Jump to content

Ghanaian Americans: Difference between revisions

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
→See also: Removed redlinks, articles linked in body
 
(97 intermediate revisions by 65 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{See also|Ghanaian British}}
{{short description|Americans of Ghanaian birth or descent}}
{{Main|African immigration to the United States}}
{{Main|African immigration to the United States}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group = Ghanaian Americans
| group = Ghanaian Americans
| image =
| image =
|population = '''Ghanaian Americans'''<br/>'''119,789''' (2013 American Community Survey)<ref>{{cite web|title=Total ancestry categories tallied for people with one or more ancestry categories reported 2013 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_13_1YR_B04003&prodType=table|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212212204/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_13_1YR_B04003&prodType=table|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 February 2020|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=2 September 2014}}</ref> <br />'''136,967''' (Ghanaian-born, 2014) <ref name="USCB">{{cite web|title=PLACE OF BIRTH FOR THE FOREIGN-BORN POPULATION IN THE UNITED STATES, Universe: Foreign-born population excluding population born at sea, 2007-2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates|url=http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_11_5YR_B05006&prodType=table|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=16 July 2013}}{{dead link|bot=medic|date=April 2020}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
| population = '''Ghanaian Americans'''<br/>'''119,789''' (2013 American Community Survey)<ref>{{cite web|title=Total ancestry categories tallied for people with one or more ancestry categories reported 2013 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_13_1YR_B04003&prodType=table|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212212204/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_13_1YR_B04003&prodType=table|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 February 2020|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2 September 2014}}</ref> <br />'''136,967''' (Ghanaian-born, 2014)<ref name="USCB">{{cite web|title=PLACE OF BIRTH FOR THE FOREIGN-BORN POPULATION IN THE UNITED STATES, Universe: Foreign-born population excluding population born at sea, 2007-2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates|url=http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_11_5YR_B05006&prodType=table|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=16 July 2013}}{{dead link|bot=medic|date=April 2020}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
|popplace = [[New York City]], [[Washington, D.C.]], [[Los Angeles]], [[Atlanta]], [[Chicago]], [[Columbus, Ohio|Columbus (Ohio)]], [[New Jersey]], [[Denver]]
| popplace = [[New York City]], [[Washington, D.C.]], [[Philadelphia]], [[Boston]], [[Providence, Rhode Island|Providence]], [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]], [[Worcester, Massachusetts|Worcester]], [[Hartford, Connecticut|Hartford]], [[Miami]], [[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]], [[Atlanta]], [[Chicago]], [[Columbus, Ohio|Columbus]], [[New Jersey]], [[Denver]], [[Seattle]], [[California]], [[Minnesota]], [[Iowa]]
|langs = [[American English|English]], [[Akan language|Akan]], [[Kwa languages|Kwa]], [[Twi]], [[Ga language|Ga]]
| langs = [[American English|English]], [[French language|French]], [[Akan language|Akan]], [[Kwa languages|Kwa]], [[Twi]], [[Ga language|Ga]],
[[Ewe language|Ewe]], [[Dagbani language|Dagbani]] other languages of Ghana
|rels = Predominantly [[Christians|Christian]], [[irreligion]], other minorities.<ref>[https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2009/127235.htm US Census Bureau, International Religious Freedom Report 2009, Ghanaian-American]</ref>
| rels = Predominantly [[Christians|Christian]], [[Islam]], other minorities.<ref>[https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2009/127235.htm US Census Bureau, International Religious Freedom Report 2009, Ghanaian-American]</ref>
|related = [[Ghanaian people|Ghanaians]]
| related = [[Ghanaian people|Ghanaians]], [[African Americans]]
}}
}}
'''Ghanaian Americans''' are [[Americans]] of full or partial [[Ghanaian people|Ghanaian]] ancestry or Ghanaians who became [[naturalized]] citizen of the [[United States]].
'''Ghanaian Americans''' are an ethnic group of [[Americans]] of full or partial [[Ghanaian people|Ghanaian]] ancestry or Ghanaian immigrants who became [[naturalized]] citizen of the [[United States]].


