American Africans in Ghana: Black Expatriates and the Civil Rights Era

Abstract

Throughout their history in the United States, American Africans have constantly advocated the concept of Black Nationalism. Eighteenth and nineteenth century Black Nationalist such as Paul Cuffe, Martin Delany and Bishop Henry McNeal Turner, either sponsored or promoted various forms of Black self-government for Africans in the Diaspora. Although this concept reached its apex during the Garvey Movement, and continues today, Kevin Gains points out that during the 1950s-60s; Black expatriates from the United States and other parts of the Diaspora, saw the newly independent country of Ghana as a beacon of light that could possibly serve as modeled Pan-African State that would protect the interest of Africans throughout the world. Diasporain Africans such as George and Dorthy Padmore, W.EB. and Shirley Graham-DuBois, Efua Sutherland, Maya Angelou, St. Clair Drake and Julian Mayfield are only a few who chose to leave the lands of the birth and participate in the nation building process in Ghana during the zenith of the American Civil Rights Movement and the turbulent period of the Cold War.