<p>When most people think of African American they think of people whose ancestors were taken from Africa and forced into slavery...
right? Or at least someone whose ancestors freely migrated here from Africa and kind of mixed with other people of other african countries.</p>
<p>Both my parents on the other hand, migrated here from Eritrea. I was born here, does that necessarily make me African American? I've heard an equal number of people say that I am African American and some say I am just black</p>
<p>Your parents are from African and I'm assuming your Black so yes you, are African American. I don't understand why you wouldn't be. You can be first generation and still be African American</p>
<p>idk, I've been talking to people who were born in Eritrea.. And for some reason they feel like they have to distinguish themselves from other races... idk</p>
<p>Yea, your African-American. The same thing with me, my father is full Haitian, and my mother is half German half Haitian, both were born and raised in Haiti, but when I ask them if they're African-American they refuse to distinguish themselves that way. They consider themselves Haitian and so do I. But when someone sees me in person, they won't know I'm Haitian and partial German, they'll just categorize me as African-American, so I'm classified as African-American.</p>
<p>hmm...i am half egyptian and half sudanese/libyan...and i put myself down as african american...even though the egyptian side of my family is white</p>
<p>Well, on college applications, doesn't it say African American and/or Black (non-hispanic)? If you're a white and your parents are south African for example, you would mark Caucasian. If you're parents are Nigerian and your black (even if your very light) you would be classified as black.</p>
<p>I know what you mean, superwoman. I don't say I'm African American, I say I'm haitian instead. The two cultures are a lot different then people may think.</p>
<p>African American is a classification for US citizens. If you were born somewhere else and you are not a US citizen you would be considered a foreign national regardless of race, but you could still be urm if racially you are black.</p>
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<p>Ivayhopeful, African-American is a term of art; it is meant as a racial classification (ie: black and non-hispanic) and does not refer solely to those of African ancestry. Egyptians, for example are considered middle-eastern or Arab, not black, likewise Lybians; thus, American children of Egyptian or Lybian descent are not African American. The same would be true for the American born offspring of Afrikaners would not be African American despite their "African" parents and US citizenship. </p>
<p>If your Sudanese relatives, like mine, are racially black and from the south (sub-saharan), then yes, if are a US citizen you would be African American. If they are fair, from the northn and of Arab descent, you are not African American. </p>
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<p>Superwoman and Dreaming, it is not at all uncommon for first or second generation families to refer to themselves as Hatian, or Jamaican or NIgerian and not African American. The Sudanese members of my family consider themselves African, because culturally they are quite different from the rest of the family, which shares a more traditional black American history (free blacks and slaves, some offspring of white masters, some who passed for white and purchased land for the darker skinned members of the family, family that traveled the rural south to the industrial north as part of the great migration, civil rights activists, etc.). Culturally, the two
branches of the family have very little in common.</p>
<p>lol well i am half black and you clearly have no idea what your talking about because alot of libyans are black...both the sudanese and libyan family members i have are black.</p>
<p>DreamingOutLoud- that is soo true, my parent's don't even consider themselves black, just Haitian. The cultures are extremely different! </p>
<p>nyc- yea, I'm first generation born here, but right after I was born I was sent to Haiti and come back here around when I was 10, so I'm so used to considering myself Haitian but my paren'ts would consider me Haitian-american, which makes sense.</p>
<p>But when I get the chance I always fill in the "other" and put Haitian lol.</p>
<p>No, you're african and black. You're right that a lot of African, and afro-Caribbean, people make a distinction between African-Americans, who have their roots in US slavery and tend to be from a lower demographic, and just black. </p>
<p>So yes you are an African American, but you are not "African-American". It's complicated. </p>
<p>In college and on the census when they say african-american, they mean black but they're just being politically correct. Though, when they are looking for diversity they are looking for african-americans with US roots in slavery. African students are overrepresented on college campuses.</p>
<p>There is an intersting documentary on this very subject that my college is showing. It is titled the Neo African American. You guys should check it out.</p>
<p>Personally, I do not consider myself African American because the term itself is vague and misleading. It was first used as a way for blacks in the US to connect themselves with a nationality, like Chines-American or Irish American do. However, the term used assumes that Africa is all one culture with a similar heritage, when in fact it is a diverse continent with multiple languages, religions, and traditions. Refering to myself as an African American or an African-American would mean agreeing with the stereotypes of Africa as a country and not being true to who I am.. Therefore, I am either black or more specifically Nigerian American and even more specifically I am member of the Oron ethnic group. Saying that I am an Africna would erase all of that. I have to agree that Nigerian culture is different from African American culture in its emphasis on self-reliance and education as the means to oversome obstacles. </p>
<p>"Though, when they are looking for diversity they are looking for african-americans with US roots in slavery. African students are overrepresented on college campuses."</p>
<p>I do agree with you that immigrant blacks and children of immigrants are overrepresented, but I do not think college admission officers are strictly targeting native blacks. Immigrant blacks bring diverse opinions to the classrooms just as much as blacks from here do. I don't see the problem in the vast amount of immigrant blacks in top colleges. The purpose of diversity recruiting is to bring different viewpoints.</p>
<p>From post #9: Egyptians, for example are considered middle-eastern or Arab; thus, American children of Egyptian descent are not African American. The same would be true for the American born offspring of Afrikaners would not be African American despite their "African" parents and US citizenship.</p>
<p>my parents are from ghana. i was born in israel, but raised in the states and became a citizen when i was 11. </p>
<p>i consider myself ghanaian-american, NOT african-american. i dunno, i've always differentiated between blacks descended from slaves and blacks who have immigrated to america. though we have the same skin color and it's hard for people to distinguish these groups from each other (although sometimes you can just tell someone's african lol), the experiences are totally different.</p>
<p>i just say i'm black. it's simpler that way.</p>
<p>This is an interesting discussion of the African diaspora, but of African countries in particular. Check out Eritrea's proximity to the middle east, it's dress and religions. I have often thought of Ethiopia and Eritrea as interesting among other African ?ethncities?. I agree about the African-American label for application purposes, BTW.</p>
<p>I wish the applications would use "black" instead of African-American. As mango point out, the children of black immigrants do not identify with the American slave experience and therefore do not consider themselves African-American. Using "black" would put to rest many the questions about white Africans, Egyptians and other ethnicities that may be African but that are not (and do not consider themselves to be) black.</p>