Several members of the Iowa State community gathered in Carver Hall Friday night for a discussion focused on the miscommunication and similarities of Africans and African Americans in the United States.

The Same But Different: The Divide Between Africans and Africans Americans discussion invited students of African heritage to acknowledge their unique history and the content within their unique history that might be hard to comprehend.

To start the event, a video was presented to show that Africans are not excluded from the police brutality.

Amadou Diallo, the first victim mentioned in the video, was shot forty-one times by four New York Police Department officers, after the officers mistakenly believed Diallo was a serial rapist on the loose.

Another victim of police brutality discussed in the video was Matthew Ajibade, a twenty-one year old college student who died of blunt force trauma following being barricaded in police custody in Savannah, Georgia.

Individuals in the video pleaded for viewers to realize that African or African American are the same, for they share history. The video also urged Africans to understand that they too can be affected by the issue of police brutality plaguing the African American community.

The students in attendance split off into five separate groups and briefly discussed among each other different questions like: How was it coming to America and finding out about your race? How were you raised to think about Africans/African Americans? Where do you think this divide stems from?

The groups eventually came together to form a larger group where one of the discussion groups’ African American students stated that they couldn’t imagine their lives without race. One student from the discussion group stated how race was something that was brought into their lives early on along with things that implemented race. Other discussion groups agreed and most students believed that the media and movies negatively portray African Americans.

Most students could also agree that the divide between African and African American students stems from the education system and the media. To close the discussion, Professor Tunde Adeleke, African-American studies professor at Iowa State, addressed the students.

“Black Americans have a very complex identity,” Adeleke said.

Adeleke thanked the students for taking time out of their schedules to come partake in the conversation.

“This is a historic problem we’ve had for centuries,” Adeleke said referring to the relationship and divide between Africans and African Americans.

Adeleke told students he was very pleased in having this discussion and it was the first step in improving relations.

“I’m hopeful in this generation,” Adeleke said. “Continue to debate. When you have time come together and talk.”