African Americans in the United Kingdom

infobox ethnic group
group = African Americans in the United Kingdom


caption = Notable people in Britain with African American links or ancestry Alvin Hall, Damon Buffini, Errol Barnett
Olaudah Equiano, Slash, Sinitta
flagicon|UK flagicon|United States
poptime = Unknown
popplace= London, East Anglia, South East England [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/uk/05/born_abroad/countries/html/usa.stm Most popular areas for Americans in the UK] ]
langs = English (British English, American English), African American Vernacular English
rels = Christian, Pentecostalism, Southern Baptist

African American British or Black American British are a subgroup of the larger American British population, in Britain it may include people of African American heritage or black people from the United States who are or have become residents or citizens of Britain as well as students and temporary workers. The 2001 UK Census used the term Black British which was split further in to Black Caribbean, Black African and Other Black - African American Britons were likely to have chosen the latter, and would have been one of the largest contributers to the group, along with Black Latin American Britons.

African American migration after the American Revolution

African American immigration to the UK began as early as the 18th centurycite web|url=http://museum.gov.ns.ca/Blackloyalists/who.htm|title=Who were the Black Loyalists?|publisher=Nova Scotia Museum|accessdate=2008-07-14] after American slaves failed in their attempt to defend the British Crown in the American Revolution. The Revolution began in the thirteen American colonies and United States in the late 1770s. The British promised freedom to any slave or rebel who fought the Americans on their behalf [cite web|url=http://www.americanrevolution.com|title=Home Page|publisher=American Revolution|accessdate=2008-07-14] . African Americans made up over 20% of the American population at the time [cite web|url=http://www.blackloyalist.com/canadiandigitalcollection/index.htm|title=Home Page|publisher=Black Loyalists|accessdate=2008-07-14] , as many as 30,000 slaves escaped to British lines. The largest regiment was the Black Pioneers who followed troops under Sir General Henry Clinton [cite news|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6948815|title=New status for a black pioneer|date=2005-02-11|work=Black History Month|publisher=MSNBC|accessdate=2008-07-14] . Working as soldiers, labourers, pilots, cooks, and musicians, they were a major part of the unsuccessful British war effort. African Americans who fought "against" the British were known as Black Patriots (modern day African Americans in the U.S.), but rather if they were fighting for the Crown or American Independence both were mostly doing it in return for promises of freedom from enslavement or indentured servitudecite book|last=Walker|first=James W. S.|title=The Black Loyalists: In Search for a Promised Land in Nova Scotia 1783 - 1870|publisher=Africana Pub.Co|date=December 1976|isbn=0841902658|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=BMY79c675JsC&pg=PR11&lpg=PR11&dq=Black+loyalist&source=web&ots=8XwTXwpYxr&sig=JdKTnMSXnUvz0VTeC9s5faLglKs&hl=en|accessdate=2008-07-14] .

The British-American Commission identified the Black people who had joined the British before the surrender, and issued "certificates of freedom" signed by General Birch or General Musgrave. Those who chose to emigrate were evacuated by ship. The fallout of the Revolution resulted in an estimated 75,000 to 100,000 Black Americans scattering across the Atlantic world, profoundly affecting the development of Nova Scotia, the Bahamas, Jamaica, and the African nation of Sierra Leone as prominent leaders in the emerging freed black communities [cite web|url=http://www.coloradocollege.edu/Dept/HY/HY243Ruiz/Research/military.html|title=African Americans in Early American Military History|publisher=Colorado College|accessdate=2008-07-14] cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/revwar/unfinished_revolution/black_loyalists.html|title=The Odyssey of the Black Loyalists|last=Blythe|first=Bob |work=The Unfinished Revolution|publisher=National Park Service|accessdate=2008-07-14] . To make sure no one attempted to leave who did not have a certificate of freedom, the name of any Black person on board a vessel, whether slave, indentured servant, or free, was recorded, along with the details of enslavement, escape, and military service, in a document called the Book of Negroes. Between 400 and 1,000 African Americans emigrated to London and were later given the title of Black Loyalist for their service in the British Armed forces and formed the core of the early Black British community

Population and distribution

African Americans in Britain are distinct from both the British African-Caribbean community and the African British community. Many descendants of the first African American settlers are usually referred to simply as Black British due to decades of integration. Like most Americans, African Americans are not an immigrant population to many foreign countries although African Americans have contributed in various ways to British society.Fact|date=July 2008

In the United States African-Americans make up 14.1% of the country's population, which could suggest that over 30,000 of the estimated 224,000 Americans in the UK could be black, although there are many other factors to consider (including disproportional numbers of African Americans and other race Americans immigrating to the UK) meaning that the actual estimate of 30,000 African Americans in the UK could in fact be much higher or much lower, which is slightly larger than the estimated number of Black British expatriates in the US. Today African Americans also have a strong presence in the US Air Force bases of RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath.

Notable people in the UK with African American links or ancestry

* Alvin Hall, financial adviser, author and presenter
* Damon Buffini, Chief Executive of private equity company Permira
* Ric Lewis, Chief Executive, Curzon Global Partners and Chief Investment Officer, IXIS AEW Europe
* Ron Brooks, Chief Executive, CLM Delivery Partner (London 2012’s Delivery Partner)
* Colonel Tye, 17th century Loyalist Commander of the Black Brigade
* Sinitta, actress and singer
* Chaka Khan, singer
* Errol Barnett, correspondent
* Ira Frederick Aldridge, stage actor
* Dina Carroll, singer
* Slash,Velvet Revolver guitarist and Guns N' Roses former guitarist
* Oona King, former British MP.
* Clint Holmes, singer, songwriter
* Romina Johnson, London based singer born in Italy
* Marsha Hunt, model, singer, novelist and actress
* Olaudah Equiano, political leader (disputed [cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/190722/Olaudah-Equiano|title=Olaudah Equiano|publisher=Encyclopedia Britannica|accessdate=2008-07-13] , but modern evidence suggests South Carolina, USA as his birthplace)

References

External links