African Americans in France

Part of a series on

African Americans

History

|  Periods

* Timeline
* Atlantic slave trade
* Abolitionism in the United States
* Slavery in the colonial history of the US
* Revolutionary War
* Antebellum period
* Slavery and military history during the Civil War
* Reconstruction era
* Politicians
* Juneteenth
* Civil rights movement (1865–1896)
* Jim Crow era (1896–1954)
* Civil rights movement (1954–1968)
* Black power movement
* Post–civil rights era

Aspects

* Agriculture history
* Black Belt in the American South
* Business history
* Military history
* Treatment of the enslaved

Migrations

* Great Migration
* Second Great Migration
* New Great Migration

Culture

|  Lifeways

* Dance
* Family structure
* Film
* Folktales
* Music
* Musical theater
* Names
* Neighborhoods
* Newspapers
* Soul food

Schools

* Education during the slave period in the US
* Education of freed people during the Civil War
* History of African-American education, after the Civil War
* Historically black colleges and universities
* Fraternities

Academic study

* Studies
* Art
* Literature

Celebrations

* Martin Luther King Jr. Day
* Black History Month
* Juneteenth
* Kwanzaa

Economic class

* African-American businesses
* Middle class
* Upper class
* Billionaires

Symbols and ideas

* African-American beauty
* Black is beautiful
* Black pride
* African-American hair
* Good hair
* Stepping
* "Lift Every Voice and Sing"
* Self-determination

Religion

|  Institutions

* Black church

Theologies

* Black theology
* Womanist theology

Non-Christian groups

* Hoodoo
* Black Hebrew Israelites
* African-American Jews
* African-American Muslims
* Nation of Islam
* Louisiana Voodoo
* African Diaspora Religions

Politics

|  Organizations

* Congressional Black Caucus
* Joint Center
* National Black Caucus of State Legislators
* National Conference of Black Mayors

Ideologies

* Afrocentrism
* Anarchism
* Back-to-Africa movement
* Black power
* Capitalism
* Conservatism
* Garveyism
* Leftism
* Liberalism
* Nationalism
* Pan-Africanism
* Patriotism
* Populism
* Radicalism
* Socialism

Civic/economic groups

|  Organizations

* Association for the Study of African
American Life and History
* Black conductors
* NAACP
* National Black Chamber of Commerce
* National Council of Negro Women
* National Pan-Hellenic Council
* National Urban League
* TransAfrica
* UNCF

Sports

* Negro league baseball

Athletic associations and conferences

* Central (CIAA)
* HBCU (HBCUAC)
* Mid-Eastern (MEAC)
* Southern (SIAC)
* Southwestern (SWAC)

Sub-communities

|  Multiethnic

* African-American Jews
* Afro-Puerto Ricans
* Alabama Creole people
* Black Indians
* Black Seminoles
* Mascogos
* Blaxicans
* Brass Ankles
* Creoles of color
* Dominickers
* Freedmen
* Great Dismal Swamp maroons
* Louisiana Creoles
* Melungeon
* Carmel
* Redbone

Specific ancestries

* Americo-Liberians
* Creek Freedmen
* Gullah
* Merikins
* Nova Scotians
* Samaná Americans
* Sierra Leone Creole

Sexual orientation

* LGBT community

Dialects and languages

|  English dialects

* African-American English
* African-American Vernacular English
* Liberian English
* Samaná English
* Tutnese

Languages and other dialects

* Gullah
* Afro-Seminole Creole
* Negro Dutch
* Black American Sign Language

Population

|  US states

* Alabama
* Arkansas
* California
* Florida
* Georgia
* Illinois
* Indiana
* Iowa
* Kansas
* Louisiana
* Maryland
* Mississippi
* Nebraska
* New York
* North Carolina
* Ohio
* Oklahoma
* Oregon
* South Carolina
* South Dakota
* Tennessee
* Texas
* Utah
* Virginia

US cities

* Black mecca
* List of neighborhoods
* Atlanta
* Baltimore
* Boston
* Chicago
* Dallas-Fort Worth
* Davenport
* Detroit
* Houston
* Jacksonville
* Kentucky
* Lexington
* Los Angeles
* New York City
* Omaha
* Philadelphia
* San Antonio
* San Francisco

