The Grapevine: Africans, AA's and Caribbeans

[K.O.N.Y]

Aframs in NYC know about/eat oxtails...my fam has always cooked them since I can remember.They aren't rare in soul food spots

its to the point i judge soul food spots based of the quality of their oxtails
And any spot that doesnt serve them at all gets thrown in the bushes

 

[im_sleep]

I relate being born and raised in NYC

Im not sure whose worst the disconnected wetstern or the Afram yankee

@IllmaticDelta

For what its worth the teasing was done by hotep influenced family members. Never got teased by friends or peers tho.

Regardless there's still a big difference between my generation(born in late 80's) and older west coast AA's who weren't as far removed from the south, grew up in majority AA neighborhoods, etc. I'm sure the same can be said for NYC as well.

 

[K.O.N.Y]

Oh I know, aint no way yall don't. But some nikka's slip through the cracks. I think for some of us, traditional things might not pass on generation after generation. Immigrants go through this too. In a big ass cosmopolitan city it's bound to happen.

Which is why putting black first over Afram cultural identity would be a nuclear bomb to us as a people. This is what i was trying to tell this clown @Gravity in the other thread
Im from NYC i literally see the downfall of doing that shyt with northern blacks in person

 

[K.O.N.Y]

For what its worth the teasing was done by hotep influenced family members. Never got teased by friends or peers tho.

Regardless there's still a big difference between my generation(born in late 80's) and older west coast AA's who weren't as far removed from the south, grew up in majority AA neighborhoods, etc. I'm sure the same can be said for NYC as well.

In new york Aframs forged a new "urban" aa cultural distinction that has a conflict of interest with certain southern(afram) cultural nuances
Its done to a fault

 

[im_sleep]

And to add we might be the only blacks to not have even a slight twang to our accents

I assume thats because of influence from Northerners who had no ties to the south in the early stages of great migration. Just a guess tho.

By the way I can hear it a lil in some New Yorkers (Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Ving Rhames to name a few).

 

[Free White & 21]

Aye serene(feel free to correct my spelling) you said you had negative experiences dating black foreigner men. Do you think that we adhere to harsher patriarchal stereotypes than other black men. I've heard Haitian women say they couldn't marry Haitian men, and some AA women when they find out I'm Haitian, sometimes they pull a or tell me of a family member who told them to watch out for Haitian men. Is it common for other AA women to be skeptical about entering relationships with black foreigners?

I dunno @Stacker Pentecost's experience but from what i've seen, West African men aren't overbearing about gender roles when it comes supporting the family. West African men work and West African women often cook foods and create garments that THEY go sell at the marketplace. It's very supportive - and it should be.

My granny used to manage the money and bills AND work while my grandfather ALSO worked (harder labor of course).

My brother is the same way. His wife worked and managed the money for the family, and when he fukked that up and got a new woman, the new woman manages the money for the family. She's also starting a small clothing company, which my brother also supports

Because he's a descendant of West African slaves

 

[Jemmy]

I said something like this before but yes. This is NOTHING NEW which is why I have said we should "limit" the label "black." I think @Poitier even remembers me saying that when clowns diss AA women they also mean to diss Americanized non-AA black women.

Americanized non-AA black women are able to avoid getting attacked by dusty negros because those dusty negros[especially those lets go to Brazil clowns] assume ALL Americanized black women are AA women. Hell most of the black feminist I see seem to be non-AA black women.

So again this is nothing new. Outsiders think ALL American Black people are ethnic AA especially in NYC.

Got a lot of people hiding under the "AA" ethnic identity. That's why I don't see the "AA" ethnic group identifier lasting too long. Too many people hiding under it.

 

[Biscayne]

I dunno @Stacker Pentecost's experience but from what i've seen, West African men aren't overbearing about gender roles when it comes supporting the family. West African men work and West African women often cook foods and create garments that THEY go sell at the marketplace. It's very supportive - and it should be.

My granny used to manage the money and bills AND work while my grandfather ALSO worked (harder labor of course).

My brother is the same way. His wife worked and managed the money for the family, and when he fukked that up and got a new woman, SHE manages the money for the family. She's also starting a small clothing company, which my brother also supports

Becausde he's West African

Aren't you AA? Your bro's married to a West African?

