decades has been nothing short of phenomenal. According to figures from the
Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), the number of African
immigrants in the United States more than quadrupled in the last two
decades; from 109,733 between 1961-80 to 531,832 from 1981-2000. The
emergence of this group has been enabled by two policies in particular: the
1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act and the Diversity Visa Program that
was introduced as part of the 1990 Immigration Act. While the 1986 Act made
it easier for undocumented immigrants, including those from Africa then
living in the United Sates to become permanent residents, the Diversity
Visa Program was aimed at promoting immigration from hitherto
underrepresented countries and regions of the world, allowing up to 50,000
qualified Africans to migrate to the United States annually through a
lottery process.

    Moreover, the economic paralysis and political suffocation in Africa
over the past 20 years has driven thousands of Africans, particularly
highly skilled professionals to seek their economic fortunes elsewhere,
with many opting to come to the Unites States. And unlike the Africans who
came to the United States in the 1960s and 70s and returned to their
respective countries with an American education and the skills needed for
nation-building, many of the immigrants of the last two decades are more
interested in settling in the United States and building comfortable lives
for themselves and their families. The upshot has been a steady flow of
skilled and highly educated Africans into the United States.

    Where do Africans go when they arrive in America? These new immigrants
can be found in major metropolitan areas in states like New York, Texas,
Georgia, Illinois, Maryland and California, to small towns in Idaho, Iowa,
Maine and the Dakotas. South Dakota, for instance, saw an increase in the
number of African immigrants from 210 in the 1990s to 1,500 in 2000.
Similarly, Tacoma, Wa. witnessed an increase of more than 800 percent in
the number of immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa from 202 in the 1990s to
1,802 in 2002.

    Given their small population, African immigrants and their offspring
generally fly under the radar of average Americans. While their
achievements and contributions to American culture are small, they are
worthy. First- and second-generation African immigrants are making inroads
in a wide range of professions -- from academia and journalism to
professional sports and acting. John Ogbu, Kwame Anthony Appiah, Wole
Soyinka and Chinua Achebe figure prominently in academia. In sports, Hakeem
Olajuwon and Joseph Addai lead the field. And in entertainment, Gbenga
Akinnagbe and singer Akon take the spotlight. Herein lies the O that is
Obama Generation: Africans in America.

    The Obama Generation is a representation of African immigrants and
their offspring, who are gradually establishing themselves as key players
in the political, social, academic and economic spheres of America. While
their presence has been illuminated by the emergence of the junior Senator
from Illinois, their impact will continue for many years to come,
regardless of this presidential election or any other.
terms and conditions