<p>This may seem like a dumb question, but I need some clarification on this issue. My father is from Ghana (sub-Sahara), so I've been marking AA on all of my scholarship and college applications. However, someone told me that I'm being disingenuous/incorrect because my father only came here in the 1980's and the black minority scholarships aren't really meant for me. I figured that since I fit the literal meaning of the term "African-American," I should engage all of the opportunities presented to me regardless of the fact that I don't necessarily belong to the traditional (?) AA community.</p>
<p>You’re fine. “Traditional” or not you are still African American (if you’re a citizen, if you aren’t read the scholarship eligibility section carefully) and can apply to these scholarships.</p>
<p>Your situation illustrates why these hyphenated descriptions bug me. To me, a descendant of an African slave who was brought here to America by force and whose blood, sweat, and tears built this country just as much as my ancestors did who came here of their own accord, is an American, through and through, no hyphenation needed. Scholarships intended to help those who are descendants of those slaves ought to be specific, rather than being open to interpretation. I doubt that many of those scholarships are intended for everyone who has African continental ancestry and, now living in the United States, can technically call themselves African-American. There are probably scholarships out there for students with Ghanian heritage, or other African national heritage. But if those “African-American” scholarship programs don’t specifically aim for their intended - the descendants of American slaves - then I guess you cannot be blamed for applying for those scholarships on the basis of a technicality. Your father is an immigrant, so that counts for something perhaps.</p>
<p>You are qualified to “check the box.” Agree you are technically, and otherwise African-American.</p>
<p>@ chesterton It’s a leap to say that a scholarship for AA is limited to “American” descendants of slaves. Any sponsor wanting to limit a scholarship to a subset of blacks can find precise wording to qualify. For all you know the scholarship is sponsored by someone who deliberately didn’t want any further limitations. </p>
<p>P.S. In your scenario, The President of the United States would be disqualified just like OP (being of African descent but with no slave blood).</p>
<p>Moreover, General Colin Powell would’t have qualified either – being American born, but of West Indian parents whose slave ancestors didn’t “build this country.” </p>
<p>Didn’t mean to ruffle any feathers. You are technically correct that geographically Ghana is in sub saharan Africa. My Ghanaian friends however would say they are from West Africa. Sub-Saharan can be considered a loaded term though, so forgive my knee jerk reaction. </p>
<p>No worries. I just included that as a technicality since citizens of North African countries can sometimes be classified as being “white” as stated in the source above.</p>
<p>Im sure different people describe their home region differently.
I could say I am from the Pacific Northwest, or from Washington, Seattle or the Salish Sea region, all would be correct.
Anyone from Dunkwa?</p>
<p>West Africa can also be sub-Saharan Africa, and Ghana is definitely not considered part of North Africa.</p>
<p>Anyway I’m African American myself and I don’t think those scholarships are intended only for descendants of slaves (which would be impossible to prove anyway - many black Americans might be descendants of free blacks or slaveowners themselves). They are instead intended to remedy systemic, institutionalized racism that affects black Americans regardless of their nation of origin, both historically and presently. A black Ghanaian immigrant to the U.S. in the 1980s is likely to have faced a lot of discrimination and prejudice (both institutional and potentially personal) and their child is also likely to feel the results of that discrimination and prejudice, as well as face it themselves.</p>
<p>Besides, most black Americans don’t know where we come from anyway. For all I know my great-grandparents could’ve immigrated here from the West Indies themselves. Broken bloodlines make it difficult to trace ancestry sometimes…</p>
</p>