Leroy Hopkins and Eric Ledell Smith, 1994. The African-American presence in Pennsylvania is the result of numerous waves of immigrants who have settled in the Commonwealth over the past three centuries. While the story of African Americans in Pennsylvania is one of struggle for human rights and identity, it is a story also of achievement and the assertion of ethnic pride. As the state's fifth largest ethnic group, African Americans have had a significant impact on the history of Pennsylvania. Pamphlet No. 6 in The Peoples of Pennsylvania series, 8.5" x 11", 8 pgs, paperback.