Foreign-born African Americans
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Foreign-born African Americans are Americans who are not born in the United States but are of African American descent or have assimilated into African American society. Foreign-born African Americans have slave ancestry and are sometimes of direct African American descent. The difference between African immigrants to the U.S. and foreign born African Americans is that foreign-born Black Americans are of North American or Caribbean slave descent. Foreign-born African Americans can also be a term used to refer to the Americo-Liberian population of Liberia, who are direct descendants of African American slaves who settled in Liberia. Foreign-born African Americans are not immigrants as they are of African American ancestry in most cases; or they have an American grandparent (whether naturalized or not) through which they can claim American ancestry.
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[edit] Americo-Liberian population
The Americo-Liberians are descendants of African American slaves who returned to Africa through the services of the American Colonization Society. The Americo-Liberians maintained ties to America and modelled the country after the U.S.; the Liberian flag resembles the U.S. flag and Monrovia was named in honor of U.S. President James Monroe. The Americo Liberians considered themselves as African Americans in Liberia, and they typically sent their children to study in the United States for college.
[edit] Sierra Leone Creole population
The Freetown Creoles are descendants of African Americans who immigrated to Sierra Leone as well as 'Black Loyalists from the American South who fought for the British in Revolutionary War. The Creoles speak a language similar to African American Gullah called Krio. The Creoles like the Americo-Liberians sent their children to study overseas; many did not return back to Sierra Leone. Because of the Sierra Leone Civil War there is also a large community of these Sierra Leone Creoles in the East Coast of the United States today, and a contingent on the West Coast of the United States. Some Creoles are related to Americo-Liberians because the early Americo-Liberians are the descendants of the Black Americans who initially settled in Freetown, Sierra Leone and Sherbro, Sierra Leone.
[edit] Notable Foreign-born African Americans
- Sidney Poitier, Bahamian American actor, born either in the Bahamas or near Florida
- Jon Lucien-musician
- Ben Gordon, Jamaican American Chicago Bulls basketball player, born in London, England
- Martin Lawrence, African American comedian and actor, born in Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany
- Tia Mowry-female actor born in Germany
- Tamera Mowry-female actor born in Germany
- Ruben Studdard-Singer born in Germany
