Being Black in Russia

Emilia Tynes-Mensah did the same things other children did. She read the classics of Alexander Pushkin, listened to the symphonies of Peter Tchaikovsky, and heard the propaganda that life here was better than anywhere else. But in her home, she listened to American jazz, had thanksgiving celebrations and heard stories of the struggles facing blacks in America. Her father was among hundreds of blacks who traveled to the Soviet Union in the decades after the 1917 Russian Revolution. “My father didn’t know anything about this country. He didn’t know what to expect,” said Tynes-Mensah. “Everybody who came to the Soviet Union from America would tell them, ‘Please don’t forget to bring some records, Tynes-Mensah said. “He loved Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Paul Robeson.

Most African Americans who came to Russia seeking a better life, desperate to flee the hardships in America at the time, were skilled foreign laborers and professionals. They were engineers, educators, entertainers, journalists, and lawyers. The actor-activist Paul Robeson and poet Langston Hughes were among those travelers captivated by communism. The Soviets gave African Americans the red-carpet treatment, including fat paychecks, subsidized housing, and free vacations. The experience of African Americans who settled in Russia was overwhelmingly positive. In turn, they made valuable contributions to Soviet society. “They had an impact disproportionate to their numbers because the Soviet leadership was trying to use them as a symbol of what they were trying to build. 

 

But within a short period of time, such attention was unwelcome. Today, the acceptance of blacks in Russia is far lower compared with what African American pioneers experienced. The presence of black Russians, often describe as “Afro-Russians”, is a reminder of a time when race was more neutral. However, today Russia struggles with a reputation that’s similar to America.

https://www.france24.com/en/20180417-russia-world-cup-footbal-fifa-charges-russian-fans-racism

https://www.baltimoresun.com/la-fg-c1-black-russian-americans-20141119-story.html

Famous Cards

https://simondalexy.com/