African-Americans and the Mobilization of Support for African Development: The Case of Africare Inc. 1971 – 2008

Abstract

African-Americans‟ positive identification with Africa received a major boost from the 1960s when most of the erstwhile European colonies in Africa regained their independence. While they joined Africans in their independence celebrations, they also explored new avenues of assisting African causes in the United States. They renewed their support for African liberation struggles, especially in Southern Africa. In addition, some of them also worked to assist Africans in their struggles against famine, drought and diseases. It is in this last sphere that Africare Inc., through its numerous activities has lent very valuable assistance to African issues in the U.S. It continues to harness resources from individual Americans, organizations and the U.S. government in order to actualize its objectives. Its activities and successes constitute an eloquent testimony to the continued existence of pragmatic racial pan-Africanism.1 Furthermore, they show that like other “hyphenated-Americans”, African-Americans are still very interested in developments in their “ancestral home”, and are willing to partake in shaping such developments.