A few weeks ago, the streets of Twitter were aflame with the hashtag #Securethetribe, an offshoot of a space hosted by Tariq Nasheed which was aimed at examining the effects of immigration on black Americans. In this space, Tariq Nasheed, a self-acclaimed Foundational Black American and Twitter activist, spoke at length about how the immigration of Africans into America is detrimental to the livelihood of the Black Americans.
This perspective is the same as that of racist white folks that complain about Mexicans ‘stealing’ their jobs. We all know that oppression, like misery, loves company in the sense that people who find themselves holding the short end of the stick often look for others holding shorter ends to subdue. This unfounded sense of entitlement is the rationale behind Black Americans like Tariq Nasheed, who claim that Africans and other migrants that travel into countries like the UK and USA are taking jobs from them. Tariq’s position as a high school dropout makes his argument even more of a farce because many African immigrants are Masters and PhD degree holders that are often eminently qualified for the jobs they take.
Not only is Tariq’s perspective harmful, but it also proves the colloquial saying that “not all skin folk are kinfolk.” For people like the average Nigerian who strive for everything they possess, it is injurious to push the narrative that we are undeserving of whatever success we achieve when we travel to work abroad, but I guess nothing less should be expected from a man who refers to women as “females” and writes books to teach these females how to “keep” men like himself.
I speak for Nigerians and hopefully other Africans when I say that we are not a people to whom things are handed out without merit. Therefore, every Nigerian holding any office or position in America or any other country is there because they are either the most qualified for the job or as qualified as everyone else. In my experience, the former is usually the case.
Tariq Nasheed might be just one man, but his words mirror the thoughts of many Black Americans who claim African ancestry only as an aesthetic to their flowery lives. The truth remains that no one will be free until we are all free. Tariq’s xenophobic and outright hateful declarations further prove that many people only recognize the harmful effects of oppression when they are at the receiving end. This is why these conversations are essential and should be had more often so that we do not hold any false notions concerning the unity of the black community both at home and in the diaspora.