The making of a home in America—The journey to finding a sense of racial and ethnic belongings for sub-Saharan African immigrants in the U.S.

Abstract

African immigrants from Sub-Saharan Africa may look very much alike “Black” Americans. But do they identify themselves as “Blacks”? Do they find a sense of home in America like other African Americans? This paper utilizes interview data with 27 African older immigrants to illustrate the process of home-making for immigrant Africans. Findings reveal that the process of finding a sense of home in America involves the journey of socially constructing a racial identity different from African Americans with double consciousness. Home for African immigrants means a sense of belonging to both the communities in America and in their country of origin. For immigrant Africans, the sense of home may be transient and transnational. With their complicated racial and ethnic relations in the U.S., the immigrant Africans negotiate and adapt their relationships with their families and communities in both the host and original countries in their journey to find a sense of home and belonging. Study findings have policy and social implications because not all Blacks are African Americans. Recognizing the differences among African Americans and ethnic African immigrants will allow the delivery of social and medical services with targeted cultural sensitivities.