Discover the Complexities and Diversities of Black Communities In
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DescentThere are (PAD) currently living anin estimatedEurope.4 PAD 15 million have been People present of African in socialEurope interactions since the time with of European the Roman and Empire, Arab merchants due to trade between and Africa, theThere Middle are many different East terms used, and often interchangeably, Europe.5 when discussing In People the 1400s, Portuguese merchantsof African began Descent and memberstransporting of the black community. The Africans UN Working Group onto Spain, Portugal, and Italy as slaves,People of African servants, Descent has defined People and of African workers.6 Descent, often abbreviated as “PAD”, as “descendants of the African victims of the transatlantic and Mediterranean Sea slave trade. The group includes those of the sub-SaharanAfrican slave trade1.” states However, acquired independence between 1922 Prior to thethe United creation Nations High Commissioner of the for Human Transatlantic Rightsand broadened 197519 this definition thus toSlave abdicating Trade colonial in the rule. However, the 16th century,include “descendants PAD of thoseliving Africans that in were Europedisplacedeffects to the Americas enjoyed of during colonialism the relative did levelsnot end of with the departure freedom,Transatlantic often Slave working Trade many generations as back, poets, or moreof recent the playwrights, migrants European who have imperial shopkeepers, powers from Africa. ambassadors,journeyed to theservants Americas, Europe, Asia for and within noble AfricaEnslavement itself.”2 families, and or colonialism members byof European the powers clergy, particularlyWhile the term “PAD”, and itsin derivative southern “Afro-descendant”,exposed Europe.7encompass aAfrican wide range of communities to French, Italian, people with genealogical, geographic, and historical tiesGerman, to the African continent, Dutch, other British, Spanish, Portuguese, and Portugal’sterms transportation can be used when referencing members ofof the blackAfricansandBelgian community. education “Black rule, to people” Europe and,systems therefore, evolvedof each the of into theselanguages, an countries.20 cultures, and “members of the black community” are terms that areThe used tocultural refer to members ofand linguistic connections established grew,elaborate boththe slave African in diaspora.Europe trade byand the in mid-1500s.8 thethereafter newly establishedencouraged As the need many European for Africans labour to emigrate to The European powers justified the colonisationEurope of Africa even by emphasising after their “legal the and religious European powers left Africa.21 colonies, more countriesobligation” to “civilise” began Africans, furtherToday, emphasisingparticipating Afro-descendants sentiments of European superiority in over the who slave emigrate to Europe are trade.9 Africans.16 The colonial regimes implementedmore this likelyprocess of “civilisation” to goby introducing to Europeancountries with former colonial educational, linguistic, legal, and religiousties systems to to their the African colonieshome through countries, coercion and forced as there is often a Portugal, Spain, Greatassimilation.17 Britain,cultural, France, linguistic, and the orNetherlands family connection. The colonial regimes established a hierarchy of a small population of white elites over the local transported enslavedcommunities, Africans who maintained powerThere through to are the colonies manyconstant different threat orterms exercise used,in of violenceoften North interchangeably, by armed and when discussing South People America and the Caribbean,military and police groups in order and, ofto African intimidate Descent tothe indigenous aand lessermembers populations of theinto black extent,submission, community. creating The a Europe UN Working Group on itself. Most of the enslavedculture of fear and distrust people amongPeople African of communities African were Descent towards haspolice,transported defined which mayPeople still ofbe Africanfelt today.18 Descent, from often abbreviated as “PAD”, as “descendants of the African victims of the transatlantic and Mediterranean Eventhe though coast decades of have West passed Africa.10 since the Holocaust OverSea slave tookthe trade. next 400 years, at least impactedplace,11 the million byJewish it. It communityhas Africans affected and tradition, itswere culture culture transported is still and strongly general to the Americas, which feelingsmarked but also reportingthe beginning attitudes. Some of Jews what thinkGuideThe isgroup of now minorincludesto those known of the sub-Saharan as slave the trade1.” “AfricanHowever, the United or evenDiaspora”.11 severe incidents in comparison to the ShoahNations – that High Commissioner for Human Rights broadened this definition to include nothing can be worse – and are likely to avoid reporting“descendants it ofto those Africans that were displaced to the Americas during the the police. Transatlantic Slave Trade many generations back, or more recent migrants who have This rampant decline in populationjourneyed to the Americas,and Europe, disruption Asia and within Africa ofitself.”2 HolocaustOn 27traditional January Remembrance every year, political Day.commmorates It is very and likely International social thatBLACK Jewish life left many parts of Africa communities and public authorities in your area willWhile organize the term “PAD”, and its derivative “Afro-descendant”, encompass a wide range of publicvulnerable events on that dayto suchthe as subsequent exhibitionsCOMMUNITIES and dedicated peopleEuropean with genealogical, geographic, colonisation and historical ties to the ofAfrican the continent, other eventsAfrican to raise awareness. continent.12The European It was duringterms can be usedthispowers when referencing period members thatjustified of the black an community. ideology— “Black people” “scientific” and “cultural”— suggestingand “members of the black community”that areAfricans terms that are used to referwere to members of the colonisationfor policethe African in diaspora. europe of Africa by still“naturally persists inferior” asemphasising fuel tofor Europeans modern racisttheir emerged—a ideologies. “legal sentiment Thisand ideology which colonisation.13was used as areligious means of justification obligation” for the to slave “civilise” trade and Africans, further1 emphasising oversentiments Africans.16 of European The colonial superiority DescentThere are (PAD) currently living anin estimatedEurope.4 PAD 15 million have been People present of African in socialEurope interactions since the time with of European the Roman and Empire, Arab merchants due to trade between and Africa, theThere Middle are many different East terms used, and often interchangeably, Europe.5 when discussing In People the 1400s, Portuguese merchantsof African began Descent and memberstransporting of the black community. The Africans UN Working Group onto Spain, Portugal, and Italy as slaves,People of African servants, Descent has defined People and of African workers.6 Descent, often abbreviated as “PAD”, as “descendants of the African victims of the transatlantic and Mediterranean Sea slave trade. The group includes those of the sub-SaharanAfrican slave trade1.” states However, acquired independence between 1922 Prior to thethe United creation Nations High Commissioner of the for Human Transatlantic Rightsand broadened 197519 this definition thus toSlave abdicating Trade colonial in the rule. However, the 16th century,include “descendants PAD of thoseliving Africans that in were Europedisplacedeffects to the Americas enjoyed of during colonialism the relative did levelsnot end of with the departure freedom,Transatlantic often Slave working Trade many generations as back, poets, or moreof recent the playwrights, migrants European who have imperial shopkeepers, powers from Africa. ambassadors,journeyed to theservants Americas, Europe, Asia for and within noble AfricaEnslavement itself.”2 families, and or colonialism members byof European the powers clergy, particularlyWhile the term “PAD”, and itsin derivative southern “Afro-descendant”,exposed Europe.7encompass aAfrican wide range of communities to French, Italian, people with genealogical, geographic, and historical tiesGerman, to the African continent, Dutch, other British, Spanish, Portuguese, and Portugal’sterms transportation can be used when referencing members ofof the blackAfricansandBelgian community. education “Black rule, to people” Europe and,systems therefore, evolvedof each the of into theselanguages, an countries.20 cultures, and “members of the black community” are terms that areThe used tocultural refer to members ofand linguistic connections established grew,elaborate boththe slave African in diaspora.Europe trade byand the in mid-1500s.8 thethereafter newly establishedencouraged As the need many European for Africans labour to emigrate to The European powers justified the colonisationEurope of Africa even by emphasising after their “legal the and religious European powers left Africa.21 colonies, more countriesobligation” to “civilise” began Africans, furtherToday,Written emphasisingparticipating by: Afro-descendants sentiments of European superiority in over the who slave emigrate to Europe are trade.9 Africans.16 The colonial regimesJennifer implemented Kwaomore and Katherine this likelyprocessMinehart of “civilisation” to goby introducing to Europeancountries with former colonial educational, linguistic, legal, and religiousties systems to to their the African