Diaspora of the Week - Black British

This is probably one of the most interesting terms that I have heard in a long time. Why? It's various meanings.

In a contemporary sense, Black British refers chiefly to a British resident of Sub-Saharan African decent. However, I have discovered that their all others meaning to this term, and some are still in use today.

Black British can also refer to all ethnic minority groups in UK (which is no longer widely used, but is around, contextually). More specifically, it can also refer to those of South Asian decent along with those of Sub-Saharan African decent.

Now that the definitions are somewhat clear, I found some interesting historical information about some race riots that have occurred in the UK (primarily in England). Most of them usually involved those that are Black British in either the contemporary definition or the definition that includes those of South Asian and Sub-Saharan African decent. Some of them are actually very recent, but not as severe as the ones in the past.

I thought these cases were interesting to bring up since we tend to neglect some of the racial incidents that have occurred in Europe involving those of African decent. I also thought it was interesting since South Asians were/are also a part of the term "Black British."

The questions I have for all of you is:

1. Why were/are South Asians considered "Black" in the UK?
2. What similarities (after reading some of the cases) do the riots have in comparison to those in the US?
3. Why are race riots in the UK not talked about as much as those that occurred in the US and in South Africa?

Moving on from the race riots, there's plenty more. I must discuss the cultural/sub-cultural differences of the Black British (the contemporary definition) compared to the mainstream. In all, it is very similar to African-American culture, but there are some striking differences, based on how the Black British culture developed and evolved:

• Black British English (BBE) is heavily influenced by Jamaican English, mainly because many of the Black immigrants to the UK are from Jamaica.
• Black British music (which it is NOT called, by the way) is heavily influenced by reggae.

The similarities to the African-American community are just as striking, however. The disparities in employment and crime compared to their white counterparts are comparatively as great in both communities (even though the crime rates in the UK are significantly lower than they are in the US). Also, many successful Black Britons are in the entertainment business in some way, just like many of those in the African-American community. (I must note that there are many that are successful in virtually all employment sectors as well in both and all aspects of the African diaspora. Don't get it twisted...)

To learn more about the Black British, I found blackpresence.co.uk to be rather helpful.