Historic places

* District of Columbia
* Florida
* Georgia
* Mississippi
* Missouri
* Omaha, Nebraska
* North Carolina
* South Carolina
* Texas
* West Virginia

Population count

* US states and territories
* US metropolitan areas
* US cities
* US communities
* Places by plurality of population

Diaspora

* Africa
* Canada
* France
* Ghana
* Israel
* Liberia
* Nova Scotia
* Sierra Leone

Prejudice

|  Racism

* Black genocide
* Race and ethnicity in the US census
* Racism against Black Americans
* Reparations for slavery
* School segregation in the US
* Unarmed African Americans killed by police officers

Stereotypes and media depictions

* Blackface
* Criminal stereotypes
* Hollywood
* Magical Negro
* Minstrel show

* United States portal
* Category
* Index

* v
* t
* e

African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans) in France are black people from the United States who are or have become residents or citizens of France. This includes students and temporary workers.

France has historically been described as a "haven" for blacks, having officially declared itself a colorblind society following the abolition of slavery in 1794.[1] Blacks have migrated to France since the 19th century, often to escape the prevalent racism in the United States. The emergence of WWI and the subsequent rise of jazz in France laid the foundations for bustling African American community, and opened doors for black performers, writers, and artists. France does not collect information about race or ethnicity in their census, making it impossible to gauge how many Black Americans are currently in France.[2] Recent years have brought calls for a racial awakening in France, and a resurgence of black pride under the ideology of "négritude."[1]

## Migration

[edit]

### Colonial era

[edit]

African Americans, who are largely descended from Africans of the American Colonial Era, have lived and worked in France since the 1800s. This first mass migration of African Americans to France occurred as a result of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. When the French territory was transferred to America, many free black Americans moved to France to escape the apartheid state.[3] Unofficial estimates put this figure at nearly 50,000 free black individuals.[4]

### World War I and the interwar period

[edit]

During World War I roughly 200,000 African-American soldiers were brought over, most for non-combat duties. Nine-tenths of the soldiers were from the American South.[5] The 369th Infantry Regiment of New York, better known as the Harlem Hellfighters, were the first to arrive in France in 1917. One member, Sergeant Henry Johnson, was the first American Soldier to be awarded the Croix de guerre with palm by the French Army.[5] Many black GIs decided to stay in France after having been well received by the French, and others followed them.[6] France was viewed by many African Americans as a welcome change from the widespread racism in the United States.

It was then that jazz was introduced to the French, and black culture was born in Paris. African-American musicians, artists and writer (many associated with the Harlem Renaissance) found 1920s Paris ready to embrace them with open arms. France represented a golden opportunity for many jazz musicians to escape not only racism, but also growing competition from oversaturation in the American jazz scene.[5] Entertainers such as Josephine Baker, Charlie Parker, and Eugene Bullard are among those who experienced great success after moving to France in the 20's. Montmartre became the center of the small community, with jazz clubs such as Le Grand Duc, Chez Florence, and Bricktop's thriving in Paris. Often referred to as "Les Années Folles" (or the Crazy Years), 1920's France hosted a small but significant number of African Americans, and represented an era of black American cultural appreciation.[5]

### World War II

[edit]

The Nazi German invasion of Paris in June 1940 led to the suppression of the "corrupt" influence of jazz in the French capital and the danger of imprisonment for African Americans choosing to remain in the city. Most Americans, black as well as white, left Paris at the time.[7][8] Following World War II, the arrival of black immigrants from former French colonies had offered Blacks in France the chance to experience new forms of black culture.[9] The period after WWII brought hundreds of black Americans to Paris, including prominent American writers such as Richard Wright and James Baldwin, and a new generation of jazz musicians.[9]

In the 1950s and 1960s, the political upheavals surrounding the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War protests in the United States were mirrored by civil unrest in France.[10] The African-American journalist William Gardner Smith was a novelist (Last of the Conquerors) who worked for Agence France-Presse. The French news service reported the events of the student uprising during the May 1968 protests. Many black residents supported the movement, which escalated into a virtual shutdown of the entire country. Once order was restored, however, a notable increase in repressive tendencies was observed in the French police and the immigration authorities.[11]