 

[Bawon Samedi]

Got a lot of people hiding under the "AA" ethnic identity. That's why I don't see the "AA" ethnic group identifier lasting too long. Too many people hiding under it.

No, the only REASON why they are ABLE to hide under it is because AAs have not defined ourselves. We are STILL trying to figure out what makes an AA and slowly we are getting there. So yes the AA ethnic identity WILL last because it will finally be defined. People like Yvette thankfully are making it more mainstream.

 

[Biscayne]

I assume thats because of influence from Northerners who had no ties to the south in the early stages of great migration. Just a guess tho.

By the way I can hear it a lil in some New Yorkers (Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Ving Rhames to name a few).

Basically all the AA new Yorkers have it. I hear it too in those folks you named. Especially Eddie.

 

[im_sleep]

I think aframs from the north east are less "southern" than black westerners.

Not as far removed, plus didn't have an already established culture to assimilate into like North Easterners.

However I think that is changing with the current generation. Accents aren't exactly the same anymore, neighborhoods are majority hispanic, numbers are dropping, etc.

 

[Free White & 21]

And to add we might be the only blacks to not have even a slight twang to our accents

We kept a lot of our country accent in cali - especially here in the bay.

When i first came to the bay (from LA) as a child, my little proper ass tried to criticize my granny's country vernacular

She hit me with the : Boy if you don't get out my kitchen..

I was out

 

[Free White & 21]

Aren't you AA? Your bro's married to a West African?

Nah i'm saying it SEEMS to be a West African cultural practice

And we're descendants of west african slaves..

 

[JBoy]

Have you been to the South?



Honest question. ATL, Houston, Dallas and Charlotte have some of the highest concentrations of continental Africans in the US.

I stay near Savannah and I have met a ton more West Indians and Africans in recent years that have moved into the area, a lot of West Indians followed the reverse migration of Blacks back to the South from much of the Northeast and the region has become popular among newer immigrants do to job growth and the warmer climate compared to the North.

 

[IllmaticDelta]

No, the only REASON why they are ABLE to hide under it is because AAs have not defined ourselves. We are STILL trying to figure out what makes an AA and slowly we are getting there. So yes the AA ethnic identity WILL last because it will finally be defined. People like Yvette thankfully are making it more mainstream.

na...aframs do know what makes an "ethnic afram" but the problem is that alot of foreign blacks also identify under a dual identify of "african-american" plus their own ethnic background.

SECRETARY POWELL: Well, I said it that way because people say, well, how will you be able to be successful in my military career and in the other things I've done in life. And I said that I grew up in a very diverse environment, and because I am not that black as a physical matter -- I am as black as anybody whose skin could be 20 shades darker than mine -- I consider myself an African American, a black man, proud of it and proud to stand on the shoulders of those who went before me. But I know that because of my background and my upbringing, I'm probably more acceptable over the years to the white power structure that I was dealing with as I came up.


Because, you see, Jim Crow and discrimination is not history to me; it's my life. I was raised in the pre-civil rights period. I've been thrown out of places because I was just black enough not to be served. So I have no illusions about who I am or what I am. But as I go about my job, what I say to people is I'm the American Secretary of State; I'm also black. I don't say I'm the black American Secretary of State, because it implies, gee, is there a white one somewhere, you know? [Laughter.] No, I am the Secretary of State. You take me as you see me, a proud American representing his country, and by the way, I'm awfully proud to be black. And I want, as a black person, to be an example and an inspiration to not just other black youngsters coming along, but to all youngsters who may think that because of their background or where they came from or their origins, somehow they can't achieve their dream. In our society you can. And I'm an example of it, out of the South Bronx, immigrant parents; you know the story. And I was able to achieve because there were people who were willing to accept me for what I was, treat me right, and allow me to demonstrate my ability. And these were white people, black people. These were people superior to me, people who worked for me, who trusted me. And that's the message I've always tried to convey to young people.

Be Heard: An MTV Global Discussion With Colin Powell



Since aframs are a race first people before nationality, we don't really check foreign blacks on it and unless we're triggered to do so.