Reclaiming African Identity: Past, Present and Future
In the modern world, we have come to understand identity as both a natural right and a necessity. After all, if someone does not understand and appreciate his own identity, how could such a person ever really know himself and the direction of his future?

Slavery in the United States stripped African-Americans of their ethnic identity. Upon arriving in the United States, slaves were renamed. They were forbidden to practice their native languages or religions. Slaves were not allowed to marry and were frequently separated from their closest family members. Over time, most black people whose ancestors were slaves lost the knowledge of their African roots. They lost a piece of their identity, their connection to the past.

It may have once seemed impossible to hope that African-Americans could someday reclaim those ties to their African heritage. Yet this is precisely the mission of A2A: to reconnect African-Americans to their ethnic identity, so that, by knowing more about their past, they can enter into a new appreciation for their present and their future. For indeed, if we do not know our ancestors and their stories, how can we ever truly stand on their shoulders and reach for something higher?

In the spirit of reconnecting this historical thread, A2A will reshape the African-American community’s understanding of itself with a solution that focuses on the past, the present, and the future.

The Past: It is in our DNA
Our DNA is our past. It is our most primary form of ethnic identity. Professor Henry L. Gates, a founding member of A2A, has done extensive work in genealogy research, including DNA testing to re-establish genetic identity. A2A encourages DNA testing for African-Americans so that they may learn more about their genetic origins in Africa. Learn more about the way that DNA testing can help re-establish a sense of identity within the African-American community.

The past is also brought back to life by multi-media databases of African and African-American history and culture, such as the Encyclopedia Africana. These works bridge the past and the future by educating African-Americans about their cultural heritages. By providing access to such important sources of information about the histories, traditions, and cultures that were lost to African-Americans through slavery, A2A can build a bridge between African-Americans, their African ancestors, and their present day genetic “cousins” in Africa.

The Present: Building a community
The present day sees a community of African-Americans separated from their heritages, uncertain of what their identities truly entail. A2A believes that expanding access to multi-media educational tools will help to bring the past alive within the present and strengthen the African-American community’s knowledge of itself. Such an increase in accessibility will enhance the sense of community between Africans and African-Americans, as they learn more about each other: the histories, struggles, and triumphs of each. To extend the reach of this effort to a wide variety of ventures, A2A has an objective to support multi-media projects that will increase accessibility of such sources of information for people on both continents.

The Future: Creating new leaders
Education is the surest way to make certain that the gains of the present and the lessons of the past carry on and shape the events of the future. To that end, A2A will establish an institution for those of African descent. At this institution, Africans and African-Americans will truly find one another again. Here, students selected by merit will have immediate contact with one another, learning in a unique, cross-cultural environment. The institution will help create and shape tomorrow’s leaders. This is the path of empowerment that will create an organized future for both groups.

While A2A looks to the past to find and nourish the roots of African-American heritage, our goal is not reversion, but rather reinvigoration. We hope to serve as a robust empowerment tool for those of African descent across the diaspora to forge a new way ahead to the future. Be a part of our effort to rebuild the past, present, and future relationships between African-Americans and their ethnic heritage. Register with A2A and share your ideas for strengthening and extending our online community of Africans and African-Americans.