### Contemporary era

[edit]

While it is illegal to collect data concerning race or ethnicity in France, immigration wave research suggest there are between 3-5 million black immigrants currently in the country.[6] France remains a hub for African-American intellectuals and creatives. Rapper Kanye West is one such example, establishing roots in the French fashion and music scene. His song "Niggas in Paris" featuring Jay-Z, was inspired by his time in France and later used in a campaign commercial by the former French president, François Hollande.[12]

## Culture

[edit]

In the 1920s many Parisians became fascinated with Africa and black individuals, due to a growing social interest in primitivism and sensuality.[5] For this reason, most Black Americans at the time were performers, often finding it difficult to obtain other forms of employment given their foreigner status. Langston Hughes wrote about his own struggles with finding employment during his time in France in his autobiography, The Big Sea. The Algerian War also had a significant impact on French African-American culture, largely because it changed people's perspectives on the "colorblindness" of France. Influential writers such as William Gardner Smith (The Stone Face) and James Baldwin ("Alas, Poor Richard") brought attention to the ways France mistreated its colonial subjects, and how this mistreatment was similar to the bigotry black Americans had faced in the States.[11] These works bolstered calls for discourse about race and diaspora as France moved into the 21st century.

## Interpretation

[edit]

Tyler Stovall, a history professor at the University of California, Berkeley, has said:

> In many ways, African Americans came to France as a sort of privileged minority, a kind of model minority, if you will—a group that benefited not only from French fascination with blackness, but a French fascination about Americanness. Although their numbers never exceeded a few thousand.[4]

The Conseil Représentatif des Associations Noires (CRAN) has stated:

> Figures on nationalities are allowed but a black immigrant becoming French will disappear from statistics... Based on data from immigration waves researchers have come to say there may be 3 to 5 million blacks in France.[13]

African Americans in France make up a minority of the French population, and are not represented in statistical data. French universalism and a historical fascination with black American culture have made them into what Tyler Stovall calls a "model minority."

> ## Notable figures

[edit]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "African Americans in France" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (March 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

* J. Alexander, model
* Evelyn Anderson, dancer
* Josephine Baker, entertainer and actress
* Longineu W. Parsons III
* Mickey Baker, influential guitarist in rock and roll, and rhythm and blues
* James Baldwin, author and essayist
* Sidney Bechet, jazz musician
* Dee Dee Bridgewater, jazz singer and actress
* Arthur Briggs, jazz musician
* Eugene Bullard, world's first Black military pilot
* Barbara Chase-Riboud, novelist, poet, sculptor and visual artist
* Kenny Clarke, jazz musician[14]
* Bessie Coleman, first African-American pilot
* Beauford Delaney, modernist painter
* Carole Fredericks, singer
* Johnny Griffin, jazz musician
* Chester Himes, crime novelist
* Quincy Jones, musician, composer, record producer
* Eartha Kitt, singer, actress, and entertainer
* Lenny Kravitz, rock musician
* Ealy Mays, painter
* Memphis Slim, blues pianist and singer
* Chloé Mortaud, Miss France, 2009
* Shaun Ollison, model, Ms. California 2000
* Rashaan Nall, actor, director, screenwriter, painter
* Lobo Nocho, jazz singer and painter who was romantically involved with Winston Churchill's daughter Sarah[15][16]
* Charlie Parker, jazz musician
* Tony Parker, basketball player for the NBA's San Antonio Spurs and Charlotte Hornets (born in Belgium, but raised in France)
* Melvin Sanders, professional basketball player
* Victor Séjour, playwright
* Nina Simone, jazz and blues singer, a prominent leader during the American Civil Rights Movement
* Ada "Bricktop" Smith, dancer, singer, vaudevillian, and self-described saloon-keeper
* William Gardner Smith, journalist, novelist, and editor
* Barbara Summers
* Henry Ossawa Tanner, painter
* Melvin Van Peebles, filmmaker
* Dominique Wilkins, NBA Hall of Famer (born in France while his father was stationed there with the U.S. Air Force)
* Richard Wright, author of novels, short stories, and non-fiction
* Amir Richardson

## See also

[edit]

