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Black Immigrants: The experience of invisibility and inequality
The article Black Immigrants: The experience of invisibility and inequality by Bryce-Laporte argues that the relationship between ethnographic and cultural aspects is key to understanding the complexity of the Black immigrants’ lives in contemporary America. Clearly, the oppressive nature of the American government causes great concern for the opportunities that are available to the people of color who are influential and important in the States’ culture. In order to improve the quality of life of all Black people residing in the United States, their ethnic groups should be made more visible and present in the social life of the country.
Being a large constituent of the American community, people of color are not given enough credit by the ruling officials. The government has only recently started to engage in reforming the system to accommodate the needs of the Black citizens. Bryce-Laporte (1972) states that the Black community is the most active among America’s ethnic groups, yet it is the least visible. It is only due to the activist practices that the visibility of the Back culture has been elevated, however, there are still ways to improve the situation.
Black immigrants are a group that enriches the cultural diversity of the United States, which is why their presence should be clearly understood and known to the public. Ancestors of a large proportion of American citizens are immigrants from various European, Asian and Latin countries, and the influence of their backgrounds is evident in many social and cultural factors (Bryce-Laporte, 1972). For example, these immigrants brought their holidays which Americans of diverse ethnic and cultural groups celebrate. Similarly, their cuisine and traditions are enjoyed by the citizens of the United States, yet African culture is being unrepresented in American media and social life.
It can be argued that the reason why Black immigrants are not visible in the society of the United States is their lack of influence on the socioeconomic aspect of American life. According to Bryce-Laporte (1972), most Black foreigners immigrate to America and work in such areas that cannot be represented due to their low influence on the quality of life of the States. Such areas include field and domestic occupations and work at factories.
However, considering the relatively larger number of Black immigrants in the United States, it is evident that the socioeconomic environment of America is more beneficial than that of African countries. Bryce-Laporte (1972) suggests that many Black immigrants settle in America for jobs which the individuals are overly-qualified for. Therefore, professionals in various fields have to work at jobs which require less skill than Black foreigners can provide. Yet, such employments are still more high-paying than the prestigious jobs in Africa, which is why immigrants choose to work in America in areas that do not correspond to their qualifications. This tendency only further underrepresents Black immigrants. The fact that foreigners are not provided with relevant opportunities minimizes the contributions which they can provide for the American economy.
Evidently, the place that Black immigrants hold in the American society is not especially visible, although their ethnic group is influential on the cultural life of the States. The underrepresentation of the Black foreigners, who constitute a large proportion of American citizens, leads to the lessened quality of life of all people of color in the United States. Similarly, this tendency affects the socioeconomic aspect of the country due to restrictions on the necessary opportunities that Black immigrants should be provided with. This suggests that such foreigners are unable to hold jobs that correspond to their professional qualifications, which further leads to invisibility.
African Americans and immigrants: Shall we hang together or hang separately?
The article African Americans and immigrants: Shall we hang together or hang separately? by Lenoir and Kidane focuses on the experience of Black immigration and the importance of unified strategies of all people of color in the fight for justice and equity. Black communities of America suffer a major sense of disparity. This detachment between native African Americans and Black immigrants is an issue the consequences of which both of these communities face. Currently, this social disparity is still evident and should become one of the focuses of Black cultural discourse. To improve the quality of their lives as American residents, Black ethnic groups living in the United States should unite to fight for economic and social equity.
Currently, African Americans and Black immigrants are two distinct groups that are rather competitors than allies. They often have to fight over low-paying jobs to be able to provide financial support to their families (Lenoir & Kidane, 2007). This problem is the result of the American economic system which is not suited to the needs of its Black residents (Lenoir & Kidane, 2007). All people of color should, therefore, join forces to fight for justice and equity of the system which detrimentally affects the relationship between the groups causing one to see the other as their enemy.
The fight for human rights is important in America where social systems are not functioning properly to accommodate the groups of working-class citizens and the ethnic groups that face constant oppression. The disparity between the groups not only causes unwarranted distrust and at times even hatred but only further supports the unjustly functioning system. Rather than fighting with each other, African Americans and Black immigrants should unite in their mutual struggle caused by the socioeconomic environment (Lenoir & Kidane, 2007). Therefore, the enemy is not the different cultural community but the oppressive system.
The fight for the rights of Black immigrants is also beneficial to native African Americans. According to Lenoir and Kidane (2007), the legalization of undocumented immigration would improve the working conditions and increase wages not only for foreigners but also for the citizens of the United States. Therefore, the unification of all people of color in order to fight for immigration rights is crucial for more rapid achievement of equity at a workplace which would be beneficial for all Black people.
However, not all African Americans support Black immigrants and, therefore, might not provide an alliance to their fight for human rights. Polls have shown that less than 50% of African Americans believe that undocumented immigrants should be supported and receive relevant benefits (Lenoir & Kidane, 2007). Clearly, there is a question of whether the alliance between the two groups is even possible, considering the relatively low numbers of African Americans who are ready to support undocumented immigrants.
Although the support levels are not especially high, the alliance between all people of color is important due to the existence of an understanding of the mutual struggle among the communities. According to the same poll, only 20% of white Americans are ready to support undocumented immigrants which is twice as low compared to African American respondents (Lenoir & Kidane, 2007). These numbers suggest that there is a factor of the common understanding of the racial prejudice of the system against Black people and, therefore, a more evident will of African Americans to help immigrants.
Therefore, the cause of many issues that Black immigrants face is racial discrimination which is also a common experience for African American citizens. Considering the same underlying problem, it is critical that the two communities unite to fight for equity and justice. Currently, Black immigrants and African Americans often see each other as competitors, for example over jobs. However, instead of fighting against each other, these communities should become allies as they would both benefit from it.
References
Bryce-Laporte, R. S. (1972). Black Immigrants: The experience of invisibility and inequality.Journal of Black Studies, 3(1), 29–56. Web.
Lenoir, G., & Kidane, N. (2007). African Americans and immigrants: Shall we hang together or hang separately?The Black Scholar, 37(1), 50–52. Web.
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