Black people in France

Black people in France
Black French also known as French Black people or Afro-French (Afro-Français) are French people who are of Sub-Saharan African (including Malagasy people) or Melanesian ancestry. It also includes people of mixed African/Melanesian and French ancestry.
Population statistics
Although it is illegal for the French state to collect data on ethnicity and race in the census (a law with its origins in the 1789 revolution and reaffirmed in the constitution of 1958), various population estimates exist. An article in The New York Times in 2008 stated that estimates vary between 3 million and 5 million. It is estimated that four out of five black people in France are of African immigrant origin, with the minority being chiefly of Caribbean ancestry.
Some organizations, such as the Representative Council of France's Black Associations (CRAN), have argued in favor of the introduction of data collection on minority groups but this has been resisted by other organizations and ruling politicians, often on the grounds that collecting such statistics goes against France's secular principles and harkens back to Vichy-era identity documents. During the 2007 presidential election, however, Nicolas Sarkozy was polled on the issue and stated that he favoured the collection of data on ethnicity. Part of a parliamentary bill which would have permitted the collection of data for the purpose of measuring discrimination was rejected by the Conseil Constitutionnel in November 2007.
Notable people
In French politics
Afro-French or Kanak members of the French Parliament or government from overseas France
There have been dozens of Afro-Caribbean, Kanak, and Afro-French MPs representing overseas electoral districts at the French National Assembly or at the French Senate, and several government members.
Roger Bambuck, Minister of Youth and Sports from 1988 to 1991.
Aimé Césaire, mayor of Fort-de-France and deputy from Martinique for the PCF/Martinican Progressive Party.
Jean-Louis d'Anglebermes, Kanak politician from Caledonian Union.
Félix Éboué, French Guianan-born colonial administrator and Free French leader.
Laura Flessel-Colovic, she became the Sport Minister in 2017.
Serge Letchimy, deputy for Martinique Socialist Party, Letchimy is also of partial Tamil descent.
Gaston Monnerville, politician and lawyer, he was the president of the Senate from 1958 to 1968.
Maurice Ponga, New Caledonian politician who served as Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Overseas constituency from 2009 to 2019.
Christiane Taubira, deputy from French Guiana, was the first black candidate to a French presidential election, in 2002. In 2012, she became the Justice Minister until 2016.
Manuéla Kéclard-Mondésir, deputy from Martinique
Afro-French people elected in metropolitan France
Severiano de Heredia, president of the municipal council of Paris (1879–1880/ sort of mayor of Paris ), deputy for Paris (1881–1889), minister (1887)
Blaise Diagne (1872-1934), first person of Sub-Saharan African origin elected to the French Chamber of Deputies, and the first to hold a position in the French government.
Élie Bloncourt (1896–1978), second Black metropolitan deputy (1936–40, 1945–47), first Black metropolitan general councillor (1934–40, 1945–51)
Ernest Chénière (1945–), former deputy for Oise (1993–97)
(1891–1945), first Black metropolitan mayor (1929–40)
Hélène Geoffroy, deputy for Rhône, mayor
Maxette Grisoni-Pirbakas, elected an MEP in 2019.
Gaston Monnerville (1897–1991), first Black metropolitan senator (1946–1974), president of the French Senate (1947–68), mayor, president of Lot's general council
George Pau-Langevin, Paris deputy (2007–12), junior minister (2012–2014), Minister for Overseas (2014–)
Arthur Richards (1890–1972), general councillor in Bordeaux (1951–1964), deputy for Gironde (1958–67)
Rama Yade, former minister and secretary of State
Harlem Désir, former minister for European Affairs and MEP, former First Secretary of the French Socialist Party
Kofi Yamgnane, former minister, former MP, former mayor, former general councillor in Brittany.
Hervé Berville, Rwandan genocide survivor, French economist and politician, Côtes-d'Armor MP for La République En Marche! since June 2017, party spokesperson.
Seybah Dagoma, then 34-year-old lawyer of Chadian descent and founding member of a left-wing think tank, was elected in a Parisian constituency in 2012 and in office until 2017.
Laetitia Avia, lawyer of Togolese descent, member of the National Assembly for the Paris's 6th constituency elected in 2017, defeated in 2022
Danièle Obono, Gabonese descent MP for La France Insoumise representing the 17th Paris constituency since the legislative elections of 2017.
