The discourse on African American/Black identity, as illustrated by the “Obama Phenomenon,” continues to evolve as current ways of nomenclature and identifying “what is African American and/or Black identity” are, in effect, challenged by a generation of U.S.-born Africans. This case study explored the perceptions about African American/Black identity of six First Generation U.S.-Born Africans attending a predominantly White institution. The resulting narratives highlighted their perceived tensions and harmonies with Continental Africans, Generational African Americans, and, in some cases, other cultural/racial groups. Their stories offer more support for recognizing the heterogeneity within the African American/Black community. The university context serves as one of the primary sites where they engaged these tensions and harmonies concerning their racial/cultural/linguistic identities.

This manuscript theoretically explores the application of a stretched expanded nigrescence theory (NT-E) by making notions of consciousness explicit, thereby building on the research involving first generation U.S.-born Africans (FGAs). In taking this approach, a theoretical framework of a diasporic consciousness emerged an alternative for exploring the identity development of Africana people. To facilitate this process, a shift from conceiving identity along the lines of race and ethnicity was begun towards a conception that is solely culturally based on eight identified factors.

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