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Are they connected/integrated and do many in one community influence or interact with the other?
I know for instance, from stats that black Canadians are more likely to be recent immigrants (even if you count American migrants/slave descendents like those from the underground railroad) from Africa or the Caribbean than the United States, but how different are their cultures?
One thing I heard on city-data was that because of obvious media connections, African-Canadians often pick up cultural attributes from the USA, even if their parents were recent immigrants with African culture. The media is often shared, as evidenced by say rappers like Drake (whether you like his music or not).
Do black Canadians also get less of the negative stereotypes portrayed in the American media? Are black Canadians more integrated with other Canadians compared to how historically (and still sometimes in cities today unfortunately) race relations have been in the US?
Do many black Canadians have American relatives or family ties today or are the ancestry groups distinct enough in their migration choices/patterns that this is less common?
I'm too tired to write a response right now but check out this article about the ( or one) Black Canadian experience. I can say that her experience mirrored mine and other people I know.
There have been black people in Canada since the beginnings of colonization but in large numbers only really since the 1960s or 1970s. As a result the culture is only really in the infancy of its development.
Unlike the US the community is very disparate in its origins and you don't have a huge majority of the group that has a common historical experience to bind them together.
Only a very small minority of Canadian blacks are descended from African-Americans.
The majority as the present time are of West Indian descent (primarily Jamaican in Ontario and Haitian in Quebec) but the population of sub-Saharan Africans growing very fast now, with those from francophone countries settling mainly in Quebec and from former British colonies settling generally in Ontario.
If you add up all of these variables it appears a remote possibility that a single black Canadian identity and culture will emerge from this.
As for African-American culture as I mentioned it is only historically relevant to a small portion but of course given its juggernaut nature it does tend to get imported and adopted by many young black Canadians as if it was ''their own''. This is especially true of those who speak English and live in Ontario.
As for African-American culture as I mentioned it is only historically relevant to a small portion but of course given its juggernaut nature it does tend to get imported and adopted by many young black Canadians as if it was ''their own''. This is especially true of those who speak English and live in Ontario.
um.. NO. Black Canadians don't adopt or see AA culture as their own. In fact most Black Canadians really don't know anything about African American culture outside of hip-hop. So yeah, they listen to hip-hop the same way the white kids in Omaha listen to it, the Japanese kids, the kids in Italy and like the kids in Gatineau.
Black Canadians don't go to organizations like Jack and Jill or when they go off the university join Alpha Phi Alpha or Alpha Kappa Alpha and "stomp the yard". They're not eating soul food for their Sunday/holiday dinner. Most are not aware of authors like Langton Hughes, Zola Neala Hurston or Octavia Butler. Most would not know anything about US black history beyond to usual suspects(MLK, Rosa Parks,Slavery etc), someone like Nat Turner or Emmett Till would be strangers to them. They're don't celebrate holidays like kwanzaa (I know many AA don't celebrate it either) or Juneteenth. They don't know the worlds to lift every voice and sing, they wouldn't even recognize the song if they heard it.*
*Disclaimer: Yes, I know everything I listed are superficial stuff about AA culture. I listed most of this stuff off the top of my head. I also know that many stuff I list don't apply to all AAs, since AA culture and people are very diverse and the stuff I listed is not the end-all to be of AA culture since the culture is so rich and vast.
um.. NO. Black Canadians don't adopt or see AA culture as their own. In fact most Black Canadians really don't know anything about African American culture outside of hip-hop. So yeah, they listen to hip-hop the same way the white kids in Omaha listen to it, the Japanese kids, the kids in Italy and like the kids in Gatineau.
Black Canadians don't go to organizations like Jack and Jill or when they go off the university join Alpha Phi Alpha or Alpha Kappa Alpha and "stomp the yard". They're not eating soul food for their Sunday/holiday dinner. Most are not aware of authors like Langton Hughes, Zola Neala Hurston or Octavia Butler. Most would not know anything about US black history beyond to usual suspects(MLK, Rosa Parks,Slavery etc), someone like Nat Turner or Emmett Till would be strangers to them. They're don't celebrate holidays like kwanzaa (I know many AA don't celebrate it either) or Juneteenth. They don't know the worlds to lift every voice and sing, they wouldn't even recognize the song if they heard it.*
*Disclaimer: Yes, I know everything I listed are superficial stuff about AA culture. I listed most of this stuff off the top of my head. I also know that many stuff I list don't apply to all AAs, since AA culture and people are very diverse and the stuff I listed is not the end-all to be of AA culture since the culture is so rich and vast.
Well said, I agree with basically everything you wrote. There will always be a connection based on race, but beyond that the culture's do not mesh or have much in common with each other for the most part.
It was interesting reading the link above as well. I have always noticed that Black Canadians who are 1st or 2nd generation seem to want to cling to their parents heritage and not being Canadian. This is similar to 1st generation Caribbean-Americans who live in US cities with large West Indian populations. I believe this is overstated from personal experience. When I immigrated to Canada I quickly noticed that as an "FOB" Jamaican I really did not have much in common with the 1st generation West Indian Canadians either. We listened to different music, liked different sports, the "patois" they spoke sounded funny to me, basically we had completely different experiences growing up, so I gravitated to other Jamaicans who recently immigrated themselves. Yes their parents were from the same places my parents were from, but that is basically where the connection ended, outside of a select few who were very tied into their culture and history.
