The Term African American
 

I think the term african-american is not a good term for people who are of african descent,my family are from jamaica and since they live in the u.s. they should be called jamaican american or afro caribbean american.i call myself jamaican american,african american should be for people how were born in africa not america.


tell me what you think...

Not that I am a big fan of labels but I am American. I prefer and like African American. To me afro refers to a hairstyle, and black is not the color of my skin, it's brown. My family is descended from Africa. I don't know specifically which country but with more research, I hope I can find out. I think African American is accurate for me. I was born in this country as well as the 7 generations prior to me which makes me American (not to mention I pay taxes) and my roots go back to Africa, hence the African. And although I don’t know which tribe or tribes I am descended from, I think the term pays homage to my ancestors.

i like the term afro american and i know that the term afro american is not used anymore but i think it sound more better,i read that the term afro american died out in the 80's because of jesse jackson using the term african american and everybody start saying it.some people didint like the term because not everyone is not african american,black people fromall over the world come to america.they bering their own heritage and their culture to america and still being called african american thats not good,thats just washing away their heritage,have u noties that white people are not called european american just white.afro american is a good term to call all black people in the americas not african american.i don't know if u like the term afro american but to me it sounds more better and more put together than african american.






if u wanted to talk about black people in the americas than afro american is the best term to use.u can't use the term african american if u talk about the americas because there are black canadians in canada and black latinos in latin america.

I would consider mastering the English language if I were you.........forget worrying about what to call yourself.

I wanted to point out that in South America, they refer to "America" to mean The Continent of South America, and the "Americas" to mean The Continents of North & South America. I think it's pretty much in the States and Canada, that when we say "America", the intended meaning is "USA" (i.e. America=USA).

When I was in Argentina, this lady kept saying "here in America, we do such and such...." and when I asked her to clarify, it came to light that she mean South America The Continent, not the USA.

i agree...i've said this time and time again...i tell people i'm not AFRICAN-AMERICAN...i'm black & hispanic(jamaican & panamanian) or Caribbean-American. you got to go waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back to trace my roots to the "mother-land"...

and another issue i have with African-american...it shouldnt be used to describe ETHNICITY, cuz what if you're white, but ya parents & their parents & their parents were from a country in africa, but you was born here...are you not African-American??? just some food for thought...

oh yeah...let me just say this...ppl, plz stop confusing race with ethnicity...we're all one race...THE HUMAN RACE, but many different ethnicities...ok, i'm done now...

An excellent point, since there there are white people in South Africa who have since emigrated to Canada and the USA.

i also have the same problem. My mother is Jamaican and my dad is American (Black) so I prefer Black or Jamaican American or even just Jamaican over African-American. People see a little brown and try tog et all politically correct and start saying that black British people and Bahamians are African AMERICAN. I have heard people who work for the school I go to say the term "African American Bahamian" WTF is that?! Or the local newspaper referred to Thandie Newton (British actress) as African American! Um...NO! The African no longer applies to me and many others and the American doesn't apply to everyone either. It's a disgusting and offensive term for me personally. I understand why some people cling to it, but it really has a negative effect on Black people who are not easy to categorize by skin alone.

I understand how the term comes off as cultural imperialistic by blacks from other cultures. Thus black is a workable compromise, acknowledging the various Afro cultues in the American diaspora and those from Africa. But it's even more compicated than this b/c using such designations as Jamiacan, Trini, Bajan,etc. as an ethnic/racial designation is problematic also, since there is some diversity in these countries, esp. East Indian, Asian, Middle Eastern, European.

My train of thought also^^^

I am speaking specifically to the United States of America. As far as the term Afro-American, I don't like it. An afro is a hairstyle, not a person. And just a FYI, before "we" were African American, we were called Afro-American, Negro, Colored, Negras, and of course the all-American favorite, Ni**er. As far as I am concerned, Af-Am reflects to a degree, where I am now and where I come from. Specifically, I am multi-ethnic and embrace all of my ethnicities but I am not going to add more labels. Last thing I need is an identity crisis.:rolleyes:

People can identify with what ever makes them feel good about life. You like what you like.

I was born in South America but I consider myself African American, and caribbean american

I was born in America. I consider myself American.

It shouldn't just be a black thing...people who say they're Irish-American when they've never stepped foot in Ireland bug me. Your great great grandmother was Irish, not you.
When people emigrate to England, they are fiercely adamant that they are English and nothing else. I think all of America is having an identity crisis, like just being American is not good enough.

You know tony86,

Macallan and few others on this board will be more than happy to call you something else if you'd like?