* France portal
* United States portal

* Afro-French
* Americans in France
* Senegalese people in France
* Cameroonians in France
* Congolese people in France
* Beninese people in France
* Ghanaians in France
* Ivorians in France
* Malians in France
* Togolese people in France

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Kimmelman, Michael (June 17, 2008). "For Blacks in France, Obama's Rise Is Reason to Rejoice, and to Hope". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
2. ^ Bleich, Erik (May 1, 2001). "Race Policy in France". Brookings. Archived from the original on November 14, 2016. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
3. ^ "Paris Has Been A Haven For African Americans Escaping Racism". NPR.org. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
4. ^ a b "LAND OF THE FREE". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
5. ^ a b c d e Stovall, Tyler (2012). Paris noir: African Americans in the city of light. CreateSpace Independent. ISBN 978-1-4699-0906-6. OCLC 1027495136.
6. ^ a b "Blacks in France are Invisible". www.nationalbcc.org. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
7. ^ March, Sarah (January 31, 2010). "Americans in Paris: Life and Death Under Nazi Occupation 1940–44 | Book review". the Guardian. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
8. ^ "World on Fire | Episode 6 History & Images | Masterpiece | Official Site". Masterpiece. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
9. ^ a b Stovall, Tyler (2000). "The Fire this Time: Black American Expatriates and the Algerian War". Yale French Studies (98): 182–200\. doi:10.2307/2903235. ISSN 0044-0078. JSTOR 2903235.
10. ^ "events of May 1968 | Background, Significance, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
11. ^ a b ""How Does It Feel To Be a White Man?": William Gardner Smith's Exile in Paris". The New Yorker. August 7, 2019. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
12. ^ "Is Paris Still a Haven for Black Americans?". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
13. ^ "Blacks in France are Invisible". www.nationalbcc.org. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
14. ^ "Kenny Clarke, Inventor Of Modern Jazz Drumming, At 100". NPR.org. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
15. ^ "Ernest ('Lobo') Nocho: Three Original Paintings". Between the Covers: African-Americana. 157. 2010. Archived from the original on May 23, 2013. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
16. ^ "Winston Churchill's Daughter May Wed Negro Artist". Jet Magazine. January 28, 1965. Retrieved March 25, 2013.

## External links

[edit]

* Jenkins, Maureen. "African-Americans in Paris: 'It's always been about freedom for us'". CNN. February 25, 2013.

* v
* t
* e

African diaspora

Geography|

| Americas/
Latin America|

| Caribbean|

* Anguilla
* Antigua and Barbuda
* Aruba
* Bahamas
* Barbados
* Bermuda
* Cayman Islands
* Cuba
* Afro-Roma
* Arará
* Cape Verdean
* Ganga-Longoba
* Curaçao
* Dominica
* Dominican Republic
* Cocolo
* Samaná Americans
* Grenada
* Haiti
* Marabou
* Marron
* Jamaica
* Afro-Roma
* Coromantee
* Igbos
* Jamaican Maroons
* Puerto Rico
* Saint Kitts and Nevis
* Saint Lucia
* Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
* Garifuna
* Trinidad and Tobago
* Douglas
* Merikins
* Turks and Caicos Islands

|

Central
America|

* Belize
* Garifuna
* Costa Rica
* El Salvador
* Guatemala
* Honduras
* Miskito people
* Miskito Sambu
* Nicaragua
* Panama
* Cimarrón

North
America|

* Canada
* Black Mennonites
* Indigenous Black Canadians
* New Brunswick
* Nova Scotia
* Ontario
* African immigrants
* Mexico
* Mascogos
* United States
* African Americans
* Afro-Roma
* Affrilachians
* African-American Jews
* Alabama Creoles
* Black Mennonites
* Black Southerners
* Black Hispanic
* Black Indians/Freedmen
* Cherokee freedmen
* Chickasaw freedmen
* Choctaw freedmen
* Creek freedmen
* Seminole freedmen
* Creoles of color
* Gullah
* Brass Ankles
* Chestnut Ridge people
* Dominickers
* Fulani
* Garifuna
* Igbos
* Louisiana Redbones
* Lumbee
* Melungeons
* Somali Bantus
* Yoruba
* African immigrants