==History==
==History==


===Early history===
===Early history===
The first people to arrive from the region then known as the [[Gold Coast (region)|Gold Coast]] were brought as [[slaves]]. Retrieved September 7, 2012, 17:10 pm.[http://www.vgskole.net/prosjekt/slavrute/pluribus.htm "'E Pluribus Unum' – Melting Pot or Salad Bowl?"] Organized by Jon K. Møller. Retrieved September 7, 2012, 18:10 pm Several ethnic groups such as the Gonja<ref name="Black Masculinity">Darlene Clark Hine, Earnestine Jenkins (eds), [https://books.google.com/books?id=7QZoSoy_2DYC&pg=PA103 ''A Question of Manhood: A Reader in U.S. Black Men's History and Masculinity'', Volume 1], pp. 103–104.</ref> people were imported as well to the modern United States and the second these groups appear to have an influence on the language of the [[Gullah people]].<ref>[http://www2.coloradocollege.edu/Dept/HY/HY243Ruiz/Research/diaspora.html African American culture] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111222185809/http://coloradocollege.edu/Dept/HY/HY243Ruiz/Research/diaspora.html |date=2011-12-22 }}, African Diaspora. Retrieved September 10, 2012, 23:26 pm.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/question/july05/|title=Question of the Month. Cudjo Lewis: Last African Slave in the U.S.?|last=Pilgrim|first=David|date=July 2005|website=[[Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia]]|language=en|access-date=2017-03-02}}</ref> Because Ghanaian ports were major routes for European slave traders. Captives from ethnic groups and tribes from all over West Africa were brought there to be held and sent to the New World. Most them were imported to [[South Carolina]], [[Virginia]], and [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], although other places in the United States, such as [[Spanish Florida]], also had many slaves of this origin.<ref name="Black Masculinity"/>
The first people to arrive from the region then known as the [[Gold Coast (region)|Gold Coast]] were brought as [[Slavery in the colonial history of the United States|slaves]] via the [[Atlantic slave trade]]. Several ethnic groups such as the [[Akan people|Akan]], the Ganga<ref name="Black Masculinity">Darlene Clark Hine, Earnestine Jenkins (eds), [https://books.google.com/books?id=7QZoSoy_2DYC&pg=PA103 ''A Question of Manhood: A Reader in U.S. Black Men's History and Masculinity'', Volume 1], pp. 103–104.</ref> or the [[Ga people|Ga]] people were imported as well to the modern United States and the third of these groups appear to have an influence on the language of the [[Gullah people]].<ref>[http://www2.coloradocollege.edu/Dept/HY/HY243Ruiz/Research/diaspora.html African American culture] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111222185809/http://coloradocollege.edu/Dept/HY/HY243Ruiz/Research/diaspora.html |date=2011-12-22 }}, African Diaspora. Retrieved September 10, 2012, 23:26 pm.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/question/july05/|title=Question of the Month. Cudjo Lewis: Last African Slave in the U.S.?|last=Pilgrim|first=David|date=July 2005|website=[[Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia]]|language=en|access-date=2017-03-02|archive-date=2017-05-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525130501/http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/question/july05/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Because Ghanaian ports were major routes for European slave traders. Captives from ethnic groups and tribes from all over West Africa were brought there to be held and sent to the New World. Most them were imported to [[South Carolina]], [[Virginia]] and [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], although other places in the United States, such as [[Spanish Florida]] and [[Louisiana (New France)|French Louisiana]] also had many slaves of this origin.<ref name="Black Masculinity"/>


===Recent immigration===
===Recent immigration===
Ghanaians began arriving in the United States en masse after the 1960s and in the 1970s amid the [[Civil Rights Movement]] and anti-[[Imperialism]] era. In 1957, Ghana became the first African country to gain independence from British colonisation. Ghana's first president [[Kwame Nkrumah]] studied 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. Du Bois]] and [[Malcolm X]] used Ghana as a symbol of black achievement. Most of the early immigrants from Ghana to the United States were students who came to get a better education and planned on using the education acquired in the United States to better Ghana.<ref name="everyculture: Ghanian American"/> However, many Ghanaians that migrated in the 1980s and 1990s, came to get business opportunities. In difficult economic times, the number of Ghanaians who emigrated to the United States was small. However, when these economic problems were paralyzed, they built resources for their emigration to the United States.<ref name="everyculture: Ghanian American">[http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Du-Ha/Ghanaian-Americans.html EveryCulture — Ghanaian-Americans]. Posted by Drew Walker. Retrieved December 10, 2011, 12:04.</ref>
Ghanaians began arriving in the United States ''en masse'' after the 1960s and in the 1970s amidst the [[civil rights movement]] and the [[decolonization of Africa]]. In 1957, Ghana became the first African country to gain independence from colonial rule. Ghana's first president, [[Kwame Nkrumah]], studied at American universities and worked with [[African Americans|Black American]] leaders for the rights of [[Black people]] around the world. Notable [[African Americans|African-American]] intellectuals and activists such as [[W. E. B. Du Bois]] and [[Malcolm X]] used Ghana as a symbol of black achievement. Most of the early immigrants from Ghana to the United States were students who came to get a better education and planned on using the education acquired in the United States to better Ghana.<ref name="everyculture: Ghanian American"/> However, many Ghanaians that migrated in the 1980s and 1990s, came to get business opportunities. In difficult economic times, the number of Ghanaians who emigrated to the United States was small. However, when these economic problems were paralyzed, they built resources for their emigration to the United States.<ref name="everyculture: Ghanian American">[http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Du-Ha/Ghanaian-Americans.html EveryCulture — Ghanaian-Americans]. Posted by Drew Walker. Retrieved December 10, 2011, 12:04.</ref>


