Black Vs. African-American: Which Do You Prefer?
Yes, this is slanted toward the ethnic group of distinct color. All others are welcome, and even invited to read to learn a little more about us.
From the very beginning, we as a people have suffered from identity issues. We have always gone by the names others have given us.
We have been called Negroes, Colored, Afro-Americans. And those are the "nice names".
We have also been called niggers (yeah, I said it) , jigaboos, darkies and worse.
Now many of us go by the moniker of "African-American" only because someone else made it sound good. But if you really look at what that really means, maybe you'll change your minds...
I'll give you an allegorical example:
We have two young men. Born the same day/time/year in two different places.
Male number one is named John. Male number two is named Mike.
Raised by loving parents and educated in the local school systems. Both do well and begin the search for financial aid to attend college.
John applies for aid and receives enough paperwork to paper a part of the Great Wall of China. He gets word of receiving it with a high interest rate and short repayment plan. Typical for a young man like John.
Mike also applies for aid, and has a few sheets to sign and gets financing at a low interest rate and long-term payment plan. Also typical for people like Mike.
This sort of treatment continues throughout their lives. John gets what he asks for after "jumping through hoops" while Mike need only ask it's given him. Almost on a silver platter.
Even when they look for work after college, it continues. They each apply for a job with the same company. The same job. They have identical resumes and educational backgrounds. They each have the same amount of experience in this their chosen field.
Mike is chosen over John. Although they each receive the same job; John's title is the difference in what his pay scale will be, and the benefits he will receive.
Both Mike and John do the same job, the same amount of hours. They sometimes even help each other with projects relating to these jobs.
Eventually it is Mike who sails up the ladder of success. He gets the 'corner office', bigger paychecks, better benefits. All that goes with the position John was as aptly able to perform if things were different.
Actually, things are more different than you realize.
You see, John was born and raised in the inner city of Anytown, USA. A Black male whose whole life will be filled with choices and decisions made by others that will have an effect on the rest of his life.
Mike, on the other hand was born and raised in South Africa - to Caucasian parents. He relocates to America and now is known as an AFRICAN-American.
Yes, African-American. Because he was born in Africa and is now a resident/citizen of USA qualifies him to use the title "A-A".
You see it everyday: Polish-Americans, Italian-Americans, etc. They legally claim their foreign-born heritage as well as their American attachment.
Back to Mike...He can lay claim to a heritage he doesn't have any part of. He is a blond-haired, blue-eyed Caucasian male who fits the bill of corporate America and gives them all good reason to hire and elevate as they choose. He can assail the ladder of success with ease because he's the "right color".
More importantly, his bosses are elated because Mike also gives them the argument of EEOC. They can lay claim they did hire and African-American; and they did elevate an African-American; and they have done well by an African-American according to the law...even though he is only an African-American on paper.
Please Blacks all over America...pay heed!
If we are ever to be taken seriously as a people and an ethnic group, we need to stick to what we are. WE ARE BLACKS.
We were proud to be called Black in the seventies. We shouted it anytime we could anywhere we could. Remember the song by the late "God father of Soul", James Brown, "Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud"!?
The U.S. Census will be coming around in a few years.
When they ask what ethnic group you belong to, do not choose African-American unless you or your parents/grandparents came from Africa.
We need money in the Black community. We need better schools for our children. Better medical facilities and homes. If you choose African-American communities - filled with Whites, Asians, and other ethnic groups whose people are also from Africa by birth; they will get the money.
Demand to be called Black. Demand to be counted. Demand to be noticed for who and what you are...a proud BLACK-AMERICAN!
Published by ladyliw
I am a single Christian female whose highly opinionated style brings to mind ideologies and philosophies otherwise considered "out-of-the-box". View profile
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14 Comments
Post a Comment"Back to Mike...He can lay claim to a heritage he doesn't have any part of."
This is where your argument breaks down and shows a certain bias. I'm guessing that you, like me, were born in America. You have no more claim to the "essentially meaningless" term of African-American than does Mike. If the term is as loosely effected as you seem to imply, than Mike may actually have MORE right to the term than you do! If we just look at the specifics of the term (African, of African descent, and American, a secondary heirarchical term meant as a secondary to the former, perhaps due to citizenship), than Mike is EXACTLY AFRICAN-AMERICAN, where-as you would be American-African.
You argue that the term is watered down and not indicative of a particular culture or experience; presumably the experience of being a black person in America. I would agree, and I'd also agree that the term "black" is better. I'm "white". I'm actually, if we want to get technical "Eastern-European of Latvian descent"
I enjoyed reading your articel, it is very interesting.. I agree that people of color in America struggle with identiy issues... However, your story contradicts itself... Initially you state "From the very beginning, we as a people have suffered from identity issues. We have always gone by the names others have given us." and that is true, everything about us has been defined by what someone else has labeled us... Then you go on to state that "we should be called blacks because we were black and proud in the 70's." The two contradict one another because we can't both disagree with or dislike having someone else label us and then accept it when a term or label comes along that we accept... Have you ever looked up the word black from a historical perspective... "Sometimes it is noted that, even before 1600, when the slave trade had just begun, before Africans were stamped by it-literally and symbolically- the color black was distasteful. In England, bef
What are blacks called in England or Canada?
my comment is why not call us whaat we truely are and that is children of the Most High God all apart of one race the human race
Seriously how many South African whites are running around stealing opportunities from blacks - not enough for me to respond to this, and surely not enough for your 3 page article.
@Aundraya -- I'd really like to find this COUNTRY called "Asia" where all these "Asian-Americans" have all immigrated from!! I dunno about you but all my "Nigeria-American" and "Kenyan-American" friends absolutely hate grouped up into "African-American" category as "Ethiopian-American."
Considering that most black Americans have between 70-80% African DNA, I don't think that calling us African-Americans is inaccurate. Also, the white guy from South Africa is NOT an African-American, he's a South African-American. Africa is NOT a country, it's a continent and immigrants generally refer to themselves as former citizens of their COUNTRY of origen.
I thin dat the person hwho mad up AFRICAN AMERICAN did put dat 2 make it sound good i juz dont kno why we/blacks cant juz be equal as whites an others!!!........TELL ME WHY!!!.....PLEAZE TELL ME
the government gives money to (or SHOULD) people of all races equally who are living in low-end communities. Calling yourself black is going to get you just as much funding as if you called yourself African American. Don't call yourself black just because you want a change in funding; call yourself black and make a change simply because you want to be taken seriously about your race and not turned into a charity case because some people think "black" is offensive.
All in all though, try to make the change because I believe that American is American, is AMERICAN. And there should not be another country/continent's name before American unless you were born in that other country and started off as a citizen from THAT country. The name African American should not be so widely used, because I cannot think of any truly AFRICAN-Americans that I know, except one guy.
And he's a white guy.
concerned because OBVIOUSLY Mike is not African American in ONLY name. He actually in reality DOES have the African heritage John doesn't. To say that is pretty ignorant. John does have BLACK heritage that Mike doesn't, but Mike certainly has African heritage, which qualifies him better to the title of African American much much more than John.
Maybe he is getting benefits over John, but the only way of getting away from that is, as you said, that blacks in America need to get away from the term African American, and start calling themselves BLACK.
But i'm not really understanding your paragraph about money in the Black community:
"We need money in the Black community. We need better schools for our children. Better medical facilities and homes. If you choose African-American communities - filled with Whites, Asians, and other ethnic groups whose people are also from Africa by birth; they will get the money."
Could you explain more about this to me? Because I'm pretty sure