South
America|

* Argentina
* Bolivia
* Brazil
* Kalungas
* Macombo
* Quilombola
* Chile
* Colombia
* Raizal
* Ecuador
* French Guiana
* Aluku
* Ndyuka
* Saramaka
* Guyana
* Paraguay
* Peru
* Suriname
* Kwinti
* Matawai
* Ndyuka
* Paramaccan
* Saramaka
* Uruguay
* Venezuela

Europe
(Blacks)|

* Abkhazia
* Austria
* Belgium
* Finland
* France
* Paris
* Germany
* Greece
* Blacks
* Ireland
* Italy
* Netherlands
* Norway
* Poland
* Portugal
* Romania
* Russia
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Ukraine
* United Kingdom
* Cambridge
* Liverpool
* London
* Scotland
* Wales

Middle East|

* Iran
* Iraq
* Israel
* Ethiopian Israelis
* Sudanese refugees
* Jordan
* Oman
* Palestine
* Saudi Arabia
* Syria
* Turkey
* Africans
* United Arab Emirates
* Yemen

Asia and
Oceania|

* Australia
* China
* Guangzhou
* Hong Kong
* Afro-Asians in South Asia
* India and Pakistan
* Siddi
* in Karnataka
* Indonesia
* Black Dutchmen
* Mardijker
* Japan
* Malaysia
* New Zealand
* Sri Lanka
* Kaffirs

Atlantic|

* Saint Helena

Secondary
Afro-American
diaspora|

| Africa|

* Ghana
* African Americans
* Tabom
* Liberia
* Americo-Liberians
* Nigeria
* Afro-Brazilians
* Saro
* Sierra Leone
* Sierra Leone Creole

|

Europe|

* France
* African Americans
* Haitians
* United Kingdom
* African Americans
* Afro-Caribbean people
* British Jamaicans

Asia and
Oceania|

* Israel
* African Hebrew Israelites
* Japan

Related
topics|

* African diaspora religions
* Anti-African sentiment
* Anti-Black racism
* Atlantic slave trade
* Coromantee
* Igbo
* Kongo
* Tikar
* Yoruba
* Slavery in the Ottoman Empire
* Black Lives Matter
* Black power
* Civil rights movement
* Creole peoples
* Genetic history
* Maroons
* Pan-Africanism
* Slavery
* Reparations

* Category
* Commons

* v
* t
* e

American diaspora

Africa|

* The Gambia
* Ghana
* Liberia
* Sierra Leone
* South Africa

Asia|

* Children of American service members (multiple countries)

| East|

* China
* Hong Kong
* Japan
* North Korea
* Taiwan

|

South|

* India
* Pakistan

Southeast|

* Philippines

West|

* Israel
* Black Hebrew Israelites
* Saudi Arabia
* Qatar
* United Arab Emirates

Europe|

* France
* African Americans
* Germany
* Greece
* Ireland
* Italy
* Netherlands
* Portugal
* Spain
* Sweden
* United Kingdom

North America|

* The Bahamas
* Belize
* Canada
* Black Nova Scotians
* New England Planters
* Six Nations
* United Empire Loyalists
* Costa Rica
* Cuba
* Dominican Republic (African Americans)
* Guatemala
* Haiti
* Free Blacks
* Honduras
* Mexico
* Kickapoo
* Mascogo
* Mormons
* New Virginia
* Trinidad and Tobago (African Americans)

Oceania|

* Australia
* New Zealand

South America|

* Argentina
* Brazil
* Americana
* Confederados
* Santa Bárbara d'Oeste
* New Texas
* Chile
* Ecuador
* Paraguay
* Uruguay
* Venezuela

See also|

* African-American diaspora

* v
* t
* e

Diasporas in France

Africa|

| By ethnicity|

* Arabs
* in Paris
* Berbers
* Black people in France
* in Paris

|

By country|

* Algerians
* Beninese
* Cameroonians
* Comorians
* Congolese
* Gabonese
* Ivorians
* Malagasy
* Malians
* Mauritanians
* Mauritians
* Moroccans
* Senegalese
* South Africans
* Togolese
* Tunisians

