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On April 17th, Cecile Kyenge was named Italy’s first black government Minister. Kyenge is Italy’s new Minister for Integration. She was born in the Congo and moved to Rome in the 1980’s to study medicine. While working at a hospital in Modena, Kyenge met her Italian husband who was a surgery patient in the hospital.

Kyenge was elected to Parliament in February. She is most recently noted for introducing a child citizenship law that would make immigrant kids born on Italian soil, citizens. Currently, the law states that children must have bloodlines of past Italian citizens in order to become citizens of Italy.

Kyenge hopes to change the immigration policies that effect a large population of the country.  For every five children born in the country, one is born to a foreign parent. These generations of children have been forced into lower-paying jobs that were rejected by citizens. The political argument of Italian citizenship by the new Minister has been fueled by growing racism in the streets of Italy.

Little Known Black History Fact: Cecile Kyenge  was originally published on blackamericaweb.com

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