Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I've seen a crowd of AAs who look like this. Many of you do not even live in black communities so you have no idea. I actually volunteered at a homeless shelter and the average AA was the color of the people in that photo. It may not be the same in every region but there are many who are still that skin tone with those features in America
But AA's who look like that are a minority. That's why they are called dark skinned, like the lighter than average AA's are called light skinned. Most AA's are varying degrees of brown skin and look like this.
Haitian Crowd
A bit more diversity than the Haitian crowd who looks more homogenous and dark skinned, because Haitians have less non African ancestry than AA's.
20-10% European is pretty significant, and can dilute the skin tones, alter facial features and hair texture. AA's who do not have this mixture, would pretty much look like the crowd of Haitians I've posted. Most African Americans and Haitians come from the same African tribes in West-Central Africa, it's the European ancestry in African Americans that makes them lighter than Haitians. Who are the purest Africans in the Americans.
Afrocentrist types like to post light skinned Igbos, who often times look similar to alot of AA's to prove that light skinned Blacks are pure African.
But Brown skinned to Light Skinned AA's tend to have intermiediate characteristics like hair, nose, and facial features like this. Most Light Skinned Igbos are just lighter versions of dark skinned Igbos, none of them look intermiedaite like light skinned AA's
Please take a 23andme admixture test sometime, you'll most certainly will not be 100% African. African Americans who are more than 90% African genetically are a small minority.
I don't what it is. It isn't about skin tone, color, or facial features; it may be all of these things or none of these things, but I know that there is a difference.
I am Black American and I lived in Dublin, Ireland where there is a growing Nigerian and Somalian population. I can generally identify a Somalian from a Nigerian and they could identify who belonged to which ethnic group. One time, I was entering a bus and the driver was black. I asked him the fare and he told me, and then he said, "American?". I said yes. He then said, "I could tell. You (then circling his face) don't look like us". However, to the average Irish person, I was just another black person.
People forget that Africa has more genetic diversity within the continent than the rest of the entire world combined.
All Africans don't look like Dikembe Mutombo or somebody.
You have tribes of Africans with light hair and light eyes.
You have Ethiopians, Somalians, and Etritreans with keen features and Nigerians and the Ivory Coast with blacker skin and bigger features.
There is no ONE way to look, sound, act, or be African.
It's a continent with a billion people on it, and if it weren't for AIDS, extreme poverty, and malaria, there'd probably be more. You can't boil all Africans down to dark skin = African, light skin = African-American.
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
24,544 posts, read 56,054,732 times
Reputation: 11862
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Siobhan
I don't what it is. It isn't about skin tone, color, or facial features; it may be all of these things or none of these things, but I know that there is a difference.
I am Black American and I lived in Dublin, Ireland where there is a growing Nigerian and Somalian population. I can generally identify a Somalian from a Nigerian and they could identify who belonged to which ethnic group. One time, I was entering a bus and the driver was black. I asked him the fare and he told me, and then he said, "American?". I said yes. He then said, "I could tell. You (then circling his face) don't look like us". However, to the average Irish person, I was just another black person.
Somalians look NOTHING like the average AA - mostly West African. There are some mixed AA's that could pass for a Somalian, but they are a totally different people. It's like comparing a Swede to an Italian.
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
24,544 posts, read 56,054,732 times
Reputation: 11862
I doubt many would argue someone like Beyonce is 100% African American, it's not just her skin tone but her features. West Africans do not have the European-like noses of Tupac or Pam Grier.
I was lurking in a few threads that discussed African Americans, and there were many posters who commented that AAs tend to be lighter than Black people from Africa which is totally not true. I happen to be African American, and darkskin, and in my area there are many who are as well. Is it a regional thing? Where some ppl live do they happen to see more lighter toned AAs than darkskinned ones?
The US is a diverse melting pot and there are many people of African descent here obviously, due to the slave trade many centuries ago.
Some African Americans do look different than Africans in Africa because they are mixed in many cases. This happens to many people in the US because the population is so diverse. For example, I am African-American, Korean, German, Slovenian, Native American, and French....how's that for a mix!
People forget that Africa has more genetic diversity within the continent than the rest of the entire world combined.
All Africans don't look like Dikembe Mutombo or somebody.
You have tribes of Africans with light hair and light eyes.
You have Ethiopians, Somalians, and Etritreans with keen features and Nigerians and the Ivory Coast with blacker skin and bigger features.
There is no ONE way to look, sound, act, or be African.
It's a continent with a billion people on it, and if it weren't for AIDS, extreme poverty, and malaria, there'd probably be more. You can't boil all Africans down to dark skin = African, light skin = African-American.
But the main pont is the majority of African Americans came from a area of West Africa where the vast majority(95 or more) were dark brown skinned, with round features and flat noses.
There are some tribes in West Africa where people have longer facial features, lighter skin, and looser hair textures. But most AA's are not descended from those tribes. Most AA's are descended from the same tribes as most Haitians, yet Haitians are darker skinned on average because of less mixed ancestry.
The vast majority of AA's are descended from these areas of West Africa.
But the main pont is the majority of African Americans came from a area of West Africa where the vast majority(95 or more) were dark brown skinned, with round features and flat noses.
There are some tribes in West Africa where people have longer facial features, lighter skin, and looser hair textures. But most AA's are not descended from those tribes. Most AA's are descended from the same tribes as most Haitians, yet Haitians are darker skinned on average because of less mixed ancestry.
The vast majority of AA's are descended from these areas of West Africa.
There is diversity amongst West Africans. Not all of them have round faces, darkskin and flat noses. I work for a company that is owned by West Africans and they all do not look alike. Some are light, brown, dark, middle towned, and have different facial features. I just noticed that a lot of the people who post online state nothing but stereotypical views which leads me to believe people are a. lying or b. live in a closet space and never get out of the house.
But AA's who look like that are a minority. That's why they are called dark skinned, like the lighter than average AA's are called light skinned. Most AA's are varying degrees of brown skin and look like this.
Haitian Crowd
A bit more diversity than the Haitian crowd who looks more homogenous and dark skinned, because Haitians have less non African ancestry than AA's on average. The average African American in that photo would be called Grimelle aka light skinned in Haiti, because the average AA is lighter than the majority of Haitians. You see what I'm saying.
20-10% European is pretty significant, and can dilute the skin tones, alter facial features and hair texture.
Please take a 23andme admixture test sometime, you'll most certainly will not be 100% African. African Americans who are more than 90% African genetically are a small minority.
You have never been to Africa and you probably don't even live around Black people.
I work for a company that is owned by Africans and they don't even look like the West Africans in those photos. I even attended an African church and they were diverse just like AAs. You had some who were light, dark, brown, middle tone with different facial features. I even have a few Jamaican friends and they are not all really darkskin with round features.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
