--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are African in origin and American in…" description: "\"We are African in origin and American in birth.\" — Timothy Thomas Fortune" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0f/timothy-thomas-fortune-36701_birth_we-are-african-in-origin-and-american-in_1985351.jpg" --- # We are African in origin and American in birth. ![“We are African in origin and American in birth.” quote by Timothy Thomas Fortune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0f/timothy-thomas-fortune-36701_birth_we-are-african-in-origin-and-american-in_1985351.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0f/timothy-thomas-fortune-36701_birth_we-are-african-in-origin-and-american-in_1985351.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0f/timothy-thomas-fortune-36701_birth_we-are-african-in-origin-and-american-in_1985351.jpg) > “We are African in origin and American in birth.” [Timothy Thomas Fortune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-thomas-fortune/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. African heritage defines our roots while American birth shapes our present, urging us to honor both origins. **In simple terms:** We are African by heritage, American by birth. Key Takeaway Embrace dual cultural identity. Themes identity heritage nationality pride integration Mood proud reflective determined Type cultural motivational When to use this quote - education - community events - family storytelling - public policy Key Concepts cultural duality historical awareness social integration Questions to Reflect On - How do you celebrate both aspects? - What challenges arise from dual identity? A Different Perspective Balancing identities can cause internal conflict. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [African](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/african/) [African Origin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/african-origin-619758/) [American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american/) [American Birth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-birth-823330/) [Birth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birth/) [Origin American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/origin-american-3412423/) ## Related quotes > [I'm an American by birth, but I'm a Texan by the Grace of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-gatlin/i-m-an-american-by-birth-but-i-m-a-texan-by-the-grace-of-god/) [Larry Gatlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-gatlin/) > [Mind you, I live in an area of Atlanta that is nearly 88% black. But in six days in and around Melbourne, I saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-goad/mind-you-i-live-in-an-area-of-atlanta-that-is-nearly-88-black-but-in/) [Jim Goad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-goad/) > [American by birth. Cowgirl by choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/american-by-birth-cowgirl-by-choice/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What we call soul has been around a long time. It comes out of a particular culture that is African in origin, but influenced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-ayers/what-we-call-soul-has-been-around-a-long-time-it-comes-out-of-a/) [Roy Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-ayers/) > [Gospel music rhythms are not African in origin, although I know that's what the jazz experts say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahalia-jackson/gospel-music-rhythms-are-not-african-in-origin-although-i-know-that-s/) [Mahalia Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahalia-jackson/) > [One of the things that made the Black Muslim movement grow was its emphasis upon things African. This was the secret to the growth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/one-of-the-things-that-made-the-black-muslim-movement-grow-was-its/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [There are a lot of chapters to the banjo's history. Part of it are the roots in Africa, where it's a more primitive instrument.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/there-are-a-lot-of-chapters-to-the-banjo-s-history-part-of-it-are-the/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [The birth of the African Union should encourage us to reexamine relations between African States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-bongo/the-birth-of-the-african-union-should-encourage-us-to-reexamine/) [Omar Bongo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-bongo/) > [“For their never-ending endeavours to obtain or retain wealth, countries desperately need companies, because they—unlike most human beings—have the means of production, and human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/for-their-never-ending-endeavours-to-obtain-or-retain-wealth/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [With a foreign policy appropriately rooted in some sense of humanitarian decency, the Central African crisis will not be easily ignored by American policymakers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-johns/with-a-foreign-policy-appropriately-rooted-in-some-sense-of/) [Michael Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-johns/) > [Most Americans know nothing about the African forest, and it seems to them a very scary, spooky dangerous place. I've spent a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/most-americans-know-nothing-about-the-african-forest-and-it-seems-to/) [David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/) > [For people of color - especially African Americans - the idea that racist cops might frame members of their community is no abstract notion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/for-people-of-color-especially-african-americans-the-idea-that-racist/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [I'm just trying to touch the world and touch the people and just get good material. And show them that we can get it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-hardrict/i-m-just-trying-to-touch-the-world-and-touch-the-people-and-just-get/) [Cory Hardrict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-hardrict/) > [Virtually all of Darfur's six million residents are Muslim, and, because of decades of intermarriage, almost everyone has dark skin and African features.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-power/virtually-all-of-darfur-s-six-million-residents-are-muslim-and/) [Samantha Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-power/) > [We examine and highlight the history of the African descendants in America, and know that each and every one of us has come this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvette-clarke/we-examine-and-highlight-the-history-of-the-african-descendants-in/) [Yvette Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvette-clarke/) ## More by Timothy Thomas Fortune > [Our history in this country dates from the moment that restless men among us became restless under oppression and rose against it . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-thomas-fortune/our-history-in-this-country-dates-from-the-moment-that-restless-men/) [Timothy Thomas Fortune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-thomas-fortune/) > [It is not safe in the republican form of government that clannishness should exist either by compulsory or voluntary reason. It is not good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-thomas-fortune/it-is-not-safe-in-the-republican-form-of-government-that-clannishness/) [Timothy Thomas Fortune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-thomas-fortune/) > [Men may be spoiled by education, even as they are spoiled by illiteracy. Education is the preparation of the mind for future work, hence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-thomas-fortune/men-may-be-spoiled-by-education-even-as-they-are-spoiled-by/) [Timothy Thomas Fortune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-thomas-fortune/) > [Mental inertia is death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-thomas-fortune/mental-inertia-is-death/) [Timothy Thomas Fortune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-thomas-fortune/) > [The white men of the South had better make up their minds that the blacks will remain in the South just as long as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-thomas-fortune/the-white-men-of-the-south-had-better-make-up-their-minds-that-the/) [Timothy Thomas