Quote:
Originally Posted by tld221
without being too wordy, i agree. if i was referred to as "African-American," i wouldnt mind, but i prefer "Black." i mean, i didnt choose or create either title, but I (along with my black peers, ancestors and future generations) do have a part in choosing and creating what being Black means in America. never mind that sometimes i may not like or agree with what exactly being Black is or has come to mean, but it's my culture to call mine.
sure we all have African roots, but my experience has more to do with being American than being African. that DOESN'T mean that i dont identify at all with African ancestry, but being that 1. ive never been to Africa, 2. don't know any Africans from Africa (well personally, as in ones i associate with) 3. have lived my whole life in the American/black experience, i think its a misnomer to say otherwise.
and when we say "African-American," surely that doesnt encompass each of the 54 nations that comprise the great continent. no one ive ever met from a North African country every identified with being "African" or "African-American," but by their nationality (Egyptian, Ethiopian). why would it be any more incorrect to say "hey, i'm black! and dare i say american?!"
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Funny you mention the Egyptian/Ethiopian thing. One of my classmates was born in Egypt and she does not identify as African or Black. In fact, if she had not informed me where she was from, I would not have known because she is lightly tanned NOT brown. Her last name (married) is Arabic so I would assume that she is Arab but she is not; her family is Coptic Christian.
Another reason why I disagree with the name African-American. The above demonstrates a situation where a person CLEARLY fits the definition of African-American but is not and has no reason to identify as such.