== Population and geographic distribution==
== Demography ==
[[File:Little Ghana Columbus Ohio USA.jpg|thumb|This strip mall on Cleveland Avenue in [[Columbus, Ohio|Columbus]] has several Ghanaian businesses: an insurance agency, a hair salon, a grocery store, a cafe, and clothing stores.]]
⚫
According to the 2010 Census there are 91,322 Ghanaian Americans living in the United States.<ref name="United States Census Bureau">{{cite web|title=Total ancestry categories tallied for people with one or more ancestry categories reported in 2010 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_10_1YR_B04003&prodType=table|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150118121537/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_10_1YR_B04003&prodType=table|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 January 2015|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=30 November 2012}}</ref> Locations with large populations include (in order of size): [[Atlanta]]; [[Chicago]]; [[Detroit]]; [[Washington, D.C.]]; [[Bronx, NY|The Bronx]] in [[New York City]]; [[Newark, New Jersey]]; [[Providence, Rhode Island]]; [[Worcester, Massachusetts]]; [[Denver, Colorado]]; [[Columbus, Ohio]];[[Southern California]] and [[Maryland]].{{clear}}


First- and second-generation Ghanaian immigrations to the U.S. make up a small portion (0.3%) of the total number of foreign-born Americans. [[New York City metropolitan area]] and [[Washington, D.C. metropolitan area]] have the highest numbers of Ghanaian immigrants.<ref name=MPIRAD>[https://www.migrationpolicy.org/sites/default/files/publications/RAD-Ghana.pdf The Ghanaian Diaspora in the United States], Migration Policy Institute, Rockefeller Foundation-Aspen Institute Diaspora Program (May 2015 rev.).</ref> The state with the largest number of immigrants from Ghana is New York, followed by Virginia, New Jersey, and Maryland.<ref name=MPIRAD/>
⚫
== Education and languages==
African immigrants to the U.S. are among the most educated groups in the United States. Some 48.9 percent of all African immigrants hold a college diploma. This is more than double the rate of native-born white Americans and nearly four times the rate of native-born African Americans.<ref>"African Immigrants in the United States are the Nation's Most Highly Educated Group". ''The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education'', No. 26 (Winter 1999-2000), pp. 60-61 {{doi|10.2307/2999156}}</ref>


⚫
The [[2010 U.S. Census]] tallied 91,322 Ghanaian Americans living in the United States.<ref name="United States Census Bureau">{{cite web|title=Total ancestry categories tallied for people with one or more ancestry categories reported in 2010 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_10_1YR_B04003&prodType=table|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150118121537/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_10_1YR_B04003&prodType=table|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 January 2015|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=30 November 2012}}</ref>
Ghanaian immigrants arrive with high educational statistics and this is attributable to Ghana's English-speaking school system.<ref name="TESG">{{cite web|url=http://www.ghana.usembassy.gov/mobile//education-of-ghana.html |title=The Educational System of Ghana |publisher=ghana.usembassy.gov |accessdate=July 14, 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150301205554/http://ghana.usembassy.gov/mobile/ |archivedate=March 1, 2015 }}</ref> Ghanaians are well represented in top universities across the United States and schools such as [[Cornell]], [[Tufts]], [[Yale]], the [[University of Pennsylvania]], and [[Stanford University]] have groups specifically devoted to Ghanaian students, in addition to general African student associations.<ref name="TESG"/>


