Ghanaian American

Ghanaian Americans are citizens of the United States of America who are of Ghanaian heritage or were born in Ghana and immigrated to the United States of America.

History

Early history

The first people to arrive from the region known then as the Gold Coast were brought as slaves. Typically, the product of wars, many slaves were sold by the Ashanti people to Europeans, although West African slavery was much different from American chattel slavery. [ [http://countrystudies.us/nigeria/7.htm The Slave Trade] ] However, because of conditions in the colonies, most African Americans are mixed with various ethnicities. Also, because the majority of slaves came from elsewhere on the African continent, the likelihood of an African American pinpointing his genetic ancestry specifically to Ghana is low.

Civil rights

Ghanaians began arriving in the United States en masse during the 1950s and 1960s amid the Civil Rights and anti-Imperialism era. Ghanaians such as Kwame Nkrumah were taught at American universities and worked with black American leaders for the rights of Black People worldwide. Notable African American intellectuals and activists such as W.E.B. Dubois and Malcolm X used early Ghana as a symbol of black achievement. Most of the early Ghanaian immigrants planned on using the education acquired in the United States to better Ghana.

Modern immigrants

According to the 2000 Census there are 86,918 Ghanaian Americans living in the United States. Cities with large populations include (in order of size): Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Washington, D.C., The Bronx in New York City, Newark, New Jersey, Providence, Rhode Island, and Columbus, Ohio, among others. Ghanaian immigrants arrive with educational statistics similar to Nigerian Americans and other relatively successful African Immigrants. This is attributable to Ghana's coastal location and British colonization which created an English speaking school system. Although the numbers are small, Ghanaians are well represented in universities across the country. Schools such as Cornell, the University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University have groups specifically devoted to Ghanaian students, in addition to general African student associations.

While educational attainment is high in the Ghanaian American community, success is not immediate. Although the most recent arrivals come with with the U.S. government's stipulation that they must attend university, many find jobs such as driving taxicabs as supplemental income. However, as with other African Immigrant groups, social mobility among Ghanaian Americans is higher than black Americans. Ghanaians typically live in less segregated areas and move to more suburban locations as their income rises.

As the flow of immigrants from Ghana continues, more Ghanaians are seeking to stay in the United States. This is frequently criticized because the immigration of skilled, educated Ghanaians creates a brain drain in their home country. Many of the newest Ghanaians in American universities are not new arrivals, but the children of established Ghanaian Americans in the the United States. Ghanaians in the United States do contribute millions of dollars in remittances and within time may become more directly involved in investing in Ghanaian companies.

Notable Ghanaian Americans

*Kwame Anthony Appiah
*Freddy Adu
*Joseph Addai
*Akosia Busia
*Peter Mensah
*Kofi Kingston
*Boris Kodjoe
*William Chapman Nyaho
*Jaye Davidson
*Nana Gbewonyo
*Nana Kuffour
*Fro Adu
*Nazr Mohammed
*Prince Nana
*Robbie Russell
*Ofori Sarkodie
*Charlie Peprah
*Ebenezer Ekuban
*Joshua Clottey

References

See also

* Africans in the United States
* Ghana
* Immigration