Fortune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-thomas-fortune/) > [The race cannot succeed, nor build strong citizens, until we have a race of women competent to do more than bear a brood of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-thomas-fortune/the-race-cannot-succeed-nor-build-strong-citizens-until-we-have-a/) [Timothy Thomas Fortune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-thomas-fortune/) > [Ours is supposed to be a government in which classes and distinctions melt into a harmonious whole. Until we reach this ideal of government,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-thomas-fortune/ours-is-supposed-to-be-a-government-in-which-classes-and-distinctions/) [Timothy Thomas Fortune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-thomas-fortune/) > [I do not inveigh against higher education, I simply maintain that the sort of education the colored people of the South stand most in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-thomas-fortune/i-do-not-inveigh-against-higher-education-i-simply-maintain-that-the/) [Timothy Thomas Fortune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-thomas-fortune/) > [The colored man is in the South to stay there. He will not leave it voluntarily and he cannot be driven out. He had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-thomas-fortune/the-colored-man-is-in-the-south-to-stay-there-he-will-not-leave-it/) [Timothy Thomas Fortune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-thomas-fortune/) > [Mob law is the most forcible expression of an abnormal public opinion; it shows that society is rotten to the core.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-thomas-fortune/mob-law-is-the-most-forcible-expression-of-an-abnormal-public-opinion/) [Timothy Thomas Fortune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-thomas-fortune/) > [We must learn to lean upon ourselves; we must learn to plan and execute business enterprises of our own; we must learn to venture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-thomas-fortune/we-must-learn-to-lean-upon-ourselves-we-must-learn-to-plan-and/) [Timothy Thomas Fortune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-thomas-fortune/) [Explore all 12 Timothy Thomas Fortune quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-thomas-fortune/) ## More African quotes > [We examine and highlight the history of the African descendants in America, and know that each and every one of us has come this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvette-clarke/we-examine-and-highlight-the-history-of-the-african-descendants-in/) [Yvette Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvette-clarke/) > [I'm just trying to touch the world and touch the people and just get good material. And show them that we can get it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-hardrict/i-m-just-trying-to-touch-the-world-and-touch-the-people-and-just-get/) [Cory Hardrict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-hardrict/) > [For people of color - especially African Americans - the idea that racist cops might frame members of their community is no abstract notion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/for-people-of-color-especially-african-americans-the-idea-that-racist/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [“For their never-ending endeavours to obtain or retain wealth, countries desperately need companies, because they—unlike most human beings—have the means of production, and human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/for-their-never-ending-endeavours-to-obtain-or-retain-wealth/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [Virtually all of Darfur's six million residents are Muslim, and, because of decades of intermarriage, almost everyone has dark skin and African features.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-power/virtually-all-of-darfur-s-six-million-residents-are-muslim-and/) [Samantha Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-power/) > [I loved Ghana Must Go by Taiye Selasi. Its about a first-generation African family living in America that has to return home to Nigeria…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzo-aduba/i-loved-ghana-must-go-by-taiye-selasi-its-about-a-first-generation/) [Uzo Aduba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzo-aduba/) > [I was adopted my black Americans, I feel that I'm a 'Hybrid'. When I'm around Africans'I suddenly feel very black American. And when I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kola-boof/i-was-adopted-my-black-americans-i-feel-that-i-m-a-hybrid-when-i-m/) [Kola Boof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kola-boof/) > [I concentrate on the southern African subcontinent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-dennis/i-concentrate-on-the-southern-african-subcontinent/) [Nigel Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-dennis/) > ['Yo I'm from Africa' Boy you're just a faker. Name one city: 'Uhh, Jamaica!' Wrong! And I think that's a shame, An African look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-sun/yo-i-m-from-africa-boy-you-re-just-a-faker-name-one-city-uhh-jamaica/) [King Sun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-sun/) > [I am of an African-Jamaican descent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-mitchell/i-am-of-an-african-jamaican-descent/) [Liz Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-mitchell/) > [When I was very little, I was into Michael Jackson. At six or seven, it was Madonna, but she's not what she used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lykke-li/when-i-was-very-little-i-was-into-michael-jackson-at-six-or-seven-it/) [Lykke Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lykke-li/) > [Football is a personal interest which has been turned into a philanthropic initiative directed at encouraging social cohesion during the difficult process of African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-hussein-al-amoudi/football-is-a-personal-interest-which-has-been-turned-into-a/) [Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-hussein-al-amoudi/) > [But we've all ended up giving body and soul to Africa, one way or another. Even Adah, who's becoming an expert in tropical epidemiology…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/but-we-ve-all-ended-up-giving-body-and-soul-to-africa-one-way-or/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [African Queen' is pretty darn great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-eggers/african-queen-is-pretty-darn-great/) [Robert Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-eggers/) > [Most Americans know nothing about the African forest, and it seems to them a very scary, spooky dangerous place. I've spent a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/most-americans-know-nothing-about-the-african-forest-and-it-seems-to/) [David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/) [Browse all 576 African quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/african/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We are African in origin and American in birth.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Timothy Thomas Fortune" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-thomas-fortune/we-are-african-in-origin-and-american-in-birth/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "African" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-thomas-fortune/we-are-african-in-origin-and-american-in-birth/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0f/timothy-thomas-fortune-36701_birth_we-are-african-in-origin-and-american-in_1985351.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0f/timothy-thomas-fortune-36701_birth_we-are-african-in-origin-and-american-in_1985351.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0f/timothy-thomas-fortune-36701_birth_we-are-african-in-origin-and-american-in_1985351.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We are African in origin and American in birth.” — Timothy Thomas Fortune", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Timothy Thomas Fortune", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-thomas-fortune/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We are African in origin and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-thomas-fortune/we-are-african-in-origin-and-american-in-birth/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-thomas-fortune/we-are-african-in-origin-and-american-in-birth/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```