Asia|

| By ethnicity|

* Arabs
* Assyrians
* Jews
* Kurds
* Roma
* Tamils

|

By country|

* Armenians
* Azerbaijanis
* Cambodians
* Chinese
* in Paris
* Filipinos
* Georgians
* Indians
* Iranians
* Japanese
* in Paris
* Koreans
* Laotians
* Lebanese
* Pakistanis
* Sri Lankans
* Turks
* Vietnamese
* in Paris

Europe|

* Albanian
* Britons
* Bulgarians
* Czech
* Germans
* Greeks
* Italians
* Macedonians
* Poles
* Portuguese
* Romanians
* Russians
* Chechens
* Serbs
* Spaniards
* Swiss
* Ukrainians

North America|

* Americans
* African Americans
* Canadians
* Haitians
* Mexicans

South America|

* Argentines
* Brazilians
* Chileans
* Peruvians
* Uruguayans

* Demographics of France
* French people living outside France
* Immigration to France

* v
* t
* e

African Americans

History|

* Timeline
* Abolitionism
* African American founding fathers
* Afrocentrism
* American Civil War
* Atlantic slave trade
* Black Codes
* Black cowboys
* Black genocide
* Black Lives Matter
* Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
* Children of the plantation
* Civil Rights Acts
* 1964
* Voting Rights Act of 1965
* 1968
* Civil rights movement 1865–1896
* Civil right movement 1896–1954
* Civil rights movement 1954–1968
* Montgomery bus boycott
* Browder v. Gayle (1956)
* Sit-in movement
* Freedom Riders
* Birmingham movement
* March on Washington
* Freedom Summer
* Selma to Montgomery marches
* Chicago Freedom Movement
* Post–civil rights era
* Cornerstone Speech
* COVID-19 impact
* Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)
* Free Negro
* Free people of color
* George Floyd protests
* Great Migration
* Second
* New
* Exodusters
* Inauguration of Barack Obama 2009 / Inauguration of Barack Obama 2013
* Jim Crow laws
* Lynching
* Military history
* Million Man March
* Nadir of American race relations
* The Negro Motorist Green Book
* Partus sequitur ventrem
* Plantations
* Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
* Reconstruction Amendments
* Reconstruction era
* Redlining
* Separate but equal
* Silent Parade
* Slavery
* Treatment of slaves
* Tulsa race massacre
* Underground Railroad
* Women's suffrage movement

Culture|

* Afrofuturism
* Art
* Black mecca
* Businesses
* Dance
* Family structure
* Film
* Folktales
* Hair
* Harlem Renaissance
* New Negro
* Hoodoo
* Juneteenth
* Kwanzaa
* LGBTQ community
* Literature
* Music
* Musical theater
* Names
* Negro National Anthem
* Neighborhoods
* Newspapers
* Soul food
* Stereotypes
* Middle class
* Upper class

Notable people|

* Ralph Abernathy
* Maya Angelou
* Crispus Attucks
* James Baldwin
* James Bevel
* Julian Bond
* Amelia Boynton
* James Bradley
* Carol Moseley Braun
* Edward Brooke
* Blanche Bruce
* Ralph Bunche
* George Washington Carver
* Shirley Chisholm
* Claudette Colvin
* Frederick Douglass
* W. E. B. Du Bois
* Medgar Evers
* James Farmer
* Henry Highland Garnet
* Marcus Garvey
* Fred Gray
* Prathia Hall
* Fannie Lou Hamer
* Kamala Harris
* Jimi Hendrix
* Jesse Jackson
* Ketanji Brown Jackson
* Michael Jackson
* Harriet Jacobs
* Barbara Jordan
* Coretta Scott King
* Martin Luther King Jr.
* Bernard Lafayette
* James Lawson
* Huddie Ledbetter
* John Lewis
* Joseph Lowery
* Malcolm X
* Thurgood Marshall
* Toni Morrison
* Bob Moses
* Diane Nash
* Barack Obama
* Michelle Obama
* Rosa Parks
* Adam Clayton Powell Jr.
* Colin Powell
* Gabriel Prosser
* Joseph Rainey
* A. Philip Randolph
* Hiram Revels
* Paul Robeson
* Al Sharpton
* Fred Shuttlesworth
* Clarence Thomas
* Emmett Till
* Sojourner Truth
* Harriet Tubman
* Nat Turner
* Denmark Vesey
* C. T. Vivian
* David Walker
* Booker T. Washington
* Ida B. Wells
* Roy Wilkins
* Oprah Winfrey
* Andrew Young
* Whitney Young