Nadège Abomangoli, deputy from Seine-Saint-Denis
Political activists
Frantz Fanon, Marxist, existentialist and anti-colonial author and activist. Renounced his French citizenship.
Kémi Séba, Pan-Africanist political leader, writer, activist and geopolitical analyst for various African television channels
Louis-Georges Tin, president of the Representative Council of France's Black Associations and founder of the International Day Against Homophobia
Rokhaya Diallo, French journalist, BET-France host, author, filmmaker, and activist for racial, gender and religious equality.
Sibeth Ndiaye, French-Senegalese communications advisor. Government Spokeswoman for Edouard Philippe's government from April 2019 to July 2020.
Susanna Ounei, Kanak independence activist.
In sports
In basketball
In football
In rugby
Other sports
Christine Arron, track and field sprint athlete
Surya Bonaly, Olympic figure skater
Stéphen Boyer, volleyball player
Laura Flessel-Colovic, fencer
Vanessa James, Olympic figure skater
Gaël Monfils, tennis player
Daniel Narcisse, team handball player, IHF World Player of the Year 2012
Francis Ngannou, mixed martial artist
Earvin N'Gapeth, volleyball player
Barthélémy Chinenyeze, volleyball player
Éric N'Gapeth, father of Earvin, volleyball player
Yannick Noah, last French French Open tennis winner to this day (1983), current French Davis Cup coach
Marie-José Pérec, multiple Olympic gold medal sprinter
Jackson Richardson, team handball player, IHF World Player of the Year 1995
Teddy Riner, judoka
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, tennis player
In entertainment and media
Josephine Baker, dancer and singer
Guillaume Guillon-Lethière, painter
Fatou Diome, best-selling and award-winning author of Senegalese origin.
Élé Asu, journalist and TV presenter of Nigerian descent
Édouard Montoute, French actor and thespian
Dominique Thimbakala, TV newscaster for BFM TV
Kareen Guiock, TV newscaster for M6
Mouss Diouf, actor
Ladj Ly, film director and screenwriter
Aya Nakamura, singer
Miss Dominique, singer
Fabe, rapper
Hélène and Célia Faussart (Les Nubians), singing duo
Aissa Maiga, actress
Sonia Rolland, actress
Imany, singer
Hubert Kounde, actor and thespian
Lord Kossity, Dancehall musician
Dieudonné M'bala M'bala, comedian and anti-Zionist activist
Fab Morvan, model and singer, half of Milli Vanilli
Audrey Pulvar, newscaster and journalist
Firmine Richard, actress
Harry Roselmack, newscaster
Omar Sy, César-winning actor
Olivier Coipel, comic book artist
Bukola Elemide, Female musician
Black M, rapper
MHD, rapper
MC Solaar, cult French rapper
Niska, rapper
Dadju, singer
Shy'm, pop singer
Les Twins, new-style hip-hop dancers
Ziak (fr), rapper
Jacky Brown and Ben-J (Nèg' Marrons (fr)), reggae & hip-hop duo
In literature
Calixthe Beyala, writer
Aimé Césaire, writer
Suzanne Césaire, writer
Maryse Condé, writer
Léon Damas, writer
Edouard Glissant, writer
Marie NDiaye, writer
Daniel Picouly, author
European / African (or Afro-Caribbean) descent
Alexandre Dumas, writer
Alexandre Dumas fils, writer
Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, general in the French Revolution and father of Alexandre Dumas
Thierry Dusautoir, rugby player
Chevalier de Saint-Georges, composer, conductor, and violinist, master fencer and military man
Rudy Gobert, basketball player
Noémie Lenoir, model
Chevalier de Meude-Monpas, French musician and composer
Chloé Mortaud, Miss France 2009
Anais Mali, model
Sonia Rolland, actress, Miss France 2000
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, tennis player
Gaël Monfils, tennis player
Flora Coquerel, Miss France 2014
Alicia Aylies, Miss France 2017
Willy William, singer and producer
Cindy Bruna, model
Ciryl Gane, mixed martial artist
See also
Zaire
Belgium
Switzerland
African Americans in France
Haitians in France
Racism in France
References
African diaspora in France
Caribbean French
France
Ethnic groups in France
Kanak people