The Resilient African Immigrant

Written by: Ajabeyang Amin, Executive Contributor

Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.

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During this Black history month, I am honoring the resilience of African immigrants.

As defined by psychologists, resilience is adjusting well notwithstanding trauma, threats, adversity, or major causes of stress.

Anyone who has migrated to a new country can attest to how exciting yet challenging it can be adapting to a different way of life. Many things are different, the food, the climate, the way people dress, the way they speak, the way they interact socially, societal values and norms, the educational process, work and housing conditions. And for many Africans, the direct experience of racism is new. Most people from Sub-Saharan Africa lived in societies where the majority of the people are Black. Thus, they may not have encountered racism to the extent that native-born and raised Black people in the U.S. have experienced.

All these novelties can make the first few years of migration strange. You’re excited to have migrated especially if you’ve been working towards it for a long time. But you’re also confused about things not being the way you expected. Additionally, people are busy going about their lives and they may not have enough time to truly be with you the way it was back home where friends will stop by your house unannounced and spend hours talking and laughing with you. Most things in the U.S. need to be planned. Plus, the U.S. culture is somewhat designed to encourage workaholism and individualism, which is much different from many African cultures that function at a slower pace and promote collectivism. In essence, migrating from Africa to the U.S. is leaving a collectivistic culture to an individualistic culture, which makes the adjustment challenging in itself. Meanwhile, there is no standardized system to help the immigrants figure out housing, getting a job, and navigating your new life abroad.

Then, there is your accent. The multiple African languages that exist lead to people having different accents, much different from how Americans speak. Thus, as an African immigrant, you speak the way you would normally speak and American locals may seem confused or unable to understand what you are saying or they make statements like, oh you mean “water” when that’s what you were saying the whole time. In addition, some words are different, such as “trousers” are now “pants.” If you are learning English, it gets complicated to have a conversation with people who don’t speak your language. So, you find yourself becoming shy or ashamed. You may feel embarrassed about trying to learn a new language. You could experience a little shift in your personality because you can’t express yourself the way you really want and have people understand you.

The worst adjustment is your name. Your name is part of your identity. Many Africans have traditional names that vary per ethnic group. Have you had someone struggle to attempt to call your name? As an African immigrant, you introduce yourself and people try to pronounce your name, but what they say sounds nothing like what you told them. You try again and again to correct them or even teach them, but they can’t get it. They ask you if you have a nickname and you say, “that’s the nickname.” At some point, you just give up and say, “yes sure, call me that,” whatever they said because you can’t teach them to roll their tongues the way you’re supposed to in order to say the name correctly. And just like that, some part of your African identity is transformed.

The longer you live in your new country, you adjust. Maybe you begin introducing yourself with a name that sounds easier for people to say, maybe your accent changes, maybe the way you dress changes. Many things change with time. You get more comfortable with your environment, and you gain a better understanding of the way of life. Many African immigrants have family and friends that help them. Many find and maintain good paying jobs. Many pay their bills and sometimes those of family members back home. African immigrants are known to be more educated than most people including those born in the U.S. African immigrants are highly resilient. For these and all the other ways I haven’t described here, Happy Black History Month! You are worth celebrating.

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Ajabeyang Amin, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Dr. Ajabeyang Amin is a psychologist, Christian counselor, and blogger. She founded the blog, African Mind Healer where she writes on mental health, culture, and faith. She is dedicated to helping people heal from their traumas, get unstuck from their past, blossom to authenticity, and do the things they are called to do. She has helped multiple individuals and couples work through various life challenges. She is inspired by her faith, her clients, her experiences living in multiple countries (Cameroon, Senegal, Ghana, France, El-Salvador) and 5 U.S. states, and by being a highly sensitive person. She holds a PsyD in counseling psychology from Northwest University, an MPH from University of Michigan, and a BS from Penn State University. As you read her writing, her unique background and perspective might just inspire you to take a pause and think about your life.