African-Born Immigrants in U.S. Schools: An Intercultural Perspective on Schooling and Diversity

Abstract

Despite the significant increase of African-born immigrants in the United States of America, the education system does not recognize their presence and does little to facilitate their integration through the implementation of necessary curricular adjustments. The purpose of this article is to call on multicultural education advocates to endorse the argument for the distinctness of Africanborn immigrants as a complex cultural group with unique vulnerabilities requiring sensitivity. Organizationally, the paper develops four key points: the current demographic representation of the African population; the absence of African voices in multicultural education scholarship; the salience of multicultural education advocacy in recognizing the essence of African cultures in the western world; and the minimal coverage of African topics in the U.S. curriculum. Two sets of recommendations, curricular and culture-oriented, conclude the argument. Despite the recent increase of African-born immigrants in the United States of America (Hamza, 2005), their presence is poorly reflected in curricular decisions and educational planning in the U.S. school system. Oftentimes, the efforts of school officials to acknowledge African students yield minimal effect and superficial understanding among American-born educators and peers. Due to the absorption of African immigrant populations into the larger context of the black race (Arthur, 2000), little is known about their histories, their cultures, and their achievements. African-born children or children of African-born parents in the western world are disadvantaged by the manner in which African cultures and people have been portrayed in western-authored textbooks and by the western media. This paper is a response to the minority cultures from sub-Saharan Africa, who seldom feel recognized or given the opportunity to affirm themselves in the U.S. context, particularly in the educational arena. After examining the American education curriculum vis-à-vis immigrant minorities from non-predominant cultures, like Africans, a twofold argument emerged.

Afro-Caribbean Immigrant Faculty Experiences in the American Academy: Voices of an Invisible Black Population

“…What the academy has not been adept at addressing is the heterogeneity within minority populations. Minority populations oftentimes are presented as a whole group based on race, and the unique experiences of various ethnicities and nationalities are oftentimes not taken into account; as Harushimana & Awokoya (2011) note "[t]he multicultural paradigm has yet to frame a multidimensional, culturally-responsive pedagogy, so that the needs and experiences of immigrant groups from societies with an embedded cultural diversity are recognized" (p. 36). One such example is the way in which Asian populations are presented when institutions address diversity.…”

My American Dream

“…For example, among Nigerians, relatively high economic success may be attributed to pre-migration status as professionals; however, Ethiopians, many who come seeking asylum, arrive with fewer resources and years of schooling (Rong & Preissle, 2009). Regardless of reasons for immigrating or pre-migration status, African immigrants to the United States may be subject to racism that did not exist in home countries (Harushimana & Awokoya, 2011).…”

American experience : an interpretative phenomenological analysis of how African international students make meaning of their experiences in the US Universities

“…In addition, they learn new values while in school, but such values are sometimes unfit for the African society. Harushimana and Awokoya (2011) also highlighted a similar challenge. They suggested that education in the US sometimes rids the African international students of any meaningful value to their communities in Africa.…”

“…Adopting a multicultural education lens requires special training for the teachers. Harushimana and Awokoya (2011) also recognized the challenge associated with multicultural education. They accept that multicultural education 152 "captures the aspirations and expectations of most immigrant families and their children" (p. 36) but it is difficult to achieve, especially in the US where new immigrants keep coming.…”