Why the "African American" Label?

Question

I have a great friend that grew up in the UK and he says that blacks there have contempt for the American black insistance on embracing a culture they have no real root in if they don't want to move to that culture. He also said race relations are much better there, despite the same slavery past, and it is because the freed blacks were not coddled (mostly this is because the Brits didn't have the same racist idiots making Jom Crow laws and drawing out the freedom process after the Civil War) and they assimilated just like every other immigrant did. Most blacks there find the label "African American" petty and silly, so my question is ...

If Mexican, Indian, Asian, German, Dutch, Irish and other immigrants of the past have come to America, loved it, embraced the culture and assimilated into "Americans" by the 2nd and 3rd generations, why do blacks think it is healthy for society to embrace African culture if they are not interested in actually living there?

Answer 1

First I'd like to say, I LOVE what you wrote here, "Obviously there will always be bigots) ... and could be avoided if people stopped thinking their color makes them any more African than my color makes me a German - wouldn't it be healthier to all just be Americans and humans?"



The other day, I read where someone called Lewis Hamilton--British F1 superstar--an African-American. I was shocked and appalled because while Lewis is clearly what the world calls a Black person, in fact, he actually is half black (West Indian), half white (British), and was born and raised in England. Anyway.



I was talking with a white male friend about the labels we are given in society, and I mentioned, as I have believed for years, that I'd rather be called human, but it someone wanted to break down my ethnic or racial background, I'd rather NEVER be called African-American, especially by someone who does not know me personally. I don't like being called black either, but I'd rather that than African-American. My parents are not from this country, though they've lived just about half their lives in the US. I personally have never been to Africa, and I really cannot identify with anything African because it's just not been my life experience. I don't really identify with the label African-American because I was not raised by American standards and beliefs; I was raised by parents who were raised under a British structure along with people of Caribbean/African descent. I've always had a hard time with black people calling me "brotha" and things like that because I hate the idea of people finding ways and reasons to separate themselves from everyone who is not exactly like them.



I'm a human being, simple and plain. If you were a homeless person on the street asking for money, I wouldn't hate on you, so to speak, because you don't look like me. We're all God's children, and we all need to live our lives of the basis of mutual humanity, not racial discord. I don't mind knowing the history of people's ancestry, but I am more interested in how we are similar, than how we are different.



To answer your exact question, I think a little understanding is in order. The immigrants you mention, pretty much all had a choice in coming to America. They or their progenitors were not forced to be here, and enslaved for ages with no remuneration. I think that fundamental difference is important when looking at most Americans of African descent--with the exception of native Africans, Black Hispanics, and West Indians who chose to come here. I think many Black Americans who are descendants of slaves are simply struggling to find their own culture in a society where culture and language were stripped from their ancestors, and the culture and language of their slave masters was foisted upon them. That said, I think everyone has a right to choose what culture they identify with, but as you said, if self-labeled, thinking "African-Americans" are not actually embracing African culture, they should find a different label and start to enforce and embrace its usage in society.

Answer 2

Here's the key you said immagrants,Blacks were brought here as slaves, they did not come here on their own they were brought here under bondage, those other ethnicities they migrated here on their own. Blacks have endured hardships

meaning that America was built off the Black man's back and they still don't get what they are due. Other ethnic groups come from different countries and open businesses and prosper, why

can't that be for African Americans? And some think that we as African Americans should go along with that, how are we suppose to win as a people? We have to identify ourselves in some way, we need our own idenity, the ethnic groups you metioned everyone of them can trace their roots Black Americans cannot because slavery has done this, Roots the documentary was a classic example, it displayed the reality of what slavery was like.

Answer 3

I hope you are not speaking for all of us black people who have been given a title that not all of us go by. If I remember correctly why should we blacks in America want to embrace the very same people that sold us to begin with. Everyone thinks we should be mad at the white people who brought us as slaves, but my problem is with the Africans who had nothing better to do, but sell us out. I was born in America, and I am an American. I have nothing to do with Africa, and I never will. Tell your friend to worry about his own butt, and leave the real Americans alone. What is it any of his business if there are people out there that want to embrace Africa, and everything that goes with it? They shouldn't have to move to Africa to appreciate their cultures. Tell him also that we are doing just fine without his pity. He sounds very jealous. Also the Mexican, Indian, Asian, German, Dutch, Irish, and other immigrants don't give up their customs, even after 2nd and 3rd generations are born here in America. You need to get your facts straight.

