African immigration to the United States
From the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 to 2017, Sub-Saharan African-born population in the United States grew to 2.1 million people.
[citation needed] Several laws enforcing national origins quotas on U.S. immigration were enacted between 1921 and 1924 and were in effect until they were repealed in 1965.
It allows people born in countries with low rates of immigration to the United States to obtain a lawful permanent resident status.
[9] The graph below shows African immigration to the United States in 2016 based on class of admission with numbers from the Department of Homeland Security's Yearbook.
[11] This trend began after decolonization, as many Africans moved to the U.S. seeking an education and to escape poverty, and has risen steadily over time.
It has been relatively easier for African immigrants with advanced education to leave and enter international labor markets.
For example, doctors from different African nations would move to the U.S. in order to gain more economic opportunities compared to their home country.
[7] Legal service organizations such as the African Advocacy Network aid in family members sponsoring new immigrants to the United States.
[23] Countries with the most immigrants to the U.S. are Nigeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Somalia, Eritrea, and Kenya.
Seventy five percent (75%) of the African immigrants to the U.S. come from 12 of the 55 countries, namely Nigeria, Egypt, Ghana, Ethiopia, South Africa, Kenya, Liberia, Somalia, Morocco, Cape Verde, Sierra Leone and Sudan (including what is now the independent country of South Sudan), which is based on the 2000 census data.
Nigeria, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya and Ethiopia continue to be the main source countries for immigrants to the United States.
Recently, the proportion of immigrants from sub-Saharan African countries has increased, reflecting the rapid population growth in the region and the impact of economic, social, and political factors.
Areas such as Washington, D.C., New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Boston, Columbus, and Minneapolis have heavy concentrations of African immigrant populations.
Many African immigrants come to the United States through the Diversity Visa Program,[40] which requires applicants to have completed formal primary and secondary education.
They have a high rate of naturalization, a higher level of education than the overall U.S. population, and are more likely to earn degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
In addition, they make important contributions to several key economic sectors, such as healthcare, which have been facing labor shortages.
A study conducted by Jen'nan Ghazal Read, a sociology professor at the UC Irvine, and Michael O. Emerson, a sociology professor at Rice University, studied the health of more than 2,900 black immigrants from top regions of emigration: the West Indies, Africa, South America and Europe.
[42][43] The study was published in the September issue of Social Forces and is the first to look at the health of black immigrants by their region of origin.
In the Washington area, events such as the annual Ethiopian soccer tournament, institutions such as the AME Church African Liberation Ministry, and "friends" and "sister cities" organizations bring together different communities.
This form of Christianity is a "primarily evangelical, born-again Pentecostal sect that emphasizes holiness, fervent prayer, charismatic revival, proximate salvation, speaking in tongues, baptism of the Holy Spirit, faith healing, visions, and divine revelations.
For the first time, American audiences were able to experience the successes, celebrations and challenges of people living throughout Africa and the Diaspora, all via a general entertainment network.
The network is broadcast in the U.S. through national distribution deals with the largest cable MSOs in the country, including Comcast, Charter, and Cox.
The Atlanta, DC, Dallas, Houston, New York and San Antonio Metro areas host many eateries belonging to the Liberian, Senegalese, Nigerian, Ethiopian, Tanzanian, South African and other communities.
According to ethnomusicologist Portia Maultsby, African immigrant artists have impacted the U.S. through fashion and mainstream music by utilizing their cultural heritage as a foundation for their artistry.
In "Marketing Senegal through hip-hop-a discourse analysis of Akon's music and lyrics", Madichie cites Senegalese-American singer, Akon, as a first-generation African immigrant musician whose music and lyrics create a confluence of West Africa-styled vocals mixed with North America's East Coast and Southern beats.
[53] Ethnomusicologist Mellonee Burnim's area of aesthetic significance are style of delivery, sound quality, and mechanics of delivery-qualities common to African-derived music.
The sways and sashays as well as the physical appearance of African immigrant musicians has a significant influence on U.S. culture exemplified through fashion trends.
[54] Mechanics of delivery involves improvisation of time, text, and pitch to deliver Black audiences a variety in performances.
Eltahir from Sudan;[58] at Caltech, 1999 Nobel Prize in Chemistry Winner Ahmed Zewail from Egypt; at Yale, professor Lamin Sanneh[59] from Gambia; at Pennsylvania State University, professor Augustin Banyaga, from Rwanda; at Harvard, professors Jacob Olupona,[60] from Nigeria, Barack Obama Sr. from Kenya, Emmanuel K. Akyeampong from Ghana,[61] Biodun Jeyifo from Nigeria,[61] and John Mugane from Kenya;[61] and at Princeton, Adel Mahmoud [62] from Egypt, Wole Soboyejo[63] from Nigeria, Simon Gikandi[64] from Kenya, V. Kofi Agawu from Ghana,[65] and Kwame Anthony Appiah from Ghana.
Academy Award-winning actress Charlize Theron, entrepreneur Elon Musk, and Grammy Award-winning musician Dave Matthews, are all white South Africans; and two-time Academy Award-nominated actor Djimon Hounsou and Grammy-winning musician Angelique Kidjo, both from Benin; and recently Lupita Nyong'o and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, are most notable.
