I have never been aware of my blackness until coming to America

Opinion

As I am about to repost this video of this remarkable Jamaican young lady, another powerful video comes to mind. I recalled a video I saw on social media of the Nigerian Academic, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, who voiced the similar sentiment that; she never identified as black until she came to America.

Listening to both of these women, I’m compelled to ponder: how do you think Black Americans feel, having lived with this harsh reality for centuries? Chimamanda’s immediate reaction when a man in Brooklyn affectionately called her “sister” is emblematic of many black immigrants who come to America.

The negative connotations attached to being black provoke an instinctive response of resentment and disdain towards being associated with “Black America.” This often creates a painful rift between black immigrants and black Americans.

They arrive in this land of opportunity with high hopes, unaware of its grim reality, only to be abruptly thrust into a system that incessantly stereotypes them. Confronted with this harsh truth, many black immigrants choose to immerse themselves in white mainstream culture, looking down on black Americans in a desperate attempt to escape the “stain” of being “BLACK.”

As a Jamaican myself, I frequently engage in conversations with fellow Jamaicans who harbor a negative attitude towards black Americans. My response has always been the same, “I never see what you saw though. In fact, I came to this country and never saw myself as different from black Americans.”

I passionately believe that every black person who comes to America should show immense respect and gratitude to Black Americans. They have fought fiercely, bled, sacrificed their lives, protested relentlessly, and legislated tirelessly so that every black immigrant who come to America can build a better life for themselves, never mind the slight imposition of discovering, “you are black.”