The [[U.S. Census Bureau]]'s [[American Community Survey]] for 2015 to 2019 estimated the total number of immigrants from Ghana in the U.S. to be 178,400.<ref name=ACSStats>{{Cite web|title=U.S. Immigrant Population by State and County, 2015&ndash;2019|url=https://www.migrationpolicy.org/programs/data-hub/charts/us-immigrant-population-state-and-county|publisher=Migration Policy Institute}}</ref> The top five counties of residence were [[The Bronx]] (19,500), [[Prince William County, Virginia]] (6,400), [[Franklin County, Ohio]] (6,400), [[Cook County, Illinois]] (5,200), [[Essex County, New Jersey]] (5,100), [[Montgomery County, Maryland]] (5,000), [[Worcester County, Massachusetts]] (4,700), [[Prince George's County, Maryland]] (4,500), [[Gwinnett County, Georgia]] (4,100), [[Fairfax County, Virginia]] (3,300), [[Brooklyn]] (3,200), [[Tarrant County, Texas]] (2,700), [[Los Angeles County, California]] (2,500), [[Middlesex County, New Jersey]] (2,400), and [[Dallas County, Texas]] (2,400).<ref name=ACSStats/>
=== Languages ===

⚫
Ghanaian Americans speak English, and often also speak [[Akan language|Akan]], [[Ga language|Ga]] and [[Twi]].<ref name="everyculture: Ghanian American"/> Ghanaians have an easier time adapting to life in the United States than other immigrants because their homeland of Ghana has the [[English language]] as the official language and it is spoken by the majority of Ghana's population.<ref name="everyculture: Ghanian American"/>
⚫
== Education and languages ==
A 2015 report by the [[Migration Policy Institute]] noted that the [[Educational attainment in the United States|educational attainment]] of first- and second-generation Ghanaian-Americans was similar to the overall U.S. population.<ref name=MPIRAD/> About 18% of Ghanaian diaspora members in the U.S. age 25 and over had a bachelor's degree as their highest credential, compared to 20% in the overall U.S. population ages 25 and older. About 12% of Ghanaian diaspora members had an advanced degree, compared to about 11% of the overall U.S. population.<ref name=MPIRAD/>

⚫
Ghanaian Americans speak English, and often also speak [[Akan language|Akan]], [[Ga language|Ga]], [[Ewe language|Ewe]] and [[Twi]].<ref name="everyculture: Ghanian American"/> Ghanaians have an easier time adapting to life in the United States than other immigrants because their homeland of Ghana has the [[English language]] as the official language and it is spoken by the majority of Ghana's population.<ref name="everyculture: Ghanian American"/>

== Organizations and civic life==
A 2015 study identified 63 Ghanaian diaspora groups based in the U.S.; these include social groups, charitable and humanitarian organizations, and professional associations (such as the Ghana Physicians and Nurses Association), and regional groups (such as the Ghana National Council of Chicago).<ref name=MPIRAD/> Some Ghanaian American organizations are pan-ethnic, while others focus on specific ethnic backgrounds, such as [[Ewe people|Ewe]], [[Asante people|Asante]], and [[Ga-Adangbe people|Gadangme]]. Most organizations do not have full-time professional staff or large budgets; the largest Ghanaian American organization in terms of revenue was the [[Ashesi University]] Foundation, which is based on Seattle.<ref name=MPIRAD/>


