Africans are not the face of immigration debates in the United States as has traditionally been the case of other migrant and diasporic groups. Yet, Sub-Saharan African émigrés are growing in many places, doubling their number every ten years since the 1980s to reach two million in 2019. Nowhere is this more vibrant than in the historically Black neighborhood of Harlem in New York City. Join scholar and author Boukary Sawadogo not only to discuss the story of African immigrants in Harlem’s most recent renaissance, but also to interrogate the multifaceted historical connections and exchanges between Africa and Black America through Harlem.

About the speaker:

Dr. Boukary Sawadogo is an Associate Professor of Cinema Studies and Black Studies at the City University of New York’s City College and CUNY Graduate Center. Beyond African film and media industries, Sawadogo’s work is widening in scope and depth to include study of African immigration in the 20th- and 21st-century America amidst national demographic shifts. He has recently authored the book Africans in Harlem: An Untold New York Story (2022).

Important information: The discussion will be available both online and in person. While the conversation will happen in person (Sawadogo will appear in the Reading Room), the Library will stream the conversation on Zoom for a live viewing experience. Both in-person and online attendees will be able to pose questions.

This event requires advance registration.

Attendance at this event constitutes permission for your photograph or video to be taken at the event and used by the American Library in Paris for marketing, promotional, pedagogical, or other purposes.