Does Black History Month Represent All Blacks?

Writing in Time magazine, Christina Greer wonders where foreign-born black Americans fit into the annual February celebration. Suggested Reading Ryan Coogler, Cynthia Erivo and More Reveal Their Favorite Movies of All Time The History of Brandy and Monica’s Messy, Violent Feud This Rapper Has a Truly Frightening On-Stage Experience Mid-Battle, and it’s All Caught on…

Writing in Time magazine, Christina Greer wonders where foreign-born black Americans fit into the annual February celebration.

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Dominique Thorne Reveals Why She Almost Passed on <em>Ironheart</em>
Dominique Thorne Reveals Why She Almost Passed on <em>Ironheart</em>

The origins of this monthย began in 1926 when historian Carter G. Woodson (and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History) announced the second week of February to be "Negro History Week."โ€ฆ

At the time, less than 3% of theย blacksย living in America wereย foreign-born African-Americans, according to theย U.S. census.ย Today, census numbers show thatย 12% percent of blacksย in the U.S. are from Africa or the Caribbean. That number will likely continue to grow as African populations are among theย fastest-growingย immigrant groups. Moreover,ย these numbers do not fully encapsulate the black ethnic diversity that exists among second and third generation blacks in the U.S.

If you want an example of the changing face of black America, look no further than the family of Presidentย Barack Obama, whose father was a Kenyan student who was part of JFK'Sย American Education for African Studentsย program. Obama connects and identifies with this ethnic origin, while his wife, Michelle, connects and identifies with her black Americanย ancestryย as a descendent of slaves and share-croppers who moved from the South to northern cities during the Great Migration. Sasha and Malia represent two threads of black history in America.

Read Christina Greer's entire piece at Time.

The Rootย aims to foster and advance conversations about issues relevant to the black Diaspora by presenting a variety of opinions from all perspectives, whether or not those opinions are shared by our editorial staff.

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