Why people of the African Diaspora need to identify as one people!

Each bring very different historical to modern day experiences and rich cultural uniquities to the communal table…

This was my response to a black Caribbean woman of the African diaspora bashing African Americans, who are also of the African diaspora, on another platform…

Black people across the world share a history of either forced migration from Africa to foreign lands, the African Diaspora, or the taking over of their native lands in Africa with insertion of a foreign government, then pillaging and plundering of their natural resources by Europeans during colonialism.

Each have a different experience that contributes to where they are today. Some won freedom and/or gained control over their islands or countries, like the Caribbean Islands, e.g., Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Barbados, Bermuda and Trinidad. With the European influence gone, the Black people as the MAJORITY were able to take control of their own circumstances and because of this, racism does not exist like it does in America.

You have to have economic power over a group of people before racism can exist. Those people are the MAJORITY in their homeland not the MINORITY so they are coming from a place where the psyche is different but apparently opportunity is limited or else their parents’ generation would not have left such a wonderful place.

They are a descendants of a proud people with a rich heritage who overcame oppression. Obviously there was something lacking in their homeland, however proud of their statistics, for one to immigrate from the Caribbean to America, likely more opportunity, so they took advantage of it (the opportunity) and were appreciative. They taught their children to do the same, so from their example you were successful.

African American’s as a people do have a long way to go to get to that point but we are working on it. You have to realize that there is generational coping mechanisms in place stemming from centuries of deprivation and desensitization that many African Americans have to recognize and overcome. Unfortunately a large number of my people, now that we are empowered to do so, are reacting out of anger and frustration with aggression to our own detriment. Which is not the way. It only adds to the negative image already portrayed or expected of us.

Many African Americans have overcome but many are stuck. I am an educated African American and I am very proud to descend from ancestors who survived slavery for 245 years then endured government sanctioned racism as an institution for another 100 years then fought for the very Civil Rights that you as a first generation Caribbean American enjoy. If your family had come over in the 1940’s or 1950’s it would have been an entirely different experience.

Bashing a group of people as a whole just incites anger and does not help anyone change. All People of African descent around the world need to come together and lift each other up. We need to find that common bond between us and find ways to help each other move from victim to victor. I think we have more in common than not. Let’s focus on the positive inclusive qualities we share than the different exclusive qualities that we have. Please!