You dont' seem to get it. I'm not claiming that we were original citizens and not slaves. I'm saying that we were here from the beginning and that we helped build this country and fight all of its wars. That makes us not immigrants but original peoples of this country.
That is unless you yourself still don't count African slaves as people? Think about what you're arguing here. You are actually arguing that because the United States looked at us as chattel at the time that we actually
were chattel and not people. Is that your argument?
I don't mean to suggest there were no people of Mexican descent who were here from the beginning. My only argument is that there are millions...and millions...and millions of Mexicans who have since come here as immigrants and it makes no sense for us African Americans to identify with them the way we do. I mean its not like they identify with us.
Well i need to clarify that when I say 11-30 million I'm only referring to illegal immigrants. So when you count legal immigrants that number is even higher.
But as to your source. From 2005...
http://www.steinreport.com/BearStearnsStudy.pdf
1. The number of illegal immigrants in the United States may be as high as 20 million people, more than double the official 9 million people estimated by the Census Bureau.
2. The total number of legalized immigrants entering The United States since 1990 has averaged 962,000 per year. Several credible studies indicate that the number of illegal entries has recently crept up to 3 million per year, triple the authorized figure.
3. Undocumented immigrants are gaining a larger share of the job market, and hold approximately 12 to 15 million jobs in the United States (8% of the employed) 1 Asset Management
4. Four to six million jobs have shifted to the underground market, as small businesses take advantage of the vulnerability of illegal residents.
5. In addition to circumventing the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, many employers of illegal workers have taken to using unrecorded revenue receipts. Employer enforcement has succumbed to political pressure.
6. Cell phones, internet and low-cost travel have allowed immigrants easier illegal access to the United States and increased their ability to find employment and circumvent immigration laws.
Now obviously it says 20 million and not 30 but it was also from 12 years ago. That number has certainly swelled significantly. And the methodology and data they use is a bit more solid and reliable than the Census Bureau and Pew Research Center.
From your link...
The average African-American genome, for example, is 73.2% African, 24% European, and 0.8% Native American.
Where do you think that 73.2% African comes from? Was there some significant migration of Africans to the United States that I am unaware of? Of course not. That 73.2% comes from the African population that was brought here at the beginning of the United States.
And yes we were raped by white people, who were not immigrants, which is why we have 24% European ancestry. The vast majority, over 90% I believe, of African Americans descend from African slaves and European slave owners...neither of which are immigrant groups.
Again, what does that matter? The United States didn't even look at as people. But I would hope you would agree that we were. So if there are people who were here at the beginning of the country, helped build it, and defend it...wouldn't they be considered natives? Again, this is true only unless you don't view African slaves as people.