Because now, you are lucky you even being referred to as Black at this point.

Search all the posts before making a new one. There are huge discussions you can ressurect because you have a crisis of definition.

The issue with buying the idea of being call black: Like Black Power, Black Panthers, Black... Like Black magic, black plague, black death... All things black are evil...

Either way, the epistemology is already defined.

We can only have this dicussion AFTER you realize what a Cultural Asili is to reach an utamawazo to obtain the utamaaroho...

Since, I am a Goddess, there is nothing capabable of defining me...

OP, I'm refer to myself as a descendent of the slave trade in America. If you are unhappy about what folks here call you, I offer two options 1) continue to correct them and let them know you're an immigrant 2) GO HOME

I totally agree with you! Reading his post was painful. :D

The term African American was coined by Blacks in the United States, meaning those whose African ancestors were brought here in chains. The term was coined by those who were once called Colored, Negro, Afro American, Black American, etc. etc. I think that most people know, particularly those whose families have been in the U.S. for generations, that African Americans are the descendants of the Africans brought here during the Slave Trade.

Now that we have other Black people in the U.S. who are from various different parts of the world (Africans, Jamaicans, Haitians, etc.etc.), people want to act like they don't know who the term African American is meant for. Is it okay for someone who was born in the United States but has African parents to call themselves an African American? I say sure if they want to, but when I personally think of African Americans I think of people like me, whose African ancestors were enslaved in the United States. I personally LOVE the term African American because I think it sums up what I am quite nicely. I'm an American because I was born here and many generations of my family were born here but I am proud of my African heritage also. I also know in doing my own genetic research that DNA doesn't change just because you are generations removed from your ancestors. The DNA my ancestors had is the DNA that I have, therefore I am also African. You'll find this for yourself if you do your own genetic research on DNA, mitochondrial DNA in particular. A good place to start might be www.africanancestry.com. My DNA has been tested and it matches that of three tribes/countries in Africa.

It's all about how you define yourself; other people will define you however they see fit. My husband is from Ghana, West Africa and he does not refer to Whites as Africans, even if they were born in Africa, even if their family has been in Africa for generations. To him, they are Europeans or Whites in Africa. He has also been living in the United States for quite a while but if you ask him he will very proudly tell you that he is an African...living in America. He does not consider himself or anyone like him to be African American. He also has no problem in being called Black; he considers all people of African descent to be Black. Ethiopia, the birthplace of modern man, translates into "Land of the Blacks."

The bottom line is call yourself whatever you feel comfortable with and if someone calls you something you don't like, kindly correct them. That is all that you can do. I'm African and I'm American so African American suits me just fine.

I don't like the terms Black-American, Afro-American or African-American. As someone else already stated, my skin is not black, its brown. I don't wear an afro so I'm not an Afro-American. Now, I do have African ancestry as many of you do also, but I don't want a term that ANYBODY can use. All you have to do is be of another race, be born in Africa, then move to the U.S. or vice versa. Then you can claim African-American. I don't like that. I wonder how many people of other ethnicities have done that and then got financial aid for it? I mean, if they claim this term, can someone deny them of the aid? That money could have been mine.

I'm a Brown American.

So you'd say your color is dog poodoo or mud?

No, I'm skeerrrioussssssssssssssss. Because I get tired of the lack of pride from those who ashamed of their African enslavement ancestry. So what, SOME of my ancestors were raped and pillage, sent on waters, rounded up and herded in like chattel. That is what I have ALLOWED to be defined to me.

Your only concern that you can change is: But who defines you? What are you all about? Who ARE YOU? (I don't need to know these answers to these questions)

Why are you worried about others getting money and outdoing you? Are you worried that you might actually not be that good according to what others are saying?

The other issue is you need to do some research in your heritage. Not all things are horrendous. And when will you forgive the folks that kidnapped, enslaved and segregated us? Why do you give a rat's ass about a Klansmen or a Nazi?

Maybe the person you have difficulty with and hate is the one staring back at you in the mirror...

I personally know more about the slavery ancestry of my Jamaican mother's background than that of my American father's.

That is a good point, we are "brown", but so are a lot of other people whom I wouldn't necessarily defined as black.

Also on wikipedia (yeah, good old "reliable internet") they discuss that there are people who are very dark brown from other parts of the word (like India)who also consider themselves black.

Then there are Africans (I remember from Real World: Voyage At Sea I think?) that an African woman told them that African-Americans aren't Africans! LOL!