Answer 4

Your friend is what is known as a self-loather. I have lived in the UK and what most of them want most is to be African Americans. Other cultures, including his own may have CHOSEN to come to America or the UK, where African-Americans were forced and have never been totally accepted by their adopted culture. Visit the PBS website on Jim Crow and note that anytime African-Americans attempted to assimilate fully into the American process, they were beaten, killed, imprisoned and hackneyed. Yet, the free and forced labor of Africans brought to America and unequal pay and labor during Jim Crow (which, by the way still exists) have made it so that African Americans can say without reservation that they BUILT America. Why leave the fruits of our labor to those who forced it? And since the languages, cultures and practices were beaten out of Africans in America during slavery and Jim Crow, they would have no means of communication or subsistence. We are Americans, but it was forced upon us and we will always pay homage to a continent that we were forced from. And for the record, no one outside of the African-American experience will ever completely understand the things they see in the news or references made. And we really don't require that others do.

Answer 5

I need to know what the context was. If he was being sarcastic, trying to make a point, or talking about something that happened in the past, that would put a completely different spin on things. Otherwise, as long as it's not intentionally derogatory, I can't be concerned with what people call the different races and nationalities. It changes too often; what was OK one day is derogatory the next. Who can keep up? When I was in college, the "politically correct" term was "people of color." I heard a white colleague say "colored people." I mentioned it to him in a nice way and he explained that he got confused by all the different terminology and didn't realize that "people of color" wasn't the same as "colored people." How can you get mad about that. It really is confusing.

Answer 6

I live in Belgium and I have never had any racial tension at all. People aren't racist towards blacks and its not odd to see interracial couples here.



Now you ask why is okay to embrace African culture although they don't want to live there? Well there is nothing wrong with embracing your roots, I could ask you the same questions (your clearly not black) but why don't you embrace your African heritage? After all that is where the origin of man began.

Answer 7

yeah, I really don't like how everyone that has darker skin is automatically African-American. As far as history goes...I have studied a lot of Black history...we have done many things that we don't get credit for...but Blacks aren't the only ones that have that problem. As far as us being coddled, I really don't understand what you mean by that. I haven't received any handouts...probably because I didn't know to have my hand out....

Answer 8

as far as i know black people didn't pick that title white people did. i mean i know some people don't want to be called black becaus ewe aren't black and everything associated with black (Black cat, black mark, black balled, black listed) all mean something negative.



why do we still can native american's indian's, they're not from india.



In america everything is a title, a name, a number, a color. I'd just rather be me.

Answer 9

As long as they look upon themselves as former slaves and out of Africa, they will be left behind. Average yearly Income in the USA 38,000 African Americans, 40,000 Latino, 42,000 Caucasian and 46,000 Asian. There is a big disparity between black women and men. Women have much higher education and income, maybe because they are not preoccupied with their pecker.

Answer 10

When someone calls them self an AFRICAN-AMERICAN, it is assumed they are of the ***** race. However, I have a co-worker whose father was born and raised in Johannesburg, S.A. When he fills out a form and there's a AFRICAN-AMERICAN choice, he clicks that. He's a WHITE BOY from South Africa who has emigrated to America. Thus, in today's P.C. (gag, puke) vernacular, he's AFRICAN-AMERICAN!

HAHAHAHA

At least there's ONE AA who knows WHERE in Africa he comes from.

Answer 11

I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm a white American and my husband is African (from Ghana), so our children are African/American, or, more specifically, Ghanaian/American.



Most of my black friends identify themselves as "black" (if they're American), or by their country, if they are from somewhere else (Ghanaian, Liberian, Nigerian, Senegalese).

Answer 12

It is a seperation thing. Political Correctness is the desire to point out and divide people, hence Whatever-American.

Answer 13

I think SOME of them are just angry blacks that cant get over the victim role.



Me and my folks had absolutely nothing to do with what happened to them, yet we still are treated with angry, blaming and sometime offensive and abusive behavior.



That's what is holding them back more than anything else.

Answer 14

I DON'T GET IN TO THE STUPIDITY OF RACE, I LOVE PEOPLE NO MATTER WHAT RACE THEY ARE

Answer 15

.



In regards to the issue of the label of 'African-American'--

our society really needs to try to begin to understand that

the 'African-American' (AA) 'Ethnic' group is *not* the

same group as the ’Black American' (BA) 'Race' group --

that the two (2) terms are *not* synonymous and that the

two (2) terms should *not* be used inter-changeably.



We are *not* speaking of ‘semantics’ here – but rather

– the BAs & AAs are two (2) different groups of people.



The AAs are the (largely Mixed-Race) ETHNIC group.



The BAs are the (Mono-Raced) RACE group.



