Black American Descendants of Chattel Slavery are the most marginalized group in this country, bar none. I think some of us tend to forget that the notion of "flat blackness", the one drop rule, or anyone of African descent claiming the "African American" identity, is a very Americanized creation that doesn't exist anywhere else. It's yet another hold over from slavery. We've been here for 400 years at least, and we're still having identity crises.
From what I've heard, most of the Black American descendants had been systematically pushed, or gentrified out of many urban NY cities in the 90s, which left room for a new foreign black base to fill the void. These Caribbean and continental Africans seem to have very different views on racial/ethic identity, which doesn't do any favors to the black descendants as those lines continually become more and more blurred.
We were never taught to be tribal like other groups, to protect our identities, cultures and customs. Our ancestors were too busy trying to survive. No one should take issue with DACS Blacks drawing lines of distinction, unless your success in some way depends on their identity being some kind of removable accessory available to all. These are serious discussions that need to be had, though I get why people shy away from it out of fear of being labeled xenophobic or trying to "police someone's blackness".
Oh well. It is what it is.
