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An Afro-Asian is a person of African and Asian ancestry.^{[citation needed]} As Afro-Asian is a broad term, it can be broken down into various sub-groups that are distinguished by their demographic location. Due to the widespread African and Asian diasporas, Afro-Asians reside throughout the world. In North America, and the Caribbean, the influx of Chinese and Indian workers in the 19th century forming unions with enslaved or free Africans gave rise to significant populations of Afro-Asians^{[citation needed]}. In the United States, the neologism and portmanteau "Blasian" has gained informal usage to describe someone of Afro-Asian heritage.^{[citation needed]}

Contents 1 History 1.1 South Asia 1.2 West Asia and Africa 1.3 United States 1.4 The West Indies 1.5 Jamacia 2 Afro-Asians in the entertainment industry 3 See also 4 References 5 External links

As early as 1100 AD commercial contacts between India and North Africa opened doors for many North Africans to emigrate to India. These Africans became known as Siddi or Habshi, the Arabic word for Ethopian. Many Habshi received prominent positions where they were able to foster many social reforms. Today, intermarriage has diminished the Habshi population in India. An individual of Indian and Habshi ancestry is considered an Indo-African. In South Asia there are over 250, 000 individuals who identify as Afro-Asian.^[1][2]

Ethiopian conquers entered Southern Arabia in the 2nd and 4th centuries. By 532 AD they had invaded and settled in Yemen. After the settlement, many more Africans came to South Arabia as slaves; men were usually traded as the women were kept as servants or concubines for the Arab leaders. Mixed race children of Ethiopian and Arab descent were considered more valuable in South Arabia. To such children became Princes of the Abbassids. Meanwhile the Arabian army, known as the Sabaens, settled in Ethiopia. The empire of Axum was founded by the descendants of the Sabeans and native Ethiopians. In Iraq, Bantu-speaking Africans were called Zanj. The large number of Zanj slaves working in harsh conditions in Iraq lead to the famous Zanj Rebellion. African rebels occupied many of Iraq's cities forcing Arabs to flee to African nations such as Kenya, Somalia, and Tanzania. Today someone of African and Arab descent is considered Afro-Arab.^{[3] [4]}

A former slave by the name of Najah seized power in the 10th century and established the Banu Najah dynasty, the first royal Afro-Asian family.^[5]

In 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed and Chinese workers who chose to stay in the U.S. could no longer be with their wives who stayed behind in China. Because European Americans looked at Chinese labor workers as stealing employment, they were harassed and attacked, forcing many of the workers to seek protection in the black communities. While in these communities many Chinese men settled down with African-American women.^[6]

Tiger Woods, a famous golf player, too, is of white, Chinese, Native American, Thai and black descent; his father being half African American heritage and his mother being half Thai heritage.

In 2000, there was estimated to be over 100,000 individuals identifying themselves with an Afro-Asian Heritage living in the United States.^[7]

In the 1860s, Chinese immigrants were imported for labor and trade. It became increasingly common for a Chinese man to marry a black woman since the number of black women outnumbered that of Chinese women.

Haitian painter Edouard Wah was born to a Chinese father and Haitian mother.

22:15, 19 December 2007 (UTC) According to the 1946 Census, 12,394 Chinese were located between Jamaica and Trinidad. 5,515 of those who lived in Jamaica were Afro-Asian and another 3,673 were Afro-Asians living in Trinidad.^[6] In Haiti, there is also a very small percentage within the minority who are of Asian descent .

Many Afro-Asian individuals have become successful in the entertainment industry^{[citation needed]}, especially in the United States. These musicians, designers, and athletes include Tyson Beckford, Naomi Campbell, Tiger Woods, Foxy Brown, Hines Ward, Kelis, Amerie Rogers, Ashanti,Diana King, Ne-Yo'and Yoon Mi Rae A.K.A also known as Tasha Reid. Early ska and reggae artist Bunny Lee was of mixed African and Chinese descent.^[8]

Afro-Asians are also gaining prominence in fashion: Kimora Lee Simmons, now retired from full-time modeling, was among the first well-known Afro-Asian models^{[citation needed]}; Angela Chao Roberson was the first of black/Asian mixture to be a contestant in the Los Angeles Miss Chinatown pageant^[9]. Rising supermodel Chanel Iman is of Korean and African-American ancestry. According to King magazine^{[citation needed]}, constructed by the opinions of their readers, Afro-Asian models, such as Tomika Skanes and Lashontae are becoming the next most desired models next to that of the Victoria's Secret angels.

In Japan Crystal Kay, a young singer of African American/Zainichi Korean heritage has become a top 10 recording star.

• Negrito
• Chinese Jamaicans
• Chinese Trinidadian
• Dougla
• Falasha
• Hapa
• Indo-Caribbean
• Indo-Fijian
• Indo Jamaican
• Indo-Trinidadian
• Eurasian
• Ziyadid dynasty

• John Middleton, The World of the Swahili.
• James de V. Allen, Swahili Origins.
• Agehananda Bharati, The Asians in East Africa: Jayhind and Uhuru.
• "The Indian Diaspora" at the UCLA Manas project

• Blasians.com
• Mixed and Famous
• AsiansOfMixedRace.com
• Resource on Mixed Asians

v • d • e Peoples of the African diaspora
African American - Africans in the United States - Afro-Asian - Afro-Argentines - Afro Australian - Afro-Arab - Afro-Brazilian - Black British - Black Canadians - Black French - Afro-Caribbean - Afro-Colombian - Afro-Cuban - Afro-Latin American - Afro-Germans - Afro-Guyanese - Afro-Mexican - Afro-Peruvian - Afro-Trinidadian people - Afro-Turks - Siddi

v • d • e Asian Americans
East Asian	Chinese · Japanese · Korean · Mongolian · Taiwanese
South Asian	Bangladeshi · Indian · Indo-Caribbean · Nepalese · Pakistani · Sri Lankan · Tibetan (otherwise considered Central Asian)
Southeast Asian	Burmese · Cambodian · Filipino · Hmong · Indonesian · Laotian · Mien · Thai · Vietnamese
Other	Asian Latino · Eurasian · Amerasian · Turkish