why are they call them self's African American when they are born in America???

Question

if you where born in the USA you are american, why call do they call them selfs African American. if thats the case we are all something american cause are families come from all over, just wondering..

TIME C im not American I'm Canadian and I was born here in Canada. and you had the stupidest answer I've ever hurd go back to school and lurn something.

and tim c do you go around and call your self white american no. you are american you dumb ****

Answer 1

Cool question, Cary...OH SHUTUP, Johnny and Demun!! I am black, I do not call myself African American ... if someone REFERS to me as AA, I am not offended... our name has changed so much with the jaded history of our nation. I don't call myself African American because I do not associate immediately with that continent, but I do relate to and love it. It is part of my heritage and I do have ancestors, many hundreds of years removed from that continent. I also have European ancestors and Native American ancestors. I'm just "black" and will always be...Great question.
~Peace,
Sleek

Answer 2

well first of all the word _they_ indicates "they" are different than "you" or even "us". That is not a healthy label to place on someone who might be proud of which nation holds citizenship. Let's try not to seperate "them" by using pronouns like "they" when "they" is not established as to who "they" are. It's a little humanitarian PC political fluidic motion you get used to when you work with people from all different nationalities and ethnic origins.

Next, European decended Citizens are considered a majority in America....especially a caucasian individual from European decent. With that understood, for census taking, whites are not called white as they are of European decent and commonly called Caucasian from the area of the Caucus mountains. There is no need to label someone an English American or a Dutch American as Europe has a highly intertwinded mixture of persons that, dare I say are simular in qualities to the majority of the American populace. However....

For Census reasonings, there is the need to define someone of Asian decent, African decent, Native American decent and Hispanic decent. (I appologize if I am not using the proper term on the latter listing as I am still about 5 years behind current terminology) It is not required by law to label indivual's heritage decent unless certain percentages of money are being redirected to better the Minority factions in the USA.

Now, with that understood that there is a precident for need to label another by their origin. (sad but true there is). The next step to answer your question belongs with pride.

With anyone who is of a minority division (as classified by the USA's Census department), the past has uncovered many disturbing clues as to how these minority divisions have been handled before. Ignorance and fear from the individuals in power from the past has played a very large portion in driving the current minority divisions pride and claim to the world they are this specific minority and they will not be forgotten AGAIN. Almost all of minorities in the USA have the right to specifically lobby and monitor the government Census department to make sure the label for their minority divisions is listed accurately, properly and without the bias that has been shown in the past.

Answer 3

Because you in USA have serius psychological issues on personal and social level from slavery period and its resolution thru civil war and freedom movement of Martin Luter King ...
You all, whites and black, do not know how to get closure on such matter.
So it is with sintagma african american ...
It seems that black population is still feeling not 100% american, and they take its pride from the african atribute. Because africans are still pure noncivilized ( I am not saying not violent) and that noncivilized manner is looking as better moral ground then beeing american today

Answer 4

stupid question of the day award goes to..... YOU!!!
Duh, because most of their ancestors came from Africa.
And if you are white you are a White American, and if you are HIspanic you are Hispanic American. Its just a convenient little way of identifying distinct ethnic communities. The US is not exactly a great melting pot like Brazil or Mexico. There is a group that don't come from anywhere and that is NATIVE American.

Answer 5

you're quite right - americans come from all over the world. and so do black people - they're not just from africa. the term "african americans" is really just an outdated label that nobody seems bothered to change......

and the assumtion that all black americans call themselves "african americans" is probably not a good one to be making (especially on an open service like this one)

Answer 6

Because of the movement of the 60s when the groups then , like the Black Panthers and get back to roots groups decided to change their American names to African and revisit their ancesterol culture and embrace African heritage....and they decided that they would choose what they wanted to be called inplace of any other name that any other race would choose for them,....African American.

Answer 7

the U.S. merely has undesirable words to describe human beings by. They nevertheless do not comprehend mestizos as a race and merely calls them by a nationality it is latino and hispanic which blending each human being up on countless tiers. We also would not comprehend the thanks to categorise you; if you're African American, human beings may imagine you're the descendants of slaves because of that aspect period once you're genuinely descendant of a black African immigrant

Answer 8

Ignorance. My family came from Germany and the Cherokee Indian tribe but I don't call myself a German-Indian American. Ask anyone who lived in Africa how good it is. They'll tell you blacks in America should be proud to be Americans and how bad the conditions are in Africa.

Answer 9

I personally have never heard a black person refer to themselves as African-American unless they were running for office. I think they mostly consider themselves Americans. (But hey I don't want to put words in your mouth... if you disagree with me, go ahead and tell me what an idiot I am, everyone else has tonight. Join the fun.)

Answer 10

It gives them a false sense of origin just like the other hyphenated Americans