So yeah, if we listened to everyone then we'd be nobody. And I'm too busy worrying about being somebody to worry about the color of my skin and the history of my people every second of everyday! So it's definitely a personal choice to go for something and stick to it and make it work for yourself. :cool:

Your response to what I typed is totally off base. You don't have a clue as to what I was trying to convey. Let me explain.

And before I proceed, let me just reiterate that this forum is about whether you had an issue with any of the terms: Black American, Afro American, and African American. I stated my opinion. If YOU go by any of those terms, that's your business. But if I say I want to be referred to as something else or nothing at all, that's mine. And just because I chose to do something different doesn't mean I'm lacking pride as you seem to be insinuating.

Ok. Why don't you answer your very first question as to whether I consider my color as "poo" or "mud"? What the hell kind of question is that? I mean, would you? I wouldn't and I don't. I'm not in that frame of mind to refer to my color as such. I'm not even thinking like that. Why would you even ask something that asinine?

Next, I agree with you about people not being proud of their heritage and race. You must be under the impression that I'm not proud of who I am or want to acknowledge where I came from and that's far from the truth. What I said was not stated to discredit my African ancestry or have a lack of pride about where I came from. I know I have African ancestry. And you know what? Contrary to what YOU might believe, and I don't really care what you do or don't, I do. Ask anybody that knows me, and they will tell you that I'm very much proud of where I came from. Your reading a little to deeply into what I was saying.

As for your question about financial aid and all that, it was a RHETORICAL QUESTION. Not something that was supposed to be literally answered. Just something to ponder about. Stop analyzing everything. I'm not WORRIED about anybody "outdoing" me or others doing BETTER than me, it was just something that crossed my mind. Aren't I allowed to at least think about something? Is it an abomination to have something simply pop up in my head? Its not that big of a deal. Well, not to me anyway.

Since when were YOU certified to tell me that I need to do some "research" about my heritage? Who are YOU supposed to be? What did I say about my ancestry that was so "horrendous" to you? Don't put words in my mouth. I have never done such a thing and NEVER would. I would appreciate it if you could go back and show me in my original post where I somehow down graded my ancestors. Where in my original post did I say anything about a damn Nazi or Klansman? Who said that I didn't "forgive" the people that enslaved mine? Who said I gave a rat's ass? Where is all this slavery talk coming from? I didn't mention it. Apparently it must be on YOUR mind, not mine because you were the one that brought it up.

One last question, who said I hated myself? I've never said such a thing or thought that either. Since you like to break everything down, go back to my post, read it again and show me where I posted that and repost it for me to see. I want to see this. I LOVE myself. I look in the mirror everyday and say it.

Anyway, back to Troy86. Thank you for posting this. I've wondered about this subject for a while now.

--Thank you and have a nice day.:)

Personally, I've always heard "brown" used by South Asians and Americans with South Asian ancestry. (This may be a generational thing; I've never heard anyone over 30 use this slang, but it is extremely common in my area with the Indian & Pakistani people that I know.)

If you don't want a term that just anybody can use, I would rethink the usage of "Brown American" then, because that term can be used to identify a much larger population than what seems to be your intent. Hell, some of my "white" friends could be "Brown Americans" for at least 1/4 of the year (and even more than that for those that live in warmer climates).

How about I just say "Brown" and you call yourself what you would like to and call it a day?

I think we are too stuck on terms.

Okay, I won't be identified by my shade of "blackness." I'm not going to be called a "Yellow American." LOL.

As far as I'm concerned, black is black. That isn't about complexion but about African diasporic cultures and experiences.

So I really think it's silly when people refute "Black American" because they aren't of a darker complexion.

Very much so. We want everything to fit in neat little packages.

No one can tell you how you should self identify. You should use what you're comfortable using on yourself. A point I think rhoyal tempest made a lil bit further up in the thread.

At the same time, I wonder about the mental soundness of people who are unrelenting about self-identifying with certain things.

If a person of African descent wants to identify as white, is that okay because that's what THEY want? Sure, it's technically okay because this is all socially constructed. But does calling yourself a "Brown American," for example, prove some kind of point or make the person feel vindicated?

Then I also wonder if the person REALLY identifies with something or just vocalizes it when such topics come up. Being a "brown American" in this thread is different from considering yourself one everyday, putting that down on paperwork, and correcting people/informing people that you are a "brown American."

I would say no, but I also recognize that a person in that situation would not be able to be convinced otherwise, if you get what I mean.

I think the only person that can answer that is the one who chooses to use the term.

