Black is a racialized classification of people, a political and skin color-based classification of a specific population with a mid to dark brown complexion.
The centrality of color, race, and origin in today’s global discourse is undeniable. Other factors that reinforce this position include levels of development, civilizational values, history, religion, physical characteristics, and dress – but the most insistent and widespread is civilizational values.
The essence of this is barely a function of racism which exists everywhere and remains largely invisible. It is more of the satisfying feeling derivable from finding the nexus between yourself and those you have fundamental similarities.
Since the start of the decade in 2011, the Black or African American population hasn’t fallen below 40 million. This makes the Black American race the most dominant asides from the whites, totaling about 25 times more than any other race in America.
The Black population of the United States is diverse. Its members have varied histories in the nation. Many are descendants of enslaved people, while others recently arrive as immigrants. The Black population also has diverse ethnic and racial identities reflected in intermarriage and international migration.
The Western hegemony and white supremacy are still very much in play. Many factors eloquently testify to our government’s unwillingness to engage in a global dialogue to help African-Americans trace their origin.
The Yorubas remain an overwhelmingly dominant global race, priding ourselves in presence on all continents of the world. Having reigned globally, there is an urgent responsibility to create a pathway home in our global agenda.
Interestingly, 80% of African-Americans have their roots in West Africa, and Nigeria being the giant of Africa, claims a large slice of the pie. The Yoruba Cultural Ambassador to the Ooni of Ife, Asoju Asa Ile Odua – Oladotun Taylor has likened this to a clarion call, according to our National anthem, that needs to be heeded.
A little History
The first Yoruba people who arrived in the United States were imported as enslaved people from Nigeria and Benin during the Atlantic slave trade. Today, we have Yoruba Americans, whose population is estimated to be about 198,000.
With the aid of technology and human resources, recent genetics studies have revealed the surprising ancestry of many Americans. This only means that the estimated 198,000 figure is just a far cry compared to the actual figures.
The 2019 American Community Survey (ACS) estimated that 461,695 U.S. residents were of Nigerian ancestry. Nigerian-Americans, like British Nigerians, predominantly originate from southern Nigeria, as opposed to the country’s northern half.
In a study carried out by consumer genetics company 23andMe, the DNA of 50,281 people of African descent in the United States, Latin America, and Western Europe were sampled. Nigeria was revealed as the most common country of origin for testers from the US, the French Caribbean, and the British Caribbean.
Immigration keeps dramatically increasing, which asks a huge question of the popular “east or west, home is best” quote. However, we cannot deny that these migrants are only a subordinate population in their desired countries.
Carving a pathway home
Sometimes, living in your own country invariably makes you a beneficiary and not a victim, but those with a hard time tracing their genealogy would never know. Therefore, it is quite essential for us to leverage those who have self-identified as African-Americans by sorting out those who are Yorubas.
Finally, all these findings reveal that the economic future and creating a friendly welcoming ground for Nigerians, especially Yorubas, are closely tied. The exploits of slavery carted our beauty and brains away from home, and now it is in the freedom that they must be helped back home to behold, tour and develop their motherland.
Nigeria’s foreign policy is Africa-centered and now it is time to fulfill the long-standing dreams of our brothers and sisters not just in the United States, but all over the world by creating a system that supports, guides, and helps them have a feeling of their home – Africa.
