<p>Honestly, I don't consider myself to be African American because my family is soo far removed from Africa. I don't know what part of Africa my family is from, none of us have even set foot on the continent. So how can I say I am African American?</p>
<p>It's funny how people who have a close tie to an African country do not refer to themselves as African-American but then people whose families have been here for generations can't really call themselves African-American either.</p>
<p>There is a definite distinction between immigrant Africans and people who have been in America for generations. I think both groups can learn a lot from eachother. </p>
<p>Anyways, for all intents and purposes...I always say I am black when talking about race.</p>
<p>My friend said something like that to me before & i was kind of offended.</p>
<p>That notion really doesn't make sense to have b/c race was created once humans observed physical & cultural differences about fellow humans.</p>
<p>Human nature will never change.</p>
<p>So, you can go on with the rest of your life saying that you are not African-American, you're black b/c you feel you have a connection to Africa...</p>
<p>but at the end of the day, if you're American & you look black & you have no direct affiliation with Africa that you know of,</p>
<p>You're African-American in the world's view.</p>
<p>All Black people are from Africa in some way or another.
Black people have not migrated to anywhere outside the continent without being apart of the Diaspora.</p>
<p>& just because you live in a foreign country (Germany, France, Australia, Brazil, etc.) & have grown up in that country's culture, </p>
<p>You are not exempt from your African heritage.</p>
<p>You'd still be a Black German, Black Parisian, Black Australian, Black Cuba, Black Brazilian, etc.</p>
<p>*Just because you don't know of it or you don't feel connected to it does NOT mean it's not extant. *</p>
<p>I don't think either position is more or less correct than the other. </p>
<p>I don't feel any particular connecton w/ Africa; I consider my roots to be in Virgina and North Carolina. But I know that the earliest of those family members had their roots in Africa. </p>
<p>Even though Africa is a continent, Nigeria is in Africa, so jovial jai, you are African-American. You may prefer Nigerian-American and that term is undeniably, but to say than someone of Nigerian lineage is also African is beyond dispute. And a purist would find Nigerian-American insufficient since the national boundaries are the result of European imperialism and colonization that ignored tribal boundaries. </p>
<p>The terminology is admittedly clumsy, but is it really a bone of contention? Asian-Americans tend to be lumped together (sometimes separating out south-Asians or those from the Pacific), as are Native Americans, who have voiced jovial jai's concerns. A Lakota friend insists that reference to anything other than her specific tirbal affiliation is as offensive as "Indian." I understand what she's saying, but it doesn't get me riled-up.</p>
<p>Foolishpleasure: That is because the Native American Indian tribes consider themselves "nations," as distinct as Spaniards and Brits. They just happen to share the same continent.</p>
<p>About this thread: I attended a highly ranked grad school. The kind of school people attend who were rejected or waitlisted at the Ivies (I was neither; I didn't bother to apply to Ivies) and grouse about it. In other words, a lot of failrly privileged and spoiled young people. The department of my major had several professors who were LDS/Mormon. Those professors loved the "African" students and hated the "black American born" students. They clearly treated the groups differently. But the school used the African students to pad its percentage of "African American" students, instead of counting the African students as internationals, which is what they were. I had nothing against the African/Haitian/Caribbean black students. It wasn't their fault racist professors and department heads favored them. But I so despised the blatant difference in treatment, I decided to transfer after a year. The dislike of home grown black Americans was appalling. I guess America's disgraceful history when it comes to race relations - which the African/Haitian/Caribbean students did not share - was too much baggage for those professors to embrace us the way they did the black "internationals." Maybe they felt the black Americans had a chip on their shoulders or were all affirmative action admittees. I don't know. But it felt like being black American instead of black African was to be tainted with the blood of history. Black Americans were reminders of the bad deeds of white Americans in the past; African students were not. They had to feel guilt around us. They didn't have to feel guilty around the Africans. Anyway, that's my theory.</p>
<p>Plainsman- I'm sorry you experienced that but I thought it was the complete opposite (lol). I mean I'm automatically categorized as "black american" although my parents hate being subject to that comparison, which I still don't understand why. They always say it's because of the reputation of "black americans", which to me makes no sense because when someone commits a crime or a henious act, whether there Black Caribbean or Black American the person is labeled Black regardless, so the people who may give "black americans" a bad reputation I always explain to them may easily be someone of the Caribbean descent that happens to be categorized as "black". I'm sorry that happened to you, but I'm afraid that a school will accept me primarily because I bring diversity, and not because of my intellectual achievements in high school. I sure hope my admissions decision isn't based on that...I hope so. At my high school, there is one teacher that is nice to every black kid in the school and favors us, but it always seems as if she's buttering us up and looking down on us. It doesn't bother me that much but it still is annoying that teachers treat me differently then other students, and everyone in my class looks at me when we're reading something that happens to have the "n" word in it. Even my teachers try to be cool and try to speak slang with me, only to find out that they know more slang then I do (lol). It's a shame instances like these occur, but like my mother always tells me "if we want to succeed we have to work ten times harder then the white man". Good Luck though! </p>
<p>p.s. I hope you get into the school your transferring to!</p>
<p>jovial jai, you totally took what I said out of context.</p>
<p>"& people who have direct connection to Africa through their lineage don't call themselves African-American because</p>
<p>AFRICA IS NOT COUNTRY!"</p>
<p>Never did I say that people who relate to a specific country are more likely to call themselves African-American. All I said was that I PERSONALLY do not immediately refer to myself as African-American because I do not relate closely with any part of Africa.
