Black Immigrant Racial Identity Scholarship in the United States: A Conceptual Examination

First- and second-generation Black immigrants are a growing population, comprising a significant portion of the Black people living in the United States, but are an under researched group. Racial identity is one framework that may be used to examine their identity-making in the context of racial oppression. This conceptual paper examines the research literature on Black immigrant racial identity to determine what we have learned about racial identity construction, whether there are associations between Black immigrants’ racial identity and psychosocial outcomes, and where we need to go next. To this end, this manuscript is organized into four major parts. First, we provide a brief overview of Black racial identity theories. In the second and third sections, we discuss the contributions of the current literature on Black immigrant racial identity, particularly to scholars’ understanding of racial identity construction and psychosocial outcomes, and we identify limitations in the current research, respectively. Last, we propose three directions for future research that can further explore and expand intersectional approaches to understanding Black immigrants’ racial identities.