So I guess my question is, what is Black Canadian culture? I think it is very different from AA culture, but also very different from West Indian/African culture as well.
I am probably going to get into trouble for saying this because of who I am and where I am from but my sense is the reality lies somewhere in between the two last posts and mine.
There are more things AA that have been embraced by black Canadians than what is being acknowledged here. Not everything of course, but just look at sports like basketball, American football. Most would know and admire US civil rights movement legends. And some of them do celebrate Kwanzaa.
I am probably going to get into trouble for saying this because of who I am and where I am from but my sense is the reality lies somewhere in between the two last posts and mine.
There are more things AA that have been embraced by black Canadians than what is being acknowledged here. Not everything of course, but just look at sports like basketball, American football. Most would know and admire US civil rights movement legends. And some of them do celebrate Kwanzaa.
I think there are superficial connections as you mentioned. Black Canadians definitely more gravitate towards African American dominated sports, music and fashion than anywhere else. Yes there are a few who also share a connection with the African American civil rights movement and grow up with the same black heros that African Americans do as well. So yes maybe it is slightly understated above, but once you move to and live in the US and share direct personal experiences with African Americans you realize how little you really do have in common and it does not take long to come to that conclusion.
So yes there will always be a certain kinship with your black "cousins" so to speak, but much of it is superficial in nature.
Well said, I agree with basically everything you wrote. There will always be a connection based on race, but beyond that the culture's do not mesh or have much in common with each other for the most part.
It was interesting reading the link above as well. I have always noticed that Black Canadians who are 1st or 2nd generation seem to want to cling to their parents heritage and not being Canadian. This is similar to 1st generation Caribbean-Americans who live in US cities with large West Indian populations. I believe this is overstated from personal experience. When I immigrated to Canada I quickly noticed that as an "FOB" Jamaican I really did not have much in common with the 1st generation West Indian Canadians either. We listened to different music, liked different sports, the "patois" they spoke sounded funny to me, basically we had completely different experiences growing up, so I gravitated to other Jamaicans who recently immigrated themselves. Yes their parents were from the same places my parents were from, but that is basically where the connection ended, outside of a select few who were very tied into their culture and history.
I will admit I was like this also when I was younger (and still a little like this today). This truth is (and I know i'm going to get stone for this, but don't care) Many cling on to their parents culture because "mainstream" Canada won't let us be "Just Canadian". We are remained 24/7 that we are not Canadians or even worst, we don't exist, except when we are needed for a photo op to show Canada's diversity.
It used to infuriate me (and still to this day) when people ask me where I'm from and couldn't accept Canada as the answer. I remember one time this older white lady ask me where I was from the conversation went like this:
old white lady: where your from?
Me: Toronto
older white lady: No, where you really from?
Me: Oh, North York
older white lady: No, what's your Nationality? (at this time I knew where she was going at so I decide to be jerk about it)
Me: I am Canadian
older white lady: NO, WHERE WERE YOU BORN???????
Me: Mount Sinai Hospital
older white lady: Sigh, Where are your parents from?
Me: My parents are from Barbados.
older white lady: Why didn't you say you're Barbadian in the first place.
Then she walked away.
This has been a common occurrence in my lifetime, along with "Are you Biracial?" (but that's a totally different thread). So I was like, "these people won't let me just be Canadian then screw it, I'll be a Bajan. On the flip side of the coin, I had my Parents and other Bajan family members and friends telling me I was Canadian. If I talked in "patois", My dad would yell at me; Why are you talking like that, talk like a Canadian! My Mom's favourite insult towards me (in a playful way), oh girl you so Canadian.
So here I was stuck in two different worlds. Like the writer, it wasn't till I live in the US I fully feel like a Canadian, even though I would call myself 100% Culturally Canadian.
I think there are superficial connections as you mentioned. Black Canadians definitely more gravitate towards African American dominated sports, music and fashion than anywhere else.
I see this more as, Canadians in General flockAmerican dominated sports, music and fashion than anywhere else.
Quote:
Originally Posted by edwardsyzzurphands
So yes maybe it is slightly understated above, but once you move to and live in the US and share direct personal experiences with African Americans you realize how little you really do have in common and it does not take long to come to that conclusion.
Yes, I went to HBCU, and I learned pretty fast that we were different. (HBCU is another thing that most Black Canadian can't identify with.
Quote:
Originally Posted by edwardsyzzurphands
So yes there will always be a certain kinship with your black "cousins" so to speak, but much of it is superficial in nature.
Yes, there is a kinship with AAs but I think we a certain kinship with all people of the African Diaspora.
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No, what's your Nationality? (at this time I knew where she was going at so I decide to be jerk about it)
" (but that's a totally different thread). So I was like, "these people won't let me just be Canadian then screw it, I'll be a Bajan. On the flip side of the coin, I had my Parents and other Bajan family members and friends telling me I was Canadian. If I talked in "patois", My dad would yell at me; Why are you talking like that, talk like a Canadian! My Mom's favourite insult towards me (in a playful way), oh girl you so Canadian. 
