According to Stuart B. Flexner's "I Hear American Talking," p. 53, the term dates to 1863 and was "used by northerners, or to refer to free blacks during slavery."
I never really heard this term until the late 1980s. But I'm always amazed that many people have a problem with this term. I'm black, AA or American, I use all three to describe myself. I often hear "Why can't you just be American?" But I know that many people in America wave foreign flags and refer to themselves as Greek, Dutch, English, Irish, German, etc. Many people celebrate St. Patrick's Day and Columbus Day, two people who never set foot in the United States. So if that is acceptable, what is wrong with "AA?" I get the feeling sometimes that people think when you say you're AA you do so with anger and rage about past injustice. In other words, I'll tell you you're black, but don't say it yourself.
I ask this question seriously and I make these comments with absolutely no malice or racial hatred. Peace
2007-01-12
04:52:46
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12 answers
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asked by
Bryan C
3