==Notable people==
==Notable people==
Line 39: Line 46:
*[[Joseph Addai]], former American football runningback of the [[National Football League]]
*[[Joseph Addai]], former American football runningback of the [[National Football League]]
*[[Xavier Adibi]], former American football linebacker
*[[Xavier Adibi]], former American football linebacker
*[[Freddy Adu]], soccer player of the [[Las Vegas Lights FC]] for the [[United Soccer League]]
*[[Freddy Adu]], former soccer player
*[[Ezekiel Ansah]], American football defensive end for the [[Detroit Lions]] of the National Football League
*[[Ezekiel Ansah]], American football defensive end for the [[Detroit Lions]] of the National Football League
*[[Jon Asamoah]], former offensive guard for the National Football League
*[[Jon Asamoah]], former offensive guard for the National Football League
*[[Larry Asante]], American football safety
*[[Larry Asante]], American football safety
*[[Joshua Clottey]], professional boxer who held the [[IBF]] [[welterweight]] title from 2008-2009
*[[Joshua Clottey]], professional boxer who held the [[IBF]] [[welterweight]] title from 2008-2009
*[[Lalas Abubakar]],Soccer player for [[Colorado Rapids]]
*[[Ebenezer Ekuban]], American football defensive end of the National Football League for the [[Dallas Cowboys]]
*[[Ebenezer Ekuban]], American football defensive end of the National Football League for the [[Dallas Cowboys]]
*[[Yunus Musah]], Soccer player for [[United States men's national soccer team]] and [[AC Milan]]
*[[Kofi Kingston]]
*[[Kofi Kingston]]
*[[Nana Kuffour]]
*[[Nana Kuffour]]
Line 58: Line 67:
*[[Orleans Darkwa]]
*[[Orleans Darkwa]]
*[[Eli Apple]]
*[[Eli Apple]]
*[[Michael Jordan]]
*[[Zion Suzuki]]


===Music, arts and entertainment===
===Music, arts and entertainment===
Line 66: Line 75:
*[[Michael Blackson]]
*[[Michael Blackson]]
*[[Sufe Bradshaw]]
*[[Sufe Bradshaw]]
*[[Roseanne A. Brown]]
*[[William Chapman Nyaho]]<!--"Chapman Nyaho" is the surname-->
*[[William Chapman Nyaho]]<!--"Chapman Nyaho" is the surname-->
*[[Jay Ghartey]]
*[[Jay Ghartey]]
*[[Ian Jones-Quartey]]
*[[Lance Gross]]
*[[Boris Kodjoe]]
*[[Boris Kodjoe]]
*[[Peter Mensah]]
*[[Kwesi Boakye]]
*[[Ofie Kodjoe]]
*[[Vic Mensa]]
*[[Vic Mensa]]
*[[Sam Richardson (actor)]]
*[[Ian Jones-Quartey]]
*[[Kwei Quartey]]
*[[Sam Richardson (actor)|Sam Richardson]]
*[[Kofi Siriboe]]
*[[Kofi Siriboe]]
*[[Moses Sumney]]
*[[Moses Sumney]]
*[[Kwei Quartey]]
*[[Rashad McCrorey]]


===Other===
===Other===
*[[Akwasi Aidoo]]
*[[Etika|Desmond Daniel Amofah]]
*[[Etika|Desmond Daniel Amofah]]
*[[Kwame Anthony Appiah]]
*[[Kwame Anthony Appiah]]
*[[Kwabena Boahen]]
*[[Kwabena Boahen]]
*[[Joy Buolamwini]]
*[[Paul Cuffee]]
*[[Paul Cuffee]]
*[[Ave K. P. Kludze, Jr.]]
*[[Ave K. P. Kludze, Jr.]]
Line 88: Line 101:
*[[Jonathan Corbblah]]
*[[Jonathan Corbblah]]
*[[Emmanuel K. Akyeampong]]
*[[Emmanuel K. Akyeampong]]
*[[Pious Ali]]
*[[Nana K. Owusu-Nkwantabisa]]
*[[Oral Ofori]]
*[[Oral Ofori]]
*[[Daniel A. Wubah]]
*[[Daniel A. Wubah]]
*[[Felix M. Sarpong]]
*[[Jeph Acheampong]]


==See also==
==See also==
⚫
* [[Ghanaian people|Ghanaians]]
* [[Ghana]]
* [[African immigrants to the United States]]
* [[African immigrants to the United States]]
* [[Ghanaian Australians]]
* [[Ghanaian Australians]]
⚫
* [[Ghanaian Canadians]]
* [[Ghanaians in the United Kingdom]]
* [[Ghanaians in the Netherlands]]
* [[Ghanaians in France]]
* [[Ghanaians in Germany]]
* [[Ghanaians in Italy]]
* [[Ghana–United States relations]]