Education, science
and technology|

* Black studies
* Black schools
* Historically black colleges and universities
* Inventors and scientists
* Museums
* Women
* in computer science
* in medicine
* in STEM fields

Religion|

* African-American Jews
* Islam
* American Society of Muslims
* Nation of Islam
* Black church
* Azusa Street Revival
* Black Hebrew Israelites
* Black theology
* Doctrine of Father Divine

Political movements|

* Anarchism
* Back-to-Africa movement
* Black power
* Movement
* Capitalism
* Conservatism
* Leftism
* Pan-Africanism
* Populism
* Raised fist
* Self-determination
* Nationalism
* Socialism

Civic and economic
groups

* Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH)
* Black Panther Party
* Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)
* National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
* Nashville Student Movement
* National Black Chamber of Commerce (NBCC)
* National Council of Negro Women (NCNW)
* National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC)
* National Urban League (NUL)
* Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)
* Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)
* Thurgood Marshall College Fund
* United Negro College Fund (UNCF)
* Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL)

Sports|

* Negro league baseball
* Baseball color line
* Black players in professional American football
* Black NFL quarterbacks
* Black players in ice hockey
* Muhammad Ali
* Arthur Ashe
* Jack Johnson
* Joe Louis
* Jesse Owens
* Jackie Robinson
* Serena Williams

Athletic associations
and conferences

* Central (CIAA)
* Mid-Eastern (MEAC)
* Southern (SIAC)
* Southwestern (SWAC)

Ethnic subdivisions|

* By African descent
* Fula
* Gullah
* Igbo
* Yoruba
* Alabama Creole
* Black Indians
* Black Seminoles
* Cherokee Freedmen
* Choctaw Freedmen
* Creek Freedmen
* Black Southerners
* Blaxicans
* Great Dismal Swamp maroons
* Louisiana Creole
* of color
* Melungeon

Demographics|

* Neighborhoods
* list
* U.S. cities with large populations
* 2000 majorities
* 2010 majorities
* Metropolitan areas
* States and territories

Languages|

* Afro-Seminole Creole
* American Sign
* Black American Sign
* English
* American English
* African-American English
* African-American Vernacular English
* social context
* Gullah
* Louisiana Creole

By state/city|

* Alabama
* Arkansas
* California
* Los Angeles
* San Francisco
* Florida
* Jacksonville
* Tallahassee
* Georgia
* Atlanta
* Hawaii
* Illinois
* Chicago
* Indiana
* Iowa
* Davenport
* Kansas
* Kentucky
* Lexington
* Louisiana
* Maryland
* Baltimore
* Massachusetts
* Boston
* Michigan
* Detroit
* Mississippi
* Nebraska
* Omaha
* New Jersey
* New York
* New York City
* North Carolina
* Ohio
* Cleveland
* Oklahoma
* Oregon
* Pennsylvania
* Philadelphia
* Puerto Rico
* South Carolina
* South Dakota
* Tennessee
* Texas
* Austin
* Dallas–Fort Worth
* Houston
* San Antonio
* Utah
* Virginia
* West Virginia

Diaspora|

* Africa
* Gambia
* Ghana
* Liberia
* Sierra Leone
* America
* Canada
* Dominican Republic
* Haiti
* Mexico
* Trinidad and Tobago
* Israel
* Europe
* France

Lists|

* African Americans
* Activists
* Actors
* Astronauts
* Billionaires
* Journalists
* Jurists
* Mathematicians
* Republicans
* Singers
* Sportspeople
* Spingarn Medal winners
* US cabinet members
* US representatives
* US senators
* Visual artists
* Writers
* African-American firsts
* Mayors
* Sports firsts
* US state firsts
* Historic places
* Index of related articles
* Landmark African-American legislation
* Lynching victims
* Monuments
* Neighborhoods
* Topics related to the African diaspora

* Category
* United States portal

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template