Voluntary Immigration and Continuing Encounters between Blacks: The Post-Quincentenary Challenge

The quincentenary of Columbus's 1492 visit to America provided opportunities for scholars to engage in critical observation and observance of the event. The visit began the unended stream of voluntary crossings to the hemisphere and especially the United States. Similar crossings by blacks have been downplayed in American history; they have been located within the context of the slave trade, imposed segregation, and restricted movement. Even though, after emancipation, increasing numbers of persons immigrated to the United States from countries with predominantly black or racially mixed populations, their presence was less visible due to their relatively small numbers and their resemblance to and close association with the more numerous native-born black people. Since 1965, liberal legislation has led to increasing entry and heightened visibility of black immigrants, especially in urban and industrial centers of the country. There they bring greater ethnic diversification to the U.S. black population. These developmens challenge sociology to begin to address a complex future with expanding bases of ethnic encounters and differentiation and new possibilities for inter- and intragroup relations.