African immigrants not in lock step with Obama

Houston Chronicle:

For Houston's burgeoning community of continental Africans, the choice on Tuesday would seem easy:

There is Sen. Barack Obama, who in his adult life has explored his roots with visits to his late father's continent.

But his competitor is Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the wife of former President Bill Clinton, who has remained in the hearts of many Africans with his frequent travels to Africa for his work to eradicate AIDS and malaria, among other things.

"This election has been very, very tough for us," said Apeameokhai Philip Aitsebaomo, 53, a Houston optometrist and president of the Houston-based African Coalition Political Action Committee, a lobbying group. "We have some people that are very much in the Hillary camp, because some of us like Bill Clinton."

This is the quandary for some of Houston's newest citizens. Armed with their voter registration cards and a desire to add their voice to the heated race, foreign-born blacks are grappling with the two candidates.

And unlike native-born blacks who appear poised to vote in a bloc for the Illinois senator — as exit polls from earlier primaries show — local foreign-born blacks say they are essentially split down the middle.

...

In recent years, the black immigrant population of Houston has increased by a staggering 400 percent, according to census figures. In 1980, for example, the census counted only 9,200 African and Caribbean people in Houston. The Census Bureau estimated the population in 2006 to be 52,654.

...

Immigrant populations tend to be more adventurous and are obviously risk takers. This leads to success often, that native born populations don't always match. While it may be counterintuitive, it is not particularly surprising that they would be more independent in their thinking.