Public Understandings of Egypt in Dalit and Afro-American Identities

This is a presentation I made for the Egypt and its African context Conference October 2009. Two principal minorities in the United States and India are African Americans and the Dalits formerly known as the Untouchables of India. W.E.B. DuBois in Africa and the World and V.T. Rajshekar in Dalits:The Black Untouchables of India ,and the Dalit Bishop Rev. Azariah have linked African-Americans and East Indians to an African origin. Although these minorities are separated by thousands of miles both ethnic groups locate their origins in Africa and see Egyptian civilization as part of their ethnic heritage and situated this idea in the liberation history curriculum taught in their school. In this presentation Dr. C.A. Winters will discuss the role Egypt has played in the identity formation of Dalits and African-Americans and why both groups see a direct link between themselves and the ancient Egyptians and made this a major part of their history curriculum within the context of their Civil Rights Movement.