Abstract
Many problems exist for United States (U.S.) descendants of Cabo Verde (In 2015, the government of Cabo Verde asked in the United Nations that the official name be Cabo Verde in all documents, opposed to the colonial version, “Cape Verde”) Islands seeking dual citizenship. Much of this is due to multiple 20th century racial discriminatory practices by the U.S. in soliciting cheap labor from Cabo Verde Islands, including changing the birth names of Cabo Verdean immigrants when they entered the United States. Without knowing the true birth names of their ancestors, descendants such as myself have no access to proof of birth in the dual citizenship process. Years often pass by as Cabo Verdean Americans search for clues that may lead to proving their legal status through family stories, and track related names as well as birth and death records. For many, dual citizenship may never be granted from the Cabo Verdean government, despite having U.S. death certificates that state that the family member was born in Cabo Verde. This autobiographical case study explores why so many Cabo Verdean Americans seek dual citizenship with a strong desire to connect to their motherland. Moreover, issues related to language, class and colorism discrimination between Cabo Verdean-born immigrants and descendants in the U.S. are explored. In so doing, the researcher hopes to ameliorate the divisions between the current government policies and Cabo Verdean American descendants, as well as build greater intracultural connections between those born in the Cabo Verde Islands and those born in the U.S. and elsewhere.
Highlights
This article was based on the challenges of gaining dual citizenship for individuals who are certain of their lineage and who are eligible to become a legal descendant citizen
I am a descendant of an African American father, two generations from U.S slavery, which for my ancestors began with enslavement on U.S Southern plantations, and a Cabo Verdean first-generation mother
I learned a lot from the family responses to my questions that covered the following areas: our degree of willingness to acknowledge our grandfather’s original name, how we choose to identify, whether we speak the language, whether we know Cabo Verde-born people, whether we have ever been to the islands, whether we know of any famous Cabo Verdean Americans, and whether we belong to any Cabo Verdean organizations
Summary
This article was based on the challenges of gaining dual citizenship for individuals who are certain of their lineage and who are eligible to become a legal descendant citizen. The contemporary divisions existing between the communities of Cabo Verdean-born immigrants and descendants as a result of the complex interplay of identity and political and cultural boundaries are part of my story of discovery in seeking dual citizenship, and this is part of the larger collective story as well. It is possible that the quest for dual citizenship may be in part to heal these divisions within both a single community torn apart by a colonialist global system and in individuals, such as myself, descendants of Cabo Verde with African American roots, who psychologically inhabit two cultures, with these cultures at varying odds with regard to language, class and color. The longing for dual citizenship in my case encompasses a family journey to discover these roots in multiple ways through multiple encounters with Cabo Verdeans here and abroad as I searched for records to help establish my lineage. This article may be of special ‘belonging’ benefit to those with mixed heritage, as well as to the nation and world at large, as it seeks to learn of its peoples’ contributions, achievements and challenges while living in an inequitable and insensitive America
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