By Shamara Riley:

Tomorrow marks Pioneers Day in Liberia, the January 7, 1822 landing of black American settlers to Liberia - Africa’s first republic - and I’ve written a piece over at theGrio.com about it. Not quite the title that I’d have used for my piece, since I also discuss the Americo-Liberians’ strengths and argue that this much-envied and much-maligned minority group remains critical to Liberia’s development. My focus was more about why Pioneers Day is important to black American history and about changing notions of Americo-Liberian identity - especially now that the U.S.-born offspring of indigenous Liberians are returning to the country - that is taking place in Liberia.

An excerpt: “Yet just as the concept of being African-American is changing to represent the diversity of the U.S. black experience, the ‘new Americos’ are changing the concept of being Americo-Liberian. For instance, are individuals born in the U.S. to indigenous Liberian parents Americo-Liberian? What about individuals of indigenous ancestry who were born in Liberia, lived for some years in the U.S. and who’ve returned to Liberia? Is a person of indigenous ancestry who was raised by an Americo-Liberian family an Americo-Liberian? And with increasing intermarriage between Americo-Liberians and indigenous Liberians over recent decades, how Americo-Liberian does one have to be to be considered Americo-Liberian? Such questions are challenging the old ‘Congo/country people’ divide in Liberia and will pioneer new notions of Americo-Liberian identity. Liberians are even increasingly debating the very nature of Liberian itself, debating whether Liberia should maintain its blacks-only citizenship clause in an era when the U.S. has elected its first black president

Read More: http://www.thegrio.com/2010/01/former-american-slaves-played-oppressive-role-in-liberias-past.php

Shamara Riley is the owner and Publisher of Booker Rising (http://www.bookerrising.net), the nation’s largest online news site for black moderates and black conservatives.