You can attend this event in-person or online.
Join the Committee on Forced Migration for an exciting launch and discussion of two new books: Neeraj Kaushal’s "When Africa Comes to America" (2026, Columbia University Press) and Bernadette Ludwig’s "Unwelcome Shores. Black Refugees in America" (2025, Rutgers University Press).
"When Africa Comes to America" provides an expert analysis of the myths and realities surrounding African immigration today. Economist Neeraj Kaushal argues that in the second half of the 21st century, Africans will account for the largest share of immigrants to the United States. Challenging the view that African emigration is driven by poverty, war, and disaster, she demonstrates that the continent’s sizable and growing middle-class has both the aspirations and the means to relocate. First- and second-generation African immigrants are often highly skilled, and the children of Black African immigrants reach higher educational attainment than U.S.-born whites and earn comparable incomes.
Based on data from a longitudinal ethnographic study, sociologist Bernadette Ludwig, examines the racialization of Black refugees and the anti-Black racism they have experienced at every step of their migration journey. Focusing on Liberian refugees’ experiences, "Unwelcome Shores" shows that Black refugees and asylum seekers face specific burdens when it comes to refugee resettlement quotas and requirements, systemic and interpersonal forms of anti-Black racism and dominant narratives in which Black refugees’ humanity is often ignored in favor of overemphasizing presumed barbaric violence, endemic wars, and cultural backwardness. The book equally explores how Black refugees respond to these exclusions. In the end, "Unwelcome Shores" underscores how integration is deeply contingent on race, place, and historical context and highlights that anti-Black racism is not limited to native-born Black Americans but also shapes immigration policies and how Black immigrants and refugees are (not) welcomed to the United States.
Authors
- Neeraj Kaushal, Professor of Social Work, Columbia School of Social Work
- Bernadette Ludwig, Sociologist and Assistant Dean, Macricostas School of Arts & Sciences, Western Connecticut State University; Affiliated Faculty with The New School's Zolberg Institute on Migration & Mobility
Discussants
- Dialika Sall, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Lehman College-CUNY
- Amaha Kassa, Executive Director, African Communities Together
Moderator
- Daniel Naujoks, Lecturer, Columbia-SIPA, Coordinator, Columbia Committee on Forced Migration
Lunch will be provided.
There are options for in-person and virtual participation.