==References==
==References==
Line 105: Line 121:
==Further reading==
==Further reading==
* Attah-Poku, Agyemang. ''The SocioCultural Adjustment Question: The Role of Ghanaian Immigrant Ethnic Associations in America'' (Brookfield, VT: Avebury, 1996).
* Attah-Poku, Agyemang. ''The SocioCultural Adjustment Question: The Role of Ghanaian Immigrant Ethnic Associations in America'' (Brookfield, VT: Avebury, 1996).
* Walker, Drew. "Ghanaian Americans." ''Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America'', edited by Thomas Riggs, (3rd ed., vol. 2, Gale, 2014), pp. 225-236. [https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3273300079/GPS?u=wikipedia&sid=GPS&xid=e2bc8423 Online]
* Walker, Drew. "Ghanaian Americans." ''Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America'', edited by Thomas Riggs, (3rd ed., vol. 2, Gale, 2014), pp.&nbsp;225–236. [https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3273300079/GPS?u=wikipedia&sid=GPS&xid=e2bc8423 Online]


==External links==
==External links==
Line 111: Line 127:
* [https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/ news about Ghana and Ghanaian Americans]
* [https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/ news about Ghana and Ghanaian Americans]
*[http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Du-Ha/Ghanaian-Americans.html EveryCulture — Ghanaian-Americans]
*[http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Du-Ha/Ghanaian-Americans.html EveryCulture — Ghanaian-Americans]

{{Ghanaian diaspora}}
{{Ghanaian diaspora}}
{{African immigration to the United States}}
{{African immigration to the United States}}
{{ethnic groups in the United States}}
{{Demographics of the United States}}


[[Category:West Africans in the United States]]
[[Category:West African diaspora in the United States]]
[[Category:American people of Ghanaian descent| ]]
[[Category:American people of Ghanaian descent| ]]
[[Category:Ghanaian American| ]]
[[Category:Ghanaian diaspora in the United States| ]]
[[Category:Ghanaian-American history| ]]
[[Category:Ghanaian-American history| ]]

Latest revision as of 13:32, 5 October 2024

Main article: African immigration to the United States
Ghanaian Americans
Total population
Ghanaian Americans
119,789 (2013 American Community Survey)[1]
136,967 (Ghanaian-born, 2014)[2]
Regions with significant populations
New York City, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Boston, Providence, Newark, Worcester, Hartford, Miami, Orlando, Atlanta, Chicago, Columbus, New Jersey, Denver, Seattle, California, Minnesota, Iowa
Languages
English, French, Akan, Kwa, Twi, Ga, Ewe, Dagbani other languages of Ghana
Religion
Predominantly Christian, Islam, other minorities.[3]
Related ethnic groups
Ghanaians, African Americans

Ghanaian Americans are an ethnic group of Americans of full or partial Ghanaian ancestry or Ghanaian immigrants who became naturalized citizen of the United States.

History

[edit]

Early history

[edit]

The first people to arrive from the region then known as the Gold Coast were brought as slaves via the Atlantic slave trade. Several ethnic groups such as the Akan, the Ganga[4] or the Ga people were imported as well to the modern United States and the third of these groups appear to have an influence on the language of the Gullah people.[5][6] Because Ghanaian ports were major routes for European slave traders. Captives from ethnic groups and tribes from all over West Africa were brought there to be held and sent to the New World. Most them were imported to South Carolina, Virginia and Georgia, although other places in the United States, such as Spanish Florida and French Louisiana also had many slaves of this origin.[4]

Recent immigration

[edit]

Ghanaians began arriving in the United States en masse after the 1960s and in the 1970s amidst the civil rights movement and the decolonization of Africa. In 1957, Ghana became the first African country to gain independence from colonial rule. Ghana's first president, Kwame Nkrumah, studied at American universities and worked with Black American leaders for the rights of Black people around the world. Notable African-American intellectuals and activists such as W. E. B. Du Bois and Malcolm X used Ghana as a symbol of black achievement. Most of the early immigrants from Ghana to the United States were students who came to get a better education and planned on using the education acquired in the United States to better Ghana.[7] However, many Ghanaians that migrated in the 1980s and 1990s, came to get business opportunities. In difficult economic times, the number of Ghanaians who emigrated to the United States was small. However, when these economic problems were paralyzed, they built resources for their emigration to the United States.[7]

Population and geographic distribution

[edit]
This strip mall on Cleveland Avenue in Columbus has several Ghanaian businesses: an insurance agency, a hair salon, a grocery store, a cafe, and clothing stores.

