The Term African American

[BlueNYC2]

Originally Posted by troy86

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...

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...

[CutiePie2000]

Originally Posted by BlueNYC2

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???

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

[BabyPiNK_FL]

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.

[Wolfman]

Originally Posted by BabyPiNK_FL

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.

[NinjaPoodle]

Originally Posted by BlueNYC2

...and another issue I have with African-American...it shouldn't 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...

Sure, every person on the continent of Africa is not "black". If that's where you're from, then that's where you're from. I've met a few "white" people from south Africa and usually the first thing out of their mouth when you ask where they are from is SOUTH Africa, with emphasis on the South.


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...

My train of thought also^^^

troy86
I like the term afro American and I know that the term afro American is not used anymore but I think it sound much 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 started saying it. Some people didn't like the term because not everyone is not African American, black people from all over the world come to America, they bring their own heritage and their culture to America and still being called African American that's not just washing away their heritage. Have you noticed 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's don't know if you like the term afro American but to me it sounds much better and more put together than African American.

If you wanted to talk about black people in the Americas, then afro American is the best term to use. You can't use the term African American if you talk about the Americas because there are black Canadians in Canada and black Latinos in Latin America.

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.

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

[naturalrose]

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

[macallan25]

I was born in America. I consider myself American.

[AlexMack]

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.

[LΩVE]

Originally Posted by BlueNYC2

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...

I know a guy who is actually African-American. As in he was BORN in AFRICA and is now an American citizen. He finds the phenomenon funny because as he points out...and he's right...people who have been here for generation upon generation are American, plain American. In fact, anyone born here is just American. Someone born a citizen of another country who emigrates to America is fdsfdsnjk-American.

I can't see why "black" could be offensive. I am "white", but I'm not white. I'm more of a tan color (naturally and made more so by way of the cancerbox in the winter), but I AM "white". Doesn't offend me in the least to be called "white girl". Almost no one is WHITE or BLACK but those are easy lables that everyone understand to mean someone is of European decent or African decent.

To me "African American" makes as much sense to me for kids of my generation who are in fact just American, as me saying "IrishScottishFrenchItlaianwhoknows American". I'm not. I'm American and I'm classified as "white". That's it.

[Langox510x]

Originally Posted by LΩVE

I know a guy who is actually African-American. As in he was BORN in AFRICA and is now an American citizen. He finds the phenomenon funny because as he points out...and he's right...people who have been here for generation upon generation are American, plain American. In fact, anyone born here is just American. Someone born a citizen of another country who emigrates to America is fdsfdsnjk-American.

I can't see why "black" could be offensive. I am "white", but I'm not white. I'm more of a tan color (naturally and made more so by way of the cancerbox in the winter), but I AM "white". Doesn't offend me in the least to be called "white girl". Almost no one is WHITE or BLACK but those are easy lables that everyone understand to mean someone is of European decent or African decent.

To me "African American" makes as much sense to me for kids of my generation who are in fact just American, as me saying "IrishScottishFrenchItlaianwhoknows American". I'm not. I'm American and I'm classified as "white". That's it.

To be honest I completely disagree with you. The terms black or African-American is both just labels to identify someone’s ethnicity or nationality. Labels that are human made. The fact is that you and I both might be American's, but you are white and I am black. Something that does distinguish us apart from each other and regardless of what we have to say on the matter, it is something that people on the outside of our circle will do. These are accepted labels and I sure don't find anything in that offensive.

Also, personally if I was to move to another country, even if I lived there for the rest of my life I would still consider myself an American of African descent. I think many immigrants who live in America would agree with me on this. Can you say otherwise?

[ufpika]

Originally Posted by LΩVE

I know a guy who is actually African-American. As in he was BORN in AFRICA and is now an American citizen. He finds the phenomenon funny because as he points out...and he's right...people who have been here for generation upon generation are American, plain American. In fact, anyone born here is just American. Someone born a citizen of another country who emigrates to America is fdsfdsnjk-American.

I can't see why "black" could be offensive. I am "white", but I'm not white. I'm more of a tan color (naturally and made more so by way of the cancerbox in the winter), but I AM "white". Doesn't offend me in the least to be called "white girl". Almost no one is WHITE or BLACK but those are easy lables that everyone understand to mean someone is of European decent or African decent.

To me "African American" makes as much sense to me for kids of my generation who are in fact just American, as me saying "IrishScottishFrenchItlaianwhoknows American". I'm not. I'm American and I'm classified as "white". That's it.

Exactly what I was thinking...

[preciousjeni]

Originally Posted by LΩVE

I can't see why "black" could be offensive. I am "white"...

Then take yourself out of the conversation.

[BabyPiNK_FL]

I prefer black because I hate when people refer to people who are black from other countries (like my mom) as African-American. I have heard people say things like "He is African-American from the Bahamas" or seen newspaper articles with things like "Thandie Newton, an African-American actress" when they fully acknowledge that she is from ENGLAND. I just drop my jaw, it's downright ignorant!

I have even heard a woman "school" a white lady in Wal-mart that she should not refer to their daughter as black because she is A-A. Well, how in the hell is the woman supposed to know? It's easier to see that someone is more likely than not black skinned, than it is to know where they are from. I am vehemently against the term African-American. I'm about as African as a Swede.

On Oprah, many years ago, I saw a white lady raised in Ethiopia who currently live in the U.S. She said that she was African-American. People like this more than qualify. I, however, do not feel that I do.

[AKA_Monet]

Miscreant... I'm African American!
~Katt Williams in First Sunday movie

[NinjaPoodle]

I am African-Native-American. Simple as that. I do not like the terms:

• Black-my skin is a beautiful chocolate brown
• Negro
• Negroid
• Nig***
• Niggras
• Darkie
• Sambo
• Colored

or any other negative connotation created to make me (or my people) feel like we do not belong to the HUMAN race.

My roots go back to Africa and to the Blackfoot Nation of this country though I wouldn't doubt there is some Caucasian somewhere down the line of my family tree.

I like the term and I find it to be an accurate term for those who have African ancestry but are American citizens, not those who are Haitian, Jamaican, Trinidadian, etc..

I don't put much energy into "correcting" people into my line of thinking because ultimately, we are all going to think what we want however, if someone were to ask me, then I will say I am A.A.-Native American. If some 90 year old woman who is still stuck in the 50's terminology (I personally know people like this of all races) says "and then the colored woman said blah blah..", I let it go. It's not worth the energy.