As African immigration rises, many newcomers are establishing their homes in Pennsylvania, particularly those in the growing community in Philadelphia’s neighborhood that is already unofficially known as “Africatown,” write Tim Craig and Steven Rich for The Washington Post.
Efforts are currently underway to officially recognize the name for a 50-square-block area in the city, where residents aim to transform the neighborhood into a showcase for African food and culture. This could then become a home away from home for immigrants, as well as a window into Africa for everybody else.
“This is the American story, and has always been the American story,” said Voffee Jabateh, executive director of the African Cultural Alliance of North America (ACANA), which is championing efforts to transform Southwest Philadelphia into Africatown. “The Irish came. The Italians came. The Germans came. The Polish came, and now the new wave of immigrants are Africans.”
However, not all longtime residents are happy with this idea. Terri Powell, who is Black and has lived in the neighborhood for three decades, does not want to see the name get officially changed.
“This is not Africa,” said Powell. “They moved into this area. But Africatown? No, this is Southwest Philadelphia, and we were here first.”
Read more about Africatown and the wave of African immigration to Philly and the U.S. in The Washington Post.
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