Forging Diaspora: Afro-Cubans and African Americans in a World of Empire and Jim Crow
Dublin Core
Title
Forging Diaspora: Afro-Cubans and African Americans in a World of Empire and Jim Crow
Description
In the third chapter of Forging Diaspora, Frank Guridy examines a link between Afro-cubans and Black Americans through the Cuban migration to the United States to pursue an education at Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU), specifically the Tuskegee Institute.
Using Tuskegee as an example, he argues that Cubans were able to receive a higher level of education in HBCU's and that kids were being sent over not just because of racial reasons, but also because parents saw an opportunity for their kids to advance themselves. However, the US government looked at this as a way to maintain the racial hierarchies that were already present in American society. Guridy also emphasizes Booker T. Washingtons "moderate" mindset on the afro-hispanic migration to black colleges. While he wanted to establish an identification with colored people worldwide, he also wanted to show his allegiance to the United States. Washington's approach to afro-hispanics joining HBCU's highlights the intersectionality between achieving racial progress for African-Americans and maintaining the racial structure of post-civil war America.
Guridy's approach gives insight into how Black people were able to achieve racial progress, even during a time in which the US government was striving to restrict said progress.
Using Tuskegee as an example, he argues that Cubans were able to receive a higher level of education in HBCU's and that kids were being sent over not just because of racial reasons, but also because parents saw an opportunity for their kids to advance themselves. However, the US government looked at this as a way to maintain the racial hierarchies that were already present in American society. Guridy also emphasizes Booker T. Washingtons "moderate" mindset on the afro-hispanic migration to black colleges. While he wanted to establish an identification with colored people worldwide, he also wanted to show his allegiance to the United States. Washington's approach to afro-hispanics joining HBCU's highlights the intersectionality between achieving racial progress for African-Americans and maintaining the racial structure of post-civil war America.
Guridy's approach gives insight into how Black people were able to achieve racial progress, even during a time in which the US government was striving to restrict said progress.
Source
Frank Guridy, “Forging Diaspora in the Shadow of Empire: The Tuskegee-Cuba Connection” in Forging Diaspora (The University of North Carolina Press, 2010): 17-60.
Collection
Citation
“Forging Diaspora: Afro-Cubans and African Americans in a World of Empire and Jim Crow,” The Kudzu Experience, accessed July 22, 2025, https://kudzu.ecdsomeka.org/items/show/126.