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If you had interviewed the first slave to get off the first slave ship in Jamestown, there was no way that that person would have said to you, "I am from Africa." He would have identified instead a nation, an ethnic group, a familial group, or a political group. He would have had something far more specific to say about his identity. It is only over a period of time that these people from a variety of backgrounds face a common oppression, find themselves in a common situation, and start to identify themselves first as Africans, but then as African Americans. RACE - The Power of an Illusion . Background Readings | PBS
Taking into account the above quote. At what point in history would you say that Africans became Africans or started to adopt the African identity?
I always wondered if there was a specific point where New World Blacks lost their ethnic consciousness...I would guess at
different times, with different individuals. I would definitely assume by the 3rd generation in the United States...Where there
was the least amount of African reinforcement.
I would also say it started to dawn on them when they first saw white people and Indians..They were told they were from a
place called "Africa". I also would think in the Middle Passage when they were thrown together with various ethnic groups,
that they knew and didn't know.
Say the Fon capture some Yorubas, sell them to the Portuguese. On the ship, the Yorubas might recognize some other local
ethnic groups and people from "Angola" whom they never heard of or saw before. As far as the Portuguese/Europeans they
probably thought "Those Ibos and Hausas are foreign but NONE of these foreigners look like THAT! (meaning Europeans).
What kind of beings are these? They probably thought. This would be like human nations on the Earth who were enemies
fighting each other and selling war captives to the Klingons/Vulcans mass abductions...The Russians, Chinese and the Americans would realize at some point we are all humans.
Taking into account the above quote. At what point in history would you say that Africans became Africans or started to adopt the African identity?
I read "When I Was A Slave", which is the account, taken word-for-word, of large number of ex slaves. The record was ordered by FDR who dispatched hundreds of out-of-work journalists to contact the individuals and write their history. It is available in paperback; The Library of Congress holds the originals.
In all those stories - I read dozens - no Black person ever referred to himself or herself as anything other than "us n******", or "we n******".
Growing up in the deep South in the 50's I can tell you that polite society referred to Black people as Negros.
Jessee Jackson is usually credited with coining the term African-America. That was in 1988, so I am guessing the answer to your question is "Sometime after 1988".
Today we have Black friends and I never hear them refer to themselves as anything other than Black and refer to me as White. In other words, today I see no identification at all with Africa.
Jessee Jackson is usually credited with coining the term African-America. That was in 1988, so I am guessing the answer to your question is "Sometime after 1988".
Alright. I was also referring to Africans on the continent as far as when this African identity became something that they adopted. Like was mentioned in the quote "Africans" of the 1600's would likely have identified themselves by their tribe/ethnic group if asked what they were.
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