Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 10-7-22

Black Asians
R ecently, a young Black fe- male honors 2022 college graduate, completed a trip to major European countries. She was impressed greatly by the large number of Black Asians she saw in Singa-
pore.
Singapore or the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. It is bor- dered by Malaysia and In- donesia. With a multicultural population, “the country rec- ognizes the need to respect cultural identities of the major ethnic groups within the nation.”
Multiracialism is en- shrined in the constitution and continues to shape na- tional policies in education, housing, and politics. Each resident is assigned a racial category that follows the pa- ternal side. There are four racial categories for the multi-ethnic society which are Chinese, Malay, Indian and others. Thus, finding sta- tistics for the number of citi- zens with African ancestry is difficult.
There are a number of reasons such large numbers of Blacks live in Singapore. First, slavery and British colonialism gave rise to the Black population in the 1700s and 1800s. British colonial- ism and slavery contributed to the Black Asian population as well. The United Kingdom contributed to the multigen- erational mixed Caribbean linage and interracial unions between Asians and Africans, British Indians, and Nigeri- ans.
In the 1970s, 1,000 Japa- nese miners located to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to work in the copper mines. The miners regularly engaged in interracial dating and relationships with the Congolese women. Most of the children from these rela- tionships died under the care of a Japanese doctor and nurse. Because the children were considered a badge of shame for men who were married or had families back in Japan, the doctor and nurse made sure most of the children died. At least 50
survivors formed an organi- zation and asked the Con- golese and Japanese governments to investigate the deaths of the children.
In China, Black Asian births are on the rise due to the arrival of African stu- dents and, a strong trade re- lationship between Africa and China. An influx of pri- marily Nigerians formed a small community in the country. Most of the Chinese who live with and marry Africans live in Buangzhau. At least 10,000 African entre- preneurs live in China. Most Asians who marry Africans come from poor provinces.
During World War II, many Black Japanese chil- dren were born because of re- lationships between Black soldiers and Japanese women, which led to a large number of Black Japanese orphans. Moreover, in- creased immigration from Africa added to the large number of Black Japanese.
Other places where a trav- eler will see a large number of Black Asians are Pakistan, Chida, South Korea, and Equatorial Guinea. Of course, we all know the story of Han- nibal’s army which traveled and conquered much of Eu- rope. Thus, we should not be surprised to see the tinge of Africa all over the world. Harambee.
Being Thankful For What Doesn’t Happen
We extend our well wishes to our neighbors south of the Tampa Bay area who were devastated by the destruction, floods, and winds of Hurricane Ian. We are in awe of the destruction and loss of life as a result of the storm. Indeed, Ian caused us to be thankful for the things that didn’t happen to us. Sometimes we focus and obsess over the things that happen to us, until we forget to be thankful for the things that don’t happen to us. Hurricane Ian is one of those things we thank our Creator for not being hit directly by the winds, rain, and biblical flooding in the Tampa Bay area.
Communities devastated by floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, droughts, and forest fires take decades to restore. Natural disasters and tragedies are lessons in action, serving as reminders that we have little to no control over earth’s rebel- lion. They also are reminders that we should be bet- ter stewards of the earth and its flora and fauna.
Over the past 150 years, we have lost at least 23 plant and animal species, and have many others threatened by extinction today. In fact, the top 15 animals in danger of extinction include the Javan rhinoceros, cheetah, tiger, red tuna, Asian elephant, Vaquita porpoise, mountain gorilla, whales, several shark species, polar bears, bees, elephants, and but- terflies.
Indeed, the proportion of destruction during nat- ural disasters appear to be increasing. Many of us have the mindset that the younger generations will take care of it.
We hate to burst your bubble, but that is a selfish mindset. Today is the time we must begin to take better care of our planet. Hurricane Ian and all other hurricanes that pass through our state are clarion calls for change today, if we live to see to- morrow.
Editorial/Column
PAGE 4-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2022