Is there a difference between "Black" people and "African" people?

Question

okay so one of my best friends (who has full Ethiopian parents but born and raised in USA) and i were at the mall yesterday. this topic came up and some people we saying he is african, but not black..

correct me if i am wrong, but i always thought BLACK was a race so all Nigerians, Somali, Ethiopian, and African Americans can be considered Black.
and then African American is an ETHNICITY so my friend would be considered like Ethiopian or Ethiopian-American or something??
what do you think?
im black&japanese btw

Answer 1

Africa = Continent, Black = RaceThats all there is to it.

Answer 2

Your friend is black, but they may confuse nationality with race. I'm Somali and all my family considers themselves Somali not black because the majority in Somalia is black. So it's considered common knowledge I'm assuming. It's like a Somali person going to an Ethiopian and saying "Hey what's your background?" They wouldn't say black because clearly they're both black, they'd say they were Ethiopian.

Answer 3

In society people call blacks by their color of skin tone. It doesn't matter from where they come from. For you since your black and japanese your mixed a term used when a person have different races, but for a better term it's African-Japanese American. For your friend he is considered black, but again that's just a term to categories someone, for a better term he is a Ethiopian-American. That's Africa were his parents are from, right? Then he is African-American. Dude, if his parents are born in Africa, then they are Africans, and your friend is born here so he is African-American.

Answer 4

People think black means American and African born in Africa

Answer 5

Race, nationality and ethnicity are 3 different things. Race is genotype, nationality is country and ethnicity is culture plus race/tribe



black is a genotype (Negrroid), white is Caucasoid and Asian is Mongoloid.

Ethiopians are black people with a mix of Arab.

Black people all over the world are of the same genotype and the same is true of any other race no matter where they reside.

Answer 6

I agree with Sazh...and the only exception is the phrase African American...when you say that your referring to a black american

Answer 7

Yes, but usually they don't see Ethiopians as fully black since they have some different features and were mixed with Arabs, Jews and other races I think

Answer 8

for example =



black american - black who were born and raised in america for generation from slave trade



african american - can be any person who was born in africa but move to america and has a citizenship e.g. charlise theron



so no africa doesnt equal black

Answer 9

everyone in africa is black. all natives are black which means ethiopians, somalis, eritreans, kenyans, nigerians and all of those people native to the land are black. like it or not. the only ones who arent are the ones who emigrated there(berbers, arabs, whites,etc)

Answer 10

yes not all blacks live in africa, gypsies, Aborigines and polynesians is black to, it's a color not a race or continent



...when did i say we didn't? I said we started off black in color but we aint from africa dinlo.

Answer 11

African means your were born and raised in Africa and most likely came to America for a better education and better lifestyle.



Black Americans mean you were born and raised in AMerica and although you maybe on welfare you still have it good compared to Africans who fight to come over here. Most blacks don't have the respect that Africans have as Africans no the tribulation they know that there is worst than living in the hood on welfare. Blacks here are spoiled they feel like they have it bad but that's because they are unappreciative they can be in Africa where the gov't barely helps you out.



You are correct, but here in America that's not how it works. You're African american if your black but to me this is not fare to categorize African Americans to us because they fight to be here they came here for an education and now you have a black american that lived here his whole life being ghetto and given you a bad name NOBODY wants to be associated with ignorance.

Answer 12

Africans (most) ARE black. I don't think Northern Africans (Arabs, Iranians, etc...) count as black.

Answer 13

there's a huge difference. my family's from egypt, egypt is in africa, so that makes me african, but i'm not a "black" person, and no one in my family is "black". black people are from other parts of africa..

Answer 14

Karen:"So if you're from Africa, why are you white?"

Gretchen:"Oh my god Karen, you can't just ask people why they're white."

Answer 15

Your friend is black no matter what her white washed stupid *** says.