The Model Minority Myth and How it Affects the Diaspora

By: Tolu Dapo-Adeyemo (’26), Staff Writer

 I often told people I haven’t always felt Black. Of course, they’re perplexed after hearing this because anyone could tell I’m Black by looking at me. The thing is, I wasn’t made to feel Black. I felt Nigerian. Partly because Black Americans made sure I felt Nigerian, but also because of my ethnic enclave; I lived in a Nigerian household, went to a Nigerian church, attended Nigerian parties, et cetera. Back then, I assumed that even though I looked similar to my American classmates, my ethnicity separated me enough from them so that my Blackness was “less important” in a way. I continued to feel this way until I went to a predominately white institution(PWI), and there I was suddenly made aware of my Blackness and what it meant for how I would be perceived. I was 12.

These experiences are what African immigrants and their children tend to go through as a whole, some more severely than others. While some African immigrants, like my parents, find it acceptable to simply think they are intrinsically different from Black Americans because of their nationality, there’s more at play here. Africans do not have the same concept of race as Black Americans, which has very tangible consequences. 

Africans Haven’t Experienced Race as a Minority Group Within Their Country

 The Black experience in America is not easy; it’s riddled with societal and infrastructural issues such as redlining, over-policing, and the war on drugs, all of which split up, demoralized, and kept down Black American families. For example: the Tulsa Race Massacre. History.com says “During the Tulsa Race Massacre, which occurred over 18 hours from May 31 to June 1, 1921, a white mob attacked residents, homes and businesses in the predominantly Black Greenwood neighborhood of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The event remains one of the worst incidents of racial violence in U.S. history…” This is only one example of the horrific trauma Black Americans have lived through and passed down generationally due to systemic racism. Meanwhile, first and second-gen Africans are simply too new to America to have felt anything close to the generational trauma passed down through these events. These cyclical, poisonous effects simply have not been able to sink their claws into African immigrants. They tend to have incredibly ambitious goals (they have most likely seen and lived through abject poverty, and will do any work they believe is necessary to avoid that again), and have stronger family dynamics(they’re new to the country – they wouldn’t break up if they don’t absolutely have to). They simply have the advantage of time, or lack thereof; to anyone not thinking critically, they might think Africans are simply doing something better than their American counterparts, but it’s really just the tip of the iceberg.

It Took a Lot to Get Here in the First Place

Standards of immigration have become so sought after and competitive, that only the best candidates from their respective countries are able to make it to America. My mom had an undergrad degree and my dad had an undergrad degree and an MBA before coming to America. They both still worked at Popeye’s for multiple years upon their arrival to the States. This is relevant because they’re being pitted against Black Americans who, in many cases, don’t have the proper resources to compete(if you could call this a competition, which it isn’t. Or at least, it shouldn’t be.) The United States Census Bureau says 26% of Black Americans 25 or older have a bachelor’s degree, while the Pew Research Center says 41% of African-born Black adults aged 25 or older have at least a bachelor’s degree. There is a clear disparity in academic achievement, and it’s because it’s not being measured fairly. 

African Immigrants don’t have PTSD (Post-Traumatic Slave Disorder):

Yes, we’re gonna talk about slavery again. It’s because I don’t think many people understand just how badly it affected Black Americans who are the descendants of slaves: we’re talking about people being captured, shipped, beaten, raped, experimented on, and more. For 300 years. Did we really think they’d just “get over it” like so many ignorant people say they should? We acknowledge how people who have experienced war have tangible, residual emotional effects. How is it different here, especially when Black people were still offered little to no sympathy after being freed? Spoiler alert: it’s not. Dr. Joy DeGruy Leary coined the term “Post-Traumatic Slave Disorder” to describe the detrimental psychological effects of slavery on Black Americans. In short: there are select behaviors which Black Americans have continued to engage in even 300 years after emancipation from slavery. For example, if a white mother goes up to a Black mother and says, “Wow, your son is so accomplished!” Black mothers may tend to respond with something along the lines of “Oh, sure, but he’s a handful. He really works my nerves.” Yet, if you ask her or any other Black mother if they’re proud of their child, they’d say “Of course.” Why is that? Dr. DeGruy believes it’s out of protection. Roll that scene back 300 hundred years, and it’ll be a slaveowner saying to a black slave’s mother, “That boy is really coming along.” Is she gonna agree? Of course not! She’s gonna say “He’s not. He’s stupid, he can’t work.” She doesn’t want him to sell her child. She denigrates her child to protect him. DeGruy calls this “appropriate adaptation.” Anyone that’s not a descendant of slaves can’t even begin to imagine the extent to which Post-Traumatic Slave Disorder may affect Black Americans. This is only one example of how it manifests in Black Americans, and how it may hold them back from reaching their full potential. 

I don’t want anyone reading this to think I have an issue or look down upon either group I’m discussing here; I just want to start a conversation and bring attention to this issue when other people may not. That said, I plan to add more nuance to this in the future, so stay tuned for part two. Thanks for reading.