African-Americans should learn more about their African heritage to combat racism, according to both Aminah Pilgrim, a professor at the University of Massachusetts Boston in the Africana Studies Department and the director of its Cape Verdean Language & Culture Institute, and Tem Blessed, a youth organizer and hip-hop artist in the rap group "Busted Fro." Both spoke about the relationship between African-Americans, specifically Cape Verdean-Americans, and their homeland at the Cape Verdean Heritage Series Convocation on Saturday.
Cape Verde is a small chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean which was colonized by the Portuguese in the 15th century. The Cape Verdean Heritage Series, sponsored by the Cape Verdean Student Association, seeks to spread awareness and understanding of the country's culture.
In the late 20th century, famine forced many Cape Verdeans to immigrate to the United States, Pilgrim said. Many settled in New England and typically worked as migrant laborers in the cranberry- and blueberry-picking industries on Cape Cod. During the winters, Cape Verdeans moved from the Cape to surrounding areas of New England such as Boston, Pawtucket and Providence, specifically Fox Point, Pilgrim said.
Despite racism and de-plorable living conditions, Cape Verdeans made significant contributions to the New England economy during the late 20th century, she said. Their work on Cape Cod built Ocean Spray into the prosperous company it is today, she added.
As a descendant of immigrants from Cape Verde, Pilgrim also spoke about her experience growing up in Onset, Mass., known to some white neighbors as "Jungle Town" due to its large Cape Verdean population. She faced racism and was labeled as generically "black" by her white neighbors. "I was taught in high school that it only mattered that I was black. No one ever asked me where in Africa I was from," Pilgrim said.
Only by connecting to her cultural roots in Cape Verde did she finally gain perspective on her oppressive U.S. environment, she said. She encouraged today's African-American youth to do the same. "It is crucial to reconnect to the culture and to close the gap," she said.
To establish a relationship with the past, young Cape Verdean-Americans should travel back to Cape Verde and actually experience the community, Pilgrim said. Learning the language, creole, also provides a sense of common identity between the American and Cape Verdean, she added.
Blessed, the son of Cape Verdean immigrants, also spoke about his relationship with Cape Verde. He stressed the importance of Cape Verde's history in his identity. "Knowledge is the key to finding out who you are. Understanding myself began with going back to history," he said.
In addition to being a hip-hop artist, Blessed also works in a youth empowerment group called YouthBuild, which teaches teamwork, leadership skills and critical thinking to low-income young adults. The people he works with in YouthBuild are now facing the same problems that he faced a few years ago, he said.
Establishing connections with supportive elders who will provide love and discipline is especially important in YouthBuild's work. Older members of the community can give low-income youths a solid sense of identity and belonging that helps them fight against the prejudices of the "system," he said.
The most difficult task for groups like YouthBuild is to find a way to transform feelings of anger into a constructive motivation for change. "There is so much energy in the youth to go out and destroy things. We have to redirect them into something more positive," he said.
Through his work in YouthBuild, Blessed hopes to help struggling low-income youths find a way to be accepted into American culture. "Hip-hop was my way to feel like I was a part of America. It gave me a way to express myself and vent out the stresses of life. I'm hoping to give back and help people find their own ways," he said.
Cape Verdean-Americans Diana Duarte '05 and Elena Lobo '08 organized the event and introduced the speakers.
