Black Migrants and Black Lives Matter: Voices of Tension, Racism, Pan-Africanism, and Prospects for Collaboration

Abstract

The main question that this article addresses is: where do Black migrants view themselves in the racial justice movement in the United States? As we will see, some Black migrants chose to disassociate themselves from African Americans, and African Americans know that. Some white Americans favor Black migrants over African Americans, and African Americans know that as well. Most Black migrants have a sense of identity based on their ethnic background, while the identity for most African Americans has evolved from the evil history of slavery and discrimination in the United States. Those facts contribute to the challenge of incorporating Black migrants into the Black Lives Matter movement.

Black migration to the United States has received increased attention in the last several years—from the Border Patrol assault of Haitians at the Rio Grande River to the double-barreled targeting of Black migrants through their victimization by racist local police and their disproportionate detention by ICE.

In the wake of the murder of George Floyd and the strengthening of BLM, a question has surfaced over the level of involvement of Black migrants in the racial justice movement in the United States. That question is at the center of this article. Where do Black migrants see themselves vis a vis BLM? What are the factors that determine their involvement in the racial justice movement? How do African Americans regard Black migrants in the context of racial justice? What are the challenges to cohesion between these groups in the fight for racial justice? As this article reveals, the answers to these questions are complicated. Although there are commonalities, tension and misunderstanding between the groups are apparent. Black migrants are not monolithic, and their identities evolve in different ways in response to their experiences in the United States. Their numbers are growing: from 3.5 million in 2012 to 4.3 million in 2022—almost by 24 percent. Concepts of Pan-Africanism or Black unity are advanced by some advocates in the hopes of collaboration. These concepts register with some, but not all parties.

Through a review of the literature, social media, and voices that address Black migrants and BLM, Black migrant identity, African American views toward Black migrants, and Black migrant views toward African Americans are reviewed in this article. Many of the voices are those collected by a team of researchers that worked with me. In the process, the article explores tensions, misunderstandings, opposing viewpoints, evolving viewpoints, and challenges to collaboration. The prospects of vibrant participation in the racial justice movement by Black migrants are assessed along with the parallel prospect of Pan-African unification between the groups. A corresponding goal is to highlight the voices of Black migrants and African Americans on the issues of Black unity and racial justice collaboration.

Keywords: Race Relations, Black migration, Black Lives Matter, Immigration Pan-Africanism, Racism