It definately is. When I wrote that she can call herself what she wants, I was more leaning to if you self identify as brown then "good for you", to each his own. Using the term "brown american" over "black american" over "african american" is rather moot to me, personally. I happen to be all those thing. I tend to use black american/african american 1. because that is what I've been "made" to use, i.e. filling out forms, job applications etc. But I also do believe it speaks to my heritage. Unfortunately, like many Americans of African descent I cannot specifically state that my roots are ghanain or nigerian, or congolese, so I use African-American.

But I do feel like we (the people in the USA) suffer from "hyphenation syndrome". If someone's family imigrated to the USA from Nigeria and had children, and those children had children, etc." when does someone stop being Nigerian(American), and become African-American (kinda a rhetorical question, but it doesn't have to be).

DSTCHAOS, I understand what you are saying. It does seem rather awkward but who cares? LOL! I mean, I am brown. And I am an American, that's my choice to use those terms. Some people are more literal or technical than others. Someone else may feel differently and that's fine, call yourself whatever you want. If I had the luxury and funds to find out my true African "tribe" or "ethnicity" or whatever you want to call it, then I'd eliminate all these terms and claim that proudly. I long for the day...

If Black is Black, why are people sweating something as simple as what one wants to name themselves? Dang, some people act like I tried to kill somebody lol. Just voicing an opinion, ya digg?:cool:

I have a question though. I know this is suppose to be directed to people who are of African descent, but let's use a hypothetical situation. If a biracial or multiracial person (regardless of racial make-up) decided to claim one race over the other, could we still use the argument that they are not proud of where they came from because they don't claim this, that or the other? Would we even be sitting here discussing this? I'm just curious to know people's feelings on this particular matter. Or is it because they're of more than one racial background, they have that option? What makes it ok for them to claim whatever the hell they want, but because I'm predominately one race, as soon as I diverge and do something as trivial as claim one term over the other, people have an issue with it?

I think I'm going to write a paper on this...

No. I'm not trying to prove a point. No. I'm not trying to vindicate myself. Its just my preference. Not all personal opinions are the same. End of story.

**Looking for new view points**

My guess is that many peoples reaction to the "hypothetical" situation that you mentioned would depend (in part) on why the person decided not to claim their heritage. And also what you mean by claim. Case in point, my Grandfather and Great Grandparents are Cape Verdean-American/Cape Verdean respectively, however my parents didn't grow up in that culture per say, as they were predominantly raised by their African-American parents. I have Cape Verdean ancestry, but I personally don't claim it as my ethnicity. Not because I pick and choose, not because I'm ashamed, but I was not raised in the Cape Verdean culture, and what I do know of it is from an "outsiders" perspective so to say. I don't know what it is like to live/grow up in a Cape Verdean household, or live in a Cape Verdean neighborhood, or even speak Cape Verdean Creole, have part of your family still on the island(s), etc. I've educated myself on my history and will continue to do so. If you ask me, I will tell you about my heritage/ethnicity (the many parts of it), but I "claim" African-American because it is what I know.

I agree

Please write a paper because I don't know what you're talking about. ;)

Huh?

Indeed I do.

"I'm a pony!! I'm a pony!! Don't you just feel like a pony?!" Nutty Professor



I guess that's what the person just attempted to do.




I hear ya. :)

that basically summarizes everything..... not just african americans though

Yes, "Black" ultimately refers to culture in America, and to call oneself "Black" is making a political statement, whether one realizes it or not. All "raced" language in America, which is ensconsed in white supremicist ideology, is political: it tells us about our self-identity and where one's afilliations lie in how we view the ordering of society, etc. So, for example, Moses, a Jew by parentage and raised in Pharaoh's household, made a choice to identify with his people in their suffering and injustice in his adulthood (in this biblical example). It's why Halle Berry and Alicia Keys, both "biracial" persons, are "Black" and Tiger Woods and Jennifer Beals, other "biracial" persons, are not in their self-designation. And this is why Barack Obama is "Black." (This is not making a value judgment about the persons themselves but just to address this specific issue.)

For this reason racial cartographies are somewhat culture specific, reflecting the concrete sociohistorical and political exigencies of a given society. This is why the country with the largest "black" population outside of Africa, Brazil, has a lower percentage of people who designate themselves as "black" on a racial continuum.It's no accident that this is changing as the current government of Brazil is intentionally addressing the racial/caste/economic disparities of the nation and they are implementing affirmative action-type programs. Now there is some social capital in being "black" and some folks are rediscovering their blackness as it relates to increased opportunities in college admissions,etc.

hijack/
Of topic, but I so didn't know Jennifer Beals was bi-racial, but now it makes sense.
hijack/