As confusing as it seems -- the U.S. government

[due to racism & wanting to stigmatize the part

of their lineage that was from Africa which, by

the way, is only one (1) part of their lineage] ---



has labeled those individuals who are the known

"descendents of the survivors" of the system of

chattel-slavery found in the USA as being AAs

(the hyphen is used in reference to acknowledging

the fact that most of them are Mixed-Race,

with African & non-African blood lines)



AND



has labeled those people who are "volitional immigrants"

who are directly from places such as the continent of

Africa, the West Indies, etc. -- as being BAs

(with the word 'Black' used in reference to acknowledging

the fact that they are of a Mono-racial full-Black lineage).



In addition, it should also be remembered that – although

some AAs adhere to a socio-political ‘identity’ that is

often described by the slang term of “black”—the AAs

are actually *not* a "Race" group at all -- but rather

they *are* a largely Mixed-Race 'Ethnic' group

(and the socio-political ‘identity’ that a person chooses

*does not* change their racially-mixed ancestral lineage).



Most (+70%) of the people born to two (2) parents who

are of the AA ‘Ethnic’ group are of a ‘Multi-Generational

Multi-Racially ‘Mixed’ (MGM) lineage – while the people

born to two (2) parents who are of the BA ‘Racial’ group –

on the other hand – are of a Mono-Racially ‘Black’ lineage.



There is a big difference between a largely Multi-racial

'Ethnic' group and between a Mono-racial 'Race group.



In addition, there is also a big difference between

one's socio-political 'identity' (ex. "black") and

one's ancestral racial 'lineage' (ex. 'Mixed').



Just because a person adheres to a given

socio-political 'identity' does *not* change

the composition of their ancestral 'lineage'.



Also -- the 'One-Drop' Rule (the false teaching that

'any amount' of Black ancestral lineage make a

person "full black") is nothing more than pure-racism.



The racist 'One-Drop Rule' (used only by the United

States government, by the way) was created during

the antebellum, chattel-slavery era by White racial

supremacist in order to get people to believe the false

racist myth that the so-called White "race" was "pure"

and to falsely view the Black "racial" admixture

(even the slightest amount) within someone's

ancestral lineage as being "tainted".



To embrace the 'One-Drop Rule' is the equivalent of BOTH

embracing "racism" and embracing the false teaching

that a Mixed-Race person's Black lineage is "tainted".



My advice is that a non-Racist should *not* embrace

the concept of the 'One-Drop Rule' -- as "Black blood"

is *not* "tainted" -- and should never be perceived

or embraced as being so (not even in the

name of so-called "pride" and "unity").



In addition, legally-speaking, attempted forcible

application of the racist 'One-Drop Rule' -- against

any individual or group -- was made illegal and ruled

as unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court

in 1967 via the case of 'Loving vs. The State of Virginia'.



Through the 'Loving vs. Virginia' case, the U.S.

Supreme Court, ruled against both all of the laws

banning Interracial marriage -- and -- also ruled

that any so-called law which forcibly applied the

'One Drop Rule' -- was racist, discriminatory,

illegal, unconstitutional, and non-enforcible.



http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/1402

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/1400



Related Links:



http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MGM-Mixed

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FGM-Mixed



------------------------PLEASE NOTE---------------------



--- Dr. Luigi Caveli-Sforza, who is the Executive

Director of the Human Genome Project and the

world's foremost authority on human genetics

has both tested and proven that more that 70%

of all AAs have a full ancestral lineage which

consists of +20-30% White / European and

more than +25% Amerindian bloodlines.



--- That means that the 'average' (+70%) person

born to two (2) parents who are both members

of the AA Ethnic group actually has slightly

less than 50% Black / African blood lineage

found in his or her full-ancestral lineage.



For more information -- see supporting links listed below:



http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/1399

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/1032

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/1034

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/991

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/1570

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/1573



--------------------------- ADDED NOTE ---------------------



It should also be noted that -- contrary to popular belief and

myth spread among many groups who are not educated or

informed on the whole topic -- it was not the group that is

currently being referred to as being the African-Americans

(AAs) -- who chose this term for them -- but rather --

like so many of the other terms used to describe

them -- this term was also implemented by

the United States federal government

(starting with the 1990 United

States 'Census Bureau' Forms).



If a person insists on spreading the 'myth' that it was the

AAs who chose this term for themselves -- it is clearly

indicative of the fact that they have never even once

actually studied the entire topic and are simply basing

their comments on assumption-based ignorance --

rather than objective facts and empirical evidence.



.

Answer 16

well i think a better than being called ******, coon, monkey, or nappy headed hoes.