First- and second-generation Ghanaian immigrations to the U.S. make up a small portion (0.3%) of the total number of foreign-born Americans. New York City metropolitan area and Washington, D.C. metropolitan area have the highest numbers of Ghanaian immigrants.[8] The state with the largest number of immigrants from Ghana is New York, followed by Virginia, New Jersey, and Maryland.[8]

The 2010 U.S. Census tallied 91,322 Ghanaian Americans living in the United States.[9]

The U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey for 2015 to 2019 estimated the total number of immigrants from Ghana in the U.S. to be 178,400.[10] The top five counties of residence were The Bronx (19,500), Prince William County, Virginia (6,400), Franklin County, Ohio (6,400), Cook County, Illinois (5,200), Essex County, New Jersey (5,100), Montgomery County, Maryland (5,000), Worcester County, Massachusetts (4,700), Prince George's County, Maryland (4,500), Gwinnett County, Georgia (4,100), Fairfax County, Virginia (3,300), Brooklyn (3,200), Tarrant County, Texas (2,700), Los Angeles County, California (2,500), Middlesex County, New Jersey (2,400), and Dallas County, Texas (2,400).[10]

Education and languages

[edit]

A 2015 report by the Migration Policy Institute noted that the educational attainment of first- and second-generation Ghanaian-Americans was similar to the overall U.S. population.[8] About 18% of Ghanaian diaspora members in the U.S. age 25 and over had a bachelor's degree as their highest credential, compared to 20% in the overall U.S. population ages 25 and older. About 12% of Ghanaian diaspora members had an advanced degree, compared to about 11% of the overall U.S. population.[8]

Ghanaian Americans speak English, and often also speak Akan, Ga, Ewe and Twi.[7] Ghanaians have an easier time adapting to life in the United States than other immigrants because their homeland of Ghana has the English language as the official language and it is spoken by the majority of Ghana's population.[7]

Organizations and civic life

[edit]

A 2015 study identified 63 Ghanaian diaspora groups based in the U.S.; these include social groups, charitable and humanitarian organizations, and professional associations (such as the Ghana Physicians and Nurses Association), and regional groups (such as the Ghana National Council of Chicago).[8] Some Ghanaian American organizations are pan-ethnic, while others focus on specific ethnic backgrounds, such as Ewe, Asante, and Gadangme. Most organizations do not have full-time professional staff or large budgets; the largest Ghanaian American organization in terms of revenue was the Ashesi University Foundation, which is based on Seattle.[8]

Notable people

[edit]
Lists of Americans
By US state
By ethnicity
See also: Category:American people of Ghanaian descent

Sports

[edit]

Music, arts and entertainment

[edit]

Other

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Total ancestry categories tallied for people with one or more ancestry categories reported 2013 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 12 February 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
  2. ^ "PLACE OF BIRTH FOR THE FOREIGN-BORN POPULATION IN THE UNITED STATES, Universe: Foreign-born population excluding population born at sea, 2007-2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 16 July 2013.[dead link‍]
  3. ^ US Census Bureau, International Religious Freedom Report 2009, Ghanaian-American
  4. ^ a b Darlene Clark Hine, Earnestine Jenkins (eds), A Question of Manhood: A Reader in U.S. Black Men's History and Masculinity, Volume 1, pp. 103–104.
  5. ^ African American culture Archived 2011-12-22 at the Wayback Machine, African Diaspora. Retrieved September 10, 2012, 23:26 pm.
  6. ^ Pilgrim, David (July 2005). "Question of the Month. Cudjo Lewis: Last African Slave in the U.S.?". Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia. Archived from the original on 2017-05-25. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
  7. ^ a b c d EveryCulture — Ghanaian-Americans. Posted by Drew Walker. Retrieved December 10, 2011, 12:04.
  8. ^ a b c d e f The Ghanaian Diaspora in the United States, Migration Policy Institute, Rockefeller Foundation-Aspen Institute Diaspora Program (May 2015 rev.).
  9. ^ "Total ancestry categories tallied for people with one or more ancestry categories reported in 2010 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 18 January 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  10. ^ a b "U.S. Immigrant Population by State and County, 2015–2019". Migration Policy Institute.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Attah-Poku, Agyemang. The SocioCultural Adjustment Question: The Role of Ghanaian Immigrant Ethnic Associations in America (Brookfield, VT: Avebury, 1996).
  • Walker, Drew. "Ghanaian Americans." Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America, edited by Thomas Riggs, (3rd ed., vol. 2, Gale, 2014), pp. 225–236. Online
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Ghanaian_Americans&oldid=1249542895"