American Africans

During European colonialism from the 15th to 19th centuries (1434 to 1860), nearly 12 million Africans (specifically from countries on the west coast of Africa) were taken against their will, kidnapped, sold into slavery and brought to the Americas with only about 400,000 eventually arriving on the land currently known as the United States of America. In 1619, the first 20 enslaved West Africans arrived in Jamestown, Virginia. They were stolen from a Portuguese slave ship then transported to an English warship and eventually sold to the colonial settlers there. This started the beginning of chattel slavery in the United States of America and is the origin of where the American Africans’ birthright begins.

American Africans are of West African descent and origin; as of 2016, the average American African has around 80% West African DNA. Our West African ancestors were enslaved by white European Caucasian colonizers and brought to the Americas (now USA). They were savagely raped, beaten and forced to work for free under brutal chattel slavery for nearly 250 years.

American Africans (Descendants of Slaves) believe it’s important we establish a unified group separate from the rest of the U.S. population (Caucasians, Asians, Native Americans, Mixed Race, Africans, Latinos/Hispanics, immigrants, people of color, minorities, etc.) due to our specific ancestral contribution to building the wealthiest country on the entire planet.

AA(DOS) is a designation that falls under the USA Reparations Movement and is equal parts ancestral lineage linked to the Transatlantic Slave Trade as well as West African DNA because it was our West African ancestors who were kidnapped and sold into U.S. chattel slavery which lasted for nearly 250 years. In turn, our specific genetically linked group of black people also experience legal segregation and systemic racism in the nearly 160 years post chattel slavery. Therefore, both aspects of categorization equally exist in our claim for USA reparations. We believe USA reparations should cover three separate parts, #1. The Transatlantic Slave Trade (chattel slavery from 1619 to 1865), #2. Legal Segregation (1865 to 1968) and #3. Institutional, Structural and Systemic Racism (1968 to present day).

We believe the H.R. 40 Bill currently in congress (2019 – 2020) should focus on repayment only and should not be called “A Commission to Study and Develop Reparations Proposals for African-Americans Act” but instead should be titled “A Commission to Develop a Repayment Plan for American Africans (Descendants of Slaves) Act”. There is far too much evidence to substantiate our claim for reparations, how much our ancestors contributed to the foundation of this country, what we are owed and why we are owed; to have a “study” is an unnecessary postponement of justice due to us, a specific disenfranchised group of United States citizens. In addition, to focus on repayment means the commission would also review all the ways in which American Africans (DOS) are owed reparations by the United States government. Until this happens, we as a group collectively, will continue to vote locally but will withhold our presidential vote until a presidential candidate supports our collective interest for reparations repayment.

“DOS” is set to expire upon full USA reparations enactment and distribution by official U.S. legislation crafted in our favor. Once American Africans (DOS) are legally and financially made whole, then our official designation will be American Africans with new ID cards issued as the Certificate of Degree of West African Blood (CDWAB). This ID card grants us access to US government-backed initiatives, programs and services specifically designated for us under the USA Reparations Bill.