See the difference??</p>
<p>I also never said that I extempt myself from my heritage. I don't care if other people call me African-American, cause I know that's what I am to other people. But to myself I am black. Honestly, I wish I knew more about my heritage. But I don't. And as much as I try, it's hard when you're family has been here for generations and generations to find that out.</p>
<p>I guess what I am trying to say is that I feel more American or Black American. Notice how in your examples you say that people are Black German or Black Australian. That is exactly how I refer to myself...so I don't understand where you are finding the issue with my opinions.</p>
<p>I see my heritage more as Black American than African. Because nobody in my family has ever had a connection to Nigera, Ghana, Sudan, Ethopia, or any place in Africa. You see? </p>
<p>It's a sad truth, for sure...but it's the truth. But I'm kind of glad that you don't seem to understand what I mean...because you're obviously not experiencing it and you have a specific heritage that you can identify with and relate to.</p>
<p>All this being said...I LOVE BEING BLACK AMERICAN! I wouldn't trade my family history for anything, I just wish I knew more about it.</p>
<p>I consider myself African American because my parents are from Africa and I was born in America. I don't really like the term black because 1) It groups people from all difference backgrounds together kind of weirdly...2nd gen. Africans and mixed people and Caribbean people and people who descended from slaves are VERY different 2) it annoys me when people say I don't act "black"...I'm NOT supposed to! I'm not a part of that culture except by mistaken association through physical characteristics and 3) as my sister says, i'm not black I'm brown :)</p>
<p>If people who don't know their ancestry want to call themselves African American, that's fine, but personally I think that the two terms should be defined separately because I think black is better fitting for people who don't really know what continent their family is from or have mixed ancestry and African American/Caribbean American are better fitting for people who can trace the majority of their ancestors back to a certain region.</p>
<p>
[quote]
"But it felt like being black American instead of black African was to be tainted with the blood of history."
[/quote]
</p>
<p>This is something that is quite true for it seems many other ethnicities. Something that my Asian friends have said, that I think other races feel as well, is that Africans are "better" than regular blacks. The asians say that Africans are really smart and are a contrast to the dumb black people. I think if you take a poll ppl would generally say that they prefer Africans to those who are black.
Something else that I have noticed is that asians and whites are generally more accepting of groups that don't have "the black experience" or who don't act "black" regardless of the skin color.</p>
<p>I think you can be whatever you want. Race isn't that huge of a deal when you think about it. if you're checking a form, yes put African American. Otherwise, it doesn't really mater.</p>
<p>im from GHANA too! my parents are both from Ghana, born and raised and i was born there as well but left 3 months after my birth, but i received citizen upon birth since my father was already a citizen. I usually put down african american, but when I get a chance i put down other and put in Ghanaian.</p>
<p>i'm sudanese and i know i'm african american. it doesnt matter if i'm from the north or curly hair or whatever. the fact is that sudan is in africa, making me african, and i have a us passport, making me american.</p>
<p>I like to say Malawian-American, because I know my lineage since my parents are from there directly....</p>
<p>I know my heritage and I don't need to use a broad term like African-American when I'm Malawian-American...</p>
<p>Too bad... since there are so many different possibilities due to what occured centuries ago, we all just join African-Americans, even though there are differences between African-Americans and those who know their direct African heritage.....</p>
<p>I'm ethiopian (born/raised in Sweden... :S) and I'm counted as African American so you are too. Although you may not consider yourself "black", when it comes to college applications, government information, jobs, etc. you are for all intents and purposes an african american.</p>
<p>My father was born in Ghana (now a US Citizen) and my mother is white. I consider myself African-American. I have always considered myself African-American (quite literally - half African, half American) and I technically fit the federal definition. I do not consider myself multicultural even when that is an option presented.</p>
<p>Recently I had a discussion with an Ethiopian about the “African-Americaness” of Barrack Obama. He said that the President could not be considered African American because his ancestors did not have the experience of slavery.</p>
<p>It is clear that next to black people in general, African Americans are the most held in contempt folks in the world. West Indians don’t want to claim us, Africans don’t want to claim us. </p>
<p>Well. Let’s get something straight (she says with the energy and force typical of angry black American people) if it were not for the organization, insight, intelligence and power of American blacks, Asians, African people from Africa and Carribeans could not come here and enjoy the privilege and opportunities that they do. WE black Americans engaged in a centuries long struggle to ensure the rights of all people of color in this country. And I am not just talking about the Civil Rights movement, which made it possible for that Ethiopian man to come to America and not have to sit on the back of the bus. In New Orleans Plessy vs Fergusson was the result of concentrated, organized and focussed attempts to overcome the black codes. They may have failed on the books, but the effort led to other efforts as well as to a blueprint for blacks in later decades to push forward. </p>
<p>That is why white professors at Universities are resentful, suspicious and uncomfortable around Black Americans. They know that we are savvy and aware and will fight for our rights at the slightest provocation. And vigilance is a part of prevention. As far as the experience of slavery- Total B.S. In investigating the history of Africa, the experience of colonialism often involved the enslavement of the indigenous populations on their own ground. And if it was not Europeans colonizing and enslaving native peoples in the Congo Algeria and South Africa, there was strife and oppression among the tribal peoples- as horrible and psyche damaging as slavery in America. Come on Black Folks! Wake up and stop frontin’! I am from Baltimore-a nd I know that there is a difference between a black person from Baltimore and one from Philly- but WHO CARES! Stop trying to distinguish yourselves Africans, from your more despised black American brothers and sisters. Do not let the vehicle of propaganda being dispersed by the dominant culture color your perspective on us Black Americans. You are not better, your experiences with Colonialism and racism are not "better’ than ours. And I will fight any dumb Black American who tries to distinguish himself from other Africans out of internalized racism. Yes, we are all different- as individuals and cultures- but lets not white supremacy divide and conquer, creating another caste system with which to keep our interests and activisim divided.</p>