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I prefer black because African-American is too politically correct. We don't call whites European-Americans.I never even heard the AA term before 1989. Most of the blacks I know use black more than AA..
I prefer black because African-American is too politically correct. We don't call whites European-Americans.I never even heard the AA term before 1989. Most of the blacks I know use black more than AA..
What whites prefer to be called has no bearing on what blacks should use. They can make the decision for themselves on what term to use.
And we use "black" more often because it's shorter and more practical in everyday conversation. But i'm still an African American when it comes right down to it.
What whites prefer to be called has no bearing on what blacks should use. They can make the decision for themselves on what term to use.
And we use "black" more often because it's shorter and more practical in everyday conversation. But i'm still an African American when it comes right down to it.
I know of older blacks who call themselves negros. It's the term they are used to from when they were growing up. Are you OK with that?
I know of older blacks who call themselves negros. It's the term they are used to from when they were growing up. Are you OK with that?
LMAO...dude, i've been on this earth for 45 years and i'm as black as it gets (not meaning complexion, but in mentality) and with the exception of my wife and some other friends, my whole circle is black as a tire.
I've yet to meet ANY BLACK person who refers to his/herself as a Negro regardless of age. We toss around Negro when we're joking around, but if we're speaking in all seriousness, it's never used. I don't know what old black folks you're hanging around, but maybe they don't get out much.
"Negro" played out about 45 years ago. And it'll never come back.
LMAO...dude, i've been on this earth for 45 years and i'm as black as it gets (not meaning complexion, but in mentality) and with the exception of my wife and some other friends, my whole circle is black as a tire.
I've yet to meet ANY BLACK person who refers to his/herself as a Negro regardless of age. We toss around Negro when we're joking around, but if we're speaking in all seriousness, it's never used. I don't know what old black folks you're hanging around, but maybe they don't get out much.
"Negro" played out about 45 years ago. And it'll never come back.
I conducted poltical surveys and when we asked about race some older (75+) blacks did in fact call themselves negros. Believe me I was surprised.
Some say that blacks should not be referred to as African Americans because they have no relations with the African Continent while others say the term "black" takes the legacy away from slave ancestors who did not choose to leave Africa.
It certainly does take that legacy away and it gives things to everyone who has darker skin what was meant for the descendants of American slaves. " I am a descendant of American slaves" means something specific, just like a Black person who makes a point of their 'Jamaican descent'. There needs to be a description that applies to "Blacks" that have no other homeland they can point to but America.
I conducted poltical surveys and when we asked about race some older (75+) blacks did in fact call themselves negros. Believe me I was surprised.
I'm not at all surprised-
When I was younger my father always tried to get me to call myself a Negro for the reason that it was a specific group of people descended from American slaves. He resented Black people from other countries coming to America and getting help and programs that were meant to make up for the slave past of the American Negro. Not for any person of color from anywhere in the world, who had never been enslaved in the US. He was right but it was the 70' and I was a teenager and didn't realize what he meant and why it mattered.
I prefer black because African-American is too politically correct. We don't call whites European-Americans.I never even heard the AA term before 1989. Most of the blacks I know use black more than AA..
And we didn't use "Black" until right around James Brown's, "Say it loud, I'm Black and I'm proud" record.
I didn't understand the OP's slavery inquiry either. Not to pick on the OP, but I just didn't understand why that was relevant.
because descendants of American slaves don;'t have any other country to go back to- this is it. Because their family has typically been in America for hundreds of years and because they have an investment in America that is second to none.
But they have African blood and to most of us as Black Americans/African-Americans, that's what it is about. We are giving a link to our background and ethnicity. That's really all that it is. Some use the term to show a connection to African (and that's fine too). However, there is also those who just use it to describe who they are as a ethnicity.
Also, you guys, don't forget that there IS an African-American culture. There are many things that are common to African-Americans that were developed during or retained from the days of being a person in the land of the United States who descended from Africans beginning in the 1600s.
So ... there's nothing wrong with identifying with those who were instrumental in your culture. If you read about Africans in the United States back in those days you will see that Black Americans DO have a culture and it goes back to Africa.
Just like an Italian or a German. Yet, for some reason, people always try to treat us Black Americans as if we can't have a heritage and have a label for that.
We also have a culture from being slaves in America. Jazz and Blues are music that is specifically from the culture of descendants of American Slaves. Chalking it up to African-American or Black is not accurate. All "Blacks don't have the same culture- not by a long shot" and descendants of American slaves are a unique culture born of unique circumstances. Haitians are proud of Haitian culture, Eithiopians are proud of Eithiopian culture. Americans of slave ancestry need to know their culture and be proud of it as a thing separate and apart from "matching skin tones" and African ancestry.
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