<p>i prefer african american… mainly because I consider myself as such. i wasnt born in africa, but i am a first generation american in my family.
its always funny, though, to see my caucasian friends tiptoe around describing a person as being black. one kid was like: “this black-- i mean colored-- guy…” saying someone’s black is not a bad thing. and calling someone “colored” is just stupid. but i digress…</p>
<p>Alright, I was reading this, and created an account just to respond to this thread. I am a Black male of slave descent, and I think that this fact should determine Black or AA. Or there should at least be some modifier to indicate that one is of slave descent, because this seems to be the most distinguishing element among all of us. I don’t want to hate on Immigrants, but if your parents or grandparents immigrated here, then you are in a completely different situation than those of us who have no idea of their original culture. Most immigrants at least retain some idea of their origins, and many still practice some of the customs of these communities. Also, since somebody in their family was blessed with the ability to make it over here to America, that story is most likely well known and passed down throughout their family. I don’t mean to be redundant, but my predecessors were forcibly brought here, and thereafter made to labor for almost nothing, and denied any type of education or escape from this life cycle. This has placed us at a distinct disadvantage, which we have been trying to overcome ever since. I realize that anyone who is not white will probably be subject to some racism and stereotyping, but that is life and we must all get over it. On the other hand, a black person like me and a second-gen black person from Africa will have distinctly different histories and possibly upbringings, due to the influence of that ancestor, whether they be slave or immigrant. So to sum up, yes, if one goes back far enough, we are all AA. But if one takes into account only the ancestry that has a direct affect on us, then it makes a large difference if they are the product of a “forced” immigration or of a conscious choice to come to America.
Sorry for being long-winded, but I feel strongly about this subject</p>
<p>Oh and just a thought: CC specifically named this section of the forum “African-American students”…I think they meant black and not just AA; it’s too specific.</p>
<p>So I’m of Caribbean descent and I dont think we’re “island” Americans. It sounds strange.</p>
<p>This is quite interesting b/c I always thought of both terms as interchangeable. I think that the individual needs to look at his origin and things of the sort to determine what he/she would prefer to be called. </p>
<p>They need to invent more terms for race because different cultures are reproducing and their children don’t know what to call themselves.</p>
<p>What if your mom is from Peru and your mom is from Africa then you were born on a plane over Canada? Whats the child’s nationality? (this question was posed mostly for entertainment purposes, however, it is something to thing about)</p>