Black People in America have no Identity?

Question

Is it just me or is it that black people in America do not have an identity. When i hear people speaking of their ancestry its like most blacks cannot relate. I know it may sound a little weird to some but its agitating ti not know about your history and where you family comes from and not just be told Africa but specifially. Can anyone relate ?

maybe you should ask before you assume because i hava ctually done quite alot of reserach for over 5 years now and MLJ what yuo stated was beside the point im speaking of blacks as a whole in America not just I

Answer 1

I'm not black but I can relate... I'm half Italian and half Dutch... I have no identity from my race... my mom tries to play Italian music & she watches the Godfather but she's just grasping at straws too.

I don't identify as Italian or Catholic or Dutch or even American. America truly is a melting pot for most people where we don't cling to our ancestry to define who we are. Sometimes I wish I spoke Italian or knew how to cook good Italian food, sometimes I even pretend to be more Italian than I am because it's fun... but I don't really feel it.

I also don't get too caught up on Feminism. I think when you associate yourself with a group you become a little bit bitter and distrustful of people not in your group. To be honest, the only identity I claim for myself is that of a child of God through Jesus Christ - and that is a group open to every person on the planet, black/white, American/Foreign, and men and women :) And we are all one family!

Answer 2

Everyone adopted at birth whose case is sealed can relate. Most Black people can get back to before 1870 if they work at it. Adoptees can't get back to 1970.

Figuring 30 years a generation, average, and you find adults born in 1840 or so on the 1870 census, you will be back to 1840, which is 167 years. That's 5 of those 30-year generations and a teenager to boot. There are lots of Italians, Greeks, Chinese, French . . . who've been here less than that and consider themselves American.

You probably know ths already, but 1870 was the first census that asked Black people their names.

Answer 3

That time period is in basic terms putting forward that our ancestors got here from Africa, no longer unavoidably the individuals alive right now that are said as that. I do hate the note Black(like crayon colour) regardless of the reality that, I recommend technically, we are brown, and that i have not considered a man or woman that changed into absolutely Black, I in basic terms imagine it could be a darker colour of brown. i wager i might want to work out the position you're coming from regardless of the reality that, yet in difficulty-free words a touch. to boot, its been happening for this lengthy, why replace it in difficulty-free words to complicate issues. The solutions you get will be in accordance to individuality, which signifies that some human beings like it, and others do not. i do not understand what to say about the whole count number number, I recommend so long because it isn't racial, then i'm cool with it.

Answer 4

I agree. Our specific ethnic identity was stolen from us long ago, before we were even born. Most of us don't even know what countries our ancestors were from or what tribe they were in or anything. I think this disconnect can be quite annoying at times.

On the other hand, I also believe that it is because of this disconnect that black Americans are so inventive in society. Blacks have influenced a lot of America's culture today: Hair, food, music, dance, literature. None of this was inspired by our "roots" because most of us don't know the first thing about our "roots". It came from us, as Black Americans, and I think that's something we should all be proud of.

Sometimes I do wonder about my African ancestry, but I'm not willing to shell out hundreds of dollars to get my DNA tested, or whatever it is they do. I'll just be happy being me.

Answer 5

just like everyone else in America look for it...send ur dna to some areas in Africa and be careful not to fall into hands of fraudsters but just read up the internet more...am african and i know a lot of Afro americans that found their identity...their origin.,....many of them...but it was not as easy as just going on a website like some people do..

Answer 6

Its probably just much more difficult to trace, because with slave trading. They were mixed much more and given new identies. Families were seperated so thats probably the reason.

Answer 7

What the heck are you talking about? You have parents who have parents who have parents and so on and so on and so on and so friggin on...........have you even tried going back into your family tree...........and how far back have you gone? So if people are saying that it just all ends back in Africa.........how do they know that and where's there proof You might be totally blown away if you can really go back and dig up your roots what you may find...........how do you NOT know for sure that you are totally black..........do you know that for sure? Soooo, some day when your really inclined to do alot of research spend alot of time and probably a few $$ to finding out as much as possible about your roots you might find out about a whole lotta stuff.........and you'll probably be surprised at what you find too!

Answer 8

I agree so much; I think that is one of the major sources for many of our problems

Answer 9

I don't think that is entirely true.
a lot of black people do have identities .
the only thing is it is really hard for you to trace your roots before slavery

Answer 10

oh come on now. stop saying that. you know it's not true. a lot of us feel rootless these days...i am not sure race has anything to do with it.