<p>You are not black. You are a North African Arab. White South Africans are excluding from putting down “African American”, and so are you.</p>
<p>This is a representation of how unfair the American idea of demographics is. There are MANY North Africans who consider themselves “Black” and not “White.” We live in a melting pot now and these classifications are not just incorrect - they’re outdated.</p>
<p>Either way, colleges encourage students to put whatever they identify as. I’d generally adhere to that philosophy - whatever you feel you adhere to should be what you write down.</p>
<p>It is actually a very difficult situation. Morrocans should not be defined as white, as they have varying degrees of Sub Saharan African ancestry, on top of the fact that they can debatably be classified simply as Arabs.</p>
<p>“if i was in this situation I would definitely put black.”</p>
<p>I would advise him to simply follow the strictly outlined guidelines which list North Africans as Caucasian. There are legitimate concerns with regard to this classification, but for now doing anything else is tantamount to lying.</p>
<p>“OK obviously there is a certain moral point that shouldn’t be crossed. I don’t see how putting “african american” is crossing that line, because its the truth. My parents all the generations of my family are african, and I am american. thats that. To deny my roots would be the real lie.”</p>
<p>Affirmative action is aimed at African Americans, and more widely black Africans, not North African Arabs.</p>
<p>Put black…if your treated like your black and look black than takes the pros with the cons. Who causes what everyone else thinks…</p>
<p>In the United States, the term “African-American,” is meant to describe the descendants of enslaved peoples whom overwhelmingly were seized from the African sub-continent and brought to the Americas over the course of 200 years, where they were subject to legal marginalization, legal and extra-legal discrimination and overall subjugation until roughly 1964 and in large part still are subject to societal marginalization today. Those circumstances rarely describe anyone from North Africa or traditional “Arab” lands today.</p>
<p>To user Lake Washington, here’s where you are wrong:</p>
<p>–</p>
<h2>You said: Quote “In the United States, the term “African-American,” is meant to describe the descendants of enslaved peoples whom overwhelmingly were seized from the African sub-continent and brought to the Americas”</h2>
<p>While you were going off on the fact that North Africans were not descendents of slaves, you failed to realize that in fact, THE VERY FIRST SLAVE brought to the Americas WAS FROM NORTH AFRICA!!! </p>
<p>If you know anything about the history of the Atlantic Slave Trade in the United States (from 1808-1865)</p>
<hr>
<p>COPY AND PASTE FROM ARTICLE:</p>
<p>"The First African American?
When a Moroccan slave named Estevanico arrived in Florida, he became both the first known African American "</p>
<p>“Known as Estevanico the Black or Estevanico the Moor, he was a slave who didn’t fit the stereotype of a slave.”</p>
<p>"Estevanico is not well-known today. But there is one organization, The Estevanico Society, that is researching his life and travels.</p>
<h2>This article was written for Black History Month, celebrated each February. "</h2>
<p>Stop Stereotyping North Africans and Moroccans. Just because we are not extremely dark skinned, doesn’t mean we were not descendents of enslaved people. Just because the Arabs invaded morocco culture and history, it DOES NOT make them middle eastern or Arab by race. In face, DNA tests prove that 99.9% of Moroccans are indigenous to AFRICA and not the middle east. </p>
<p>Lets assume you still consider Moroccans “arab” by your false generalizations. Even so, Arabs and Muslims today seem to be one of the most if not the most discriminated against groups of the 21st century.</p>
<p>More information on why North Africans are NOT white.</p>
<p>Not Quite White: Race Classification and the Arab American Experience</p>
<p>(Chapter in Arabs in America: Building a New Future)</p>
<p>This paper was first presented on April 4, 1997 at a symposium on
Arab Americans by the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Georgetown University.</p>
<p>Link:</p>
<p>[Not</a> Quite White: Race Classification and the Arab American Experience | The Arab American Institute](<a href=“http://www.aaiusa.org/pages/not-quite-white-race-classification-and-the-arab-american-experience]Not”>http://www.aaiusa.org/pages/not-quite-white-race-classification-and-the-arab-american-experience)</p>
<p>^did u get your first choice @coffeecup? </p>
<p>Curious as to how it all went down.</p>
<p>How are you African American if you did not descend from the slaves brought to America 300 or so years ago?</p>
<p>An African-American is an American citizen with sub-Saharan African lineage. Does not matter if your ancestors were enslaved or not.</p>
<p>Many people don’t even know of many of their ancestors who were enslaved and brought to America or left in Africa.</p>
<p>Question: Would you consider Jamaican-Americans African-American?</p>
<p>^No.</p>
<p>10 char</p>
<p>And I’m pretty sure it matters if your ancestors were enslaved or not.</p>
<p>Lol, but their ancestors were enslaved and brought to the Americas. </p>
<p>Same for Liberian-Americans. Liberia is largely made up of freed American slaves who returned to Africa. So are they African-Americans?</p>
<p>Also, many Africans were enslaved by Europeans in Africa as well, just never brought to the Americas.</p>
<p>Wow! What a powerful posting. If I understand things, your’re a black man not considered a black man for admittance purposes. I believe this is where you let the mirror be the judge and check the box as black/African. BTW don’t oversestimate the preferance of being black. There are many first class black scholars that you’re competing against.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>eyeroll…</p>
<p>It’s unlikely that you descended from a slave. Why? Because you live in North Africa. Slaves lived in the Americas and had children in the Americas who lived and had children in the Americas. At best, you’re Black. But affirmative action is for the descendents of slaves. </p>
<p>Whenever an immigrant or a descendent of immigrants gets that boost, the entire spirit of the initiative is compromised.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Many immigrants descended from slaves.</p>
<p>Your point of trying to claim African-American status is moot.</p>
<p>Why?</p>
<p>Because the standards for who constitutes what race are set by the federal government, and all colleges must follow these guidelines.</p>
<p>I suggest you do the same, regardless of whether your ancestors are slaves or not.</p>
<p>Quit trying to game the system, plus, it’s been proving being a minority doesn’t give you a GIANT advantage in college admissions.</p>
<p>Funny, I just peeped this “Who is Black in America?” broadcast on CNN. There was an Egyptian-American, prospective college student in the OP’s predicament who identified as black. </p>
<p>She was bad as hell, by the way.</p>
<p>I know that some Africans were enslaved but never brought to America.</p>
<p>I speak of the ones who were and their descendants. Tis all. <em>^▁^</em></p>
<p>Also, it’s my understanding that “black” refers to those claiming African ancestry. African Americans are…like a sub group I think? I dunno. That’s what I always thought. I remember one chick trying to convince me that, though her parents were born in some African country, she was African American like me because she was born in 'Murica. I felt as though she was taking something not rightfully hers. :\ Just me I guess.</p>
<p>Say there is a couple who descended from slaves that moves back to Africa. If they have children who were born in Africa, and those children move to America and have children in the US, are those children African-Americans?</p>
<p>When you say “descendants of slaves”, there’s a LOT of room for interpretation.</p>
<p>And you didn’t address my points in the cases of Liberian and Jamaican-Americans.</p>