Is 'Black American', or 'African American' a better ethnic term.?

Question

If you want to mention race, I think "Black" with suffice, and many educated Blacks agree. (It's who I heard it from.)
After all, we are "White". Fair is fair.
Isn't "African-American" wordy, as well most Black Americans have never been to Africa, so correct me if I'm wrong, but maybe you still prefer it.
Or maybe dust off, "*****"?

Answer 1

i agree...i'm white..i live in america...my grandmother came from ireland...my grandfather came from Nova Scotia..so what am I!!! I'm still white...not Caucasian American or Irish Caucasian....one of my friends is black and that is what I say...now she happened to marry a man who is black from Africa...he's still black...that is his ethnic background African American is his culture so I totally don't agree calling black people African Americans!...if anything he does have that right because he came from there...but some guy from the Bronx being called an African American...a big fat NO to that one....so what do you call a white guy from Africa who now lives in the US....he's an African American...and how about Charlize Theron (spelling?).....she's from Africa?..my girlfriend from high school married a very white dude from Johannesburg..with a VERY German name...so what is he?

Answer 2

American

Answer 3

As a African born person, raised in America, I prefer to be called either African American or Nigerian-American. Although Black is cool too.

Answer 4

African-American, in my opinion, is for the people who came to america from AFRICA. Not American born blacks.

Answer 5

Wow. That's funny, dust off *****. I prefer black. That's what I am, a woman of the black race, who happens to be American. I've never been to Africa but I'm looking forward to visiting some day.

Answer 6

My husband is black and it is the term we both use. I aways say black and white. To bad we can't all just say person, huh? I think it should be treated in the same sense that blonde, red-head, girl, female, man, etc. is treated. My husband is always called African American and his family descends from Jamaica not Africa. Nobody is calling me Irish-German American. Saying African American, to me, sounds like you are going out of your way to label a person.

Answer 7

African american sounds formal, "black" is what I would prefer to be called but african american is fine for me, what ever is comfortable for that person.

Answer 8

yes I agree, the term African /american should be used when considering people of african origin born in America.

Answer 9

Yes, as wordy as "Irish American", "German American", "Polish American", "Spanish American", "Asian American", etc... which most of these have never been to their "native countries"

PS: Bravo twister, I love your answer!!!

Answer 10

.

Our society really needs to try to begin to understand that
the 'African-American' (AA) 'Ethnic' group is *not* the
same group as the ’Black American' (BA) 'Race' group --
that the two (2) terms are *not* synonymous and that the
two (2) terms should *not* be used inter-changeably.

We are *not* speaking of ‘semantics’ here – but rather
– the BAs & AAs are two different groups of people.

The AAs are the (largely Mixed-Race) ETHNIC group.

The BAs are the (Mono-Raced) RACE group.

As confusing as it seems -- the U.S. government
[due to racism & wanting to stigmatize the part
of their lineage that was from Africa which, by
the way, is only one part of their lineage] ---

has labeled those individuals who are the known
"descendents of the survivors" of the system of
chattel-slavery found in the USA as being AAs
(the hyphen is used in reference to acknowledging
the fact that most of them are Mixed-Race,
with African & non-African blood lines)

AND

has labeled those people who are "volitional immigrants"
who are directly from places such as the continent of
African, the West Indies, etc. -- as being BAs
(with the word 'Black' used in reference to acknowledging
the fact that they are of a Mono-racial full-Black lineage).

In addition, it should also be remembered that – although
some AAs adhere to a socio-political ‘identity’ that is
often described by the slang term of “black”—the AAs
are actually *not* a "Race" group at all -- but rather
they *are* a largely Mixed-Race 'Ethnic' group
(and the socio-political ‘identity’ that a person chooses
*does not* change their racially-mixed ancestral lineage).

Most (+70%) of the people born to two (2) parents who
are of the AA ‘Ethnic’ group are are of a Multi-Racially
‘Mixed’ (MGM) lineage – while the people to two (2)
parents who are of the BA ‘Racial’ group – on the
other hand – are of a Mono-Racially ‘Black’ lineage.

There is a big difference between a largely Multi-racial
'Ethnic' group and between a Mono-racial 'Race group.

In addition, there is also a big difference between
one's socio-political 'identity' (ex. "black") and
one's ancestral racial 'lineage' (ex. 'Mixed').

Just because a person adheres to a given
socio-political 'identity' does *not* change
the composition of their ancestral 'lineage'.

Also -- the 'One-Drop' Rule (the false teaching that
'any amount' of Black ancestral lineage make a
person "full black") is nothing more than pure-racism.

The racist 'One-Drop Rule' (used only by the United States
government, by the way) was created during the antebellum,
chattel-slavery era by White racial supremacist in order to
get people to believe the false racist myth that the so-called
White "race" was "pure" and to falsely view the Black
"racial" admixture (even the slightest amount) within
someone's ancestral lineage as being "tainted".

To embrace the 'One-Drop Rule' is the equivalent of BOTH
embracing "racism" and embracing the false teaching
that a Mixed-Race person's Black lineage is "tainted".

My advice is that a non-Racist should *not* embrace
the concept of the 'One-Drop Rule' -- as "Black blood"
is *not* "tainted" -- and should never be perceived
or embraced as being so (not even in the
name of so-called "pride" and "unity").

In addition, legally-speaking, attempted forcible
application of the racist 'One-Drop Rule' -- against
any individual or group -- was made illegal and ruled
as unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court
in 1967 via the case of 'Loving vs. The State of Virginia'.

Through the 'Loving vs. Virginia' case, the U.S.
Supreme Court, ruled against both all of the laws
banning Interracial marriage -- and -- also ruled
that any so-called law which forcibly applied the
'One Drop Rule' -- was racist, discriminatory,
illegal, unconstitutional, and non-enforcible.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/1402

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/1400

Related Links:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MGM-Mixed
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FGM-Mixed

------------------------PLEASE NOTE---------------------

--- Dr. Luigi Caveli-Sforza, who is the Executive
Director of the Human Genome Project and the
world's foremost authority on human genetics
has both tested and proven that more that 70%
of all AAs have a full ancestral lineage which
consists of +20-30% White / European and
more than +25% Amerindian bloodlines.

--- That means that the 'average' (+70%) person
born to two (2) parents who are both members
of the AA Ethnic group actually has slightly
less than 50% Black / African blood lineage
found in his or her full-ancestral lineage.

For more information -- see supporting links listed below:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/1399
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/1032
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/1034
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/991
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/1570
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed/message/1573

--------------------------- ADDED NOTE ---------------------

It should also be noted that -- contrary to popular belief and
myth spread among many groups who are not educated or
informed on the whole topic -- it was not the group that is
currently being referred to as being the African-Americans
(AAs) -- who chose this term for them -- but rather --
like so many of the other terms used to describe
them -- this term was also implemented by
the United States federal government
(starting with the 1990 United
States 'Census Bureau' Forms).

If a person insists on spreading the 'myth' that it was the
AAs who chose this term for themselves -- it is clearly
indicative of the fact that they have never even once
actually studied the entire topic and are simply basing
their comments on assumption-based ignorance --
rather than objective facts and empirical evidence.

.