It’s time we had an uncomfortable conversation. One we needed to have years ago but merely swept under the rug. Now, President Trump’s aggressive immigration policies are forcing our hand. There is a rift between Black Americans (the descendent of slaves) and Africans in America (first- or second-generation immigrants from the continent.)
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To African Americans, the rift is one sided because we pay little attention to the negative comments, but these long simmering tensions are now coming to a head because there is a call for us, Black Americans, to stand with immigrants—particularly Black ones. But here is the question: why would we stand with them now when they have been condescending to us for years? To quote a Canadian who lost a rap battle, this has all been brewing in a pot and now it’s heating up. Let’s talk about it.
Jump on social media, and you will see that this rift is real. There are YouTube videos about the issue.
Jump on TikTok. You will see creators discussion this split in the communities.
And for you academic minded people, there are articles written about this rift. Hell, there are even books you can read on the subject.
This is a longstanding issue. It is not new. However, what is bring this discussion to a boiling point is President Trump.
Earlier this month, the president announced a travel ban that targeted a number of Black nations. As of June 17, there are 7 African countries and Haiti that are banned from traveling to the United States. And according to reports, they are considering adding 25 more African nations to the list. This would bring the total number of mostly Black nations on the ban to 32, including Nigeria, Ethiopia and Ghana.
This poses a serious threat to first generation African immigrants who are in the U.S. If their home countries end up banned, they could be deported. Students, people who have lived here for years, whatever. If you do not have a green card or have become a citizen of America, you could be sent packing. And this leads us to the heart of the matter.
There is a discussion happening online about the lack of Black presence in the L.A. protests against ICE. Because of the relative apathy Black folks have about immigration, there is now an attempt to unite Black Americans and Africans because the writing is on the wall about what Trump will likely do when it comes to African nations.
But, again, should Black Americans care? We have seen the way some Africans look at us through condescending eyes. And how some whisper to each other, calling us lazy and underachievers.
So, should we care? The answer is simple. Yes. (I’m going to have to put on my professor hat here for a minute.)
The reason why there is friction between these two communities is white supremacy. The lies that white people told about Black Americans have made their way into the way some Africans view us. Many of them come to America and have success. They then wonder why those of us who have been here for generations have not achieved the same, but they fail to see the decades of institutional racism we have had to endure on American soil. The way we have had to fight for them to have the successes they now enjoy.
What is needed is an honest discussion about the experiences of our communities. We will then see that the conditions they are trying to escape were created by the same rampant white supremacy that ensnared us. It just manifested as colonialization in Africa and slavery and Jim Crow in America.
Our communities are more alike than we know. And we are going to need each other if we are going to stand up to a President who targets both communities.
Straight From 
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