I got an email from my local practitioner organization about Africans who migrated to India by way of the Indian Ocean (http://www.apsara-media.com/sidimaterials.html) and I gotta say I was a little surprised! I didn't realize that there was a population of direct lineage from Africa in India. I has always guessed that there was a mixture because of the range of skin tones in India, but this was a bit of a surprise.
It reminded me of the first time I went to Europe. I was surprised to see so many folks who looked like my friends speaking different languages. Hell, two weeks ago in Belmont Ca I was counting the people of color because in this affluent area all I saw were white folks. Media sometimes makes Black folks feel like we only exist in the US as a minority group descended from enslaved Africans or on the continent as wild, barbaric, or ignorant villagers.
Have you ever been somewhere that you were surprised to see Black people?
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Comments: 14
I think the thing that surprised me even more than seeing them in there, was when it occurred to me that I'd never noticed that they WEREN'T in there before. Dunno if that's good or bad....I mean, that I never noticed. Anyway, there ya go. :)
As I read about Africans migrating to India, I smiled. I remembered a conversation with the parent of one of my private tutored students. The father asked me if I knew he was just like me. I laughed at him. I told him no. We stood laughing for a few moments. He told me, Kim--yes I am you. I have black people in my family. My jaw dropped to the ground, figuratively speaking of course.
Thanks for confirming what I was already told. I chose to laugh the conversation off with the parent I previously mentioned. I guess I owe him an apology.
Enjoy your day. 10+++++++++++
A person with an Asian appearance and a Scottish accent can be extremely confusing for a second or two. A 120-year-old Italian village in Australia, or a Welsh village in Argentina can be very surprising for a tourist.
I think as people continue moving to new places all over the world, we're going to have to work harder to expand our notions of ethnicity, culture, and nationality.
=)
I saw so many folk who looked like people I knew and could be direct relatives, I was overwhelmed.
I also know of a family who has made a home in Alaska. In that state there are decendants of Matthew Henson, a black man, who is famous for making a trek there.