What do you think the term blackness means?

Question

the term blackness is oftentimes used to describe a set of ideas about "being" African American. i am doing a paper on this term and i want to know what people think makes someone an African American. so, what are your thoughts?

Answer 1

being confident with being black and not saying mixed/other

Answer 2

I never heard the term "blackness". I think the factors that define an African American are the lineage of the person. If they were born in the United States and had ancestors in Africa, then you would describe them as African American. You could describe anyone with descendants from Europe as European American or from Asia as Asian American.

Answer 3

African American means a person was born in Africa and have since become Americans.

A person can be black and NEVER have lived in North or South America... are they still African American? No.

ON the other hand, I have two friends who were born in Africa and one of them has since come to live in (and has become a citizen of) America. She speaks two languages, Afrikaan and English. She is what I would call an African American... but she is white and blond.

So, "blackness" being associated with the term "African American" is really rather racist in itself.

I think that for a person to be linked to a previous country, there has to have been a recent immigration by that person. Otherwise, none of us would be Americans. We'd be (name that continent(s) of descent) - Americans.

Bottom line: "African" refers to a continent of "recent" descent, NOT to a skin color.

Answer 4

It is interesting how many terms have been used to describe africans. Now blackness. ? come on.

and, by the way, my friend is from south africa and he is white, now that he is a citizen is he now african american? or does this term just apply to desendants of slaves.?

Answer 5

an african american is an african origin person that doesnt live in africa. but id say just look it up in a dictionary

Answer 6

I suppose if your ancestors came from Africa to America then that makes you African American.

Answer 7

being african-american simply means being of african decent. it's the same as being italian-american or polish american etc.

Answer 8

surely you jest. only someone not african american can wonder what makes one african american. why doesn't society wonder what being "white" "indian" "asian"... means? you can't possibly identify a whole race based on behavior.

Answer 9

I was thinking that blackness meant 'of or pertaining to the characteristics of being black.' Whether it means an object or a person's nationality.

Answer 10

blackness is to be anti-white. it is to place as much distance from anything that implies white. That means in education, speech, clothing, music, politics even religion.

Answer 11

> What do you think the term blackness means?
It refers to the quality of "black" that your computer monitor or television can make.