ARE YOU BLACK...ARE YOU AFRICAN-AMERICAN?
Hello there fellow readers, hope all is going well for each and every one of you. After holding my poetry workshop today for some high school kids in a predominantly [80%] hispanic high school (which I graduated from) I walked home analyzing the fact that in almost 5 years many things are yet to change. Students were yelling out "I'm not Dominican I'm Puerto-Rican; who wants to be Dominican?" wow, and to say that I am always mistaken for una Dominicana. Hearing that took me back to when I was a 9th grader and I got into an argument with a Portuguese girl who fought me by saying, "I'm not white, I'm portugese"... I tried so tell her that indeed her ethnicity, her culture was that of Portugal however her race was WHITE! She was not trying to hear it & I was baffled as to why,? so I gave her the example; "it's like me saying I am not Latina, I am Puerto-Rican, or I am not African/black I am Nigerian." Just does not make much sense to me. Anyway, moving on. It brought me to this weeks topic; how do black/people of color/african-americans like to be identified here in the United statesAs generations passed, blacks in this country went from 1/8th human --> savages that need to be saved --> niggers --> negros --> afro-americans --> black --> African-American/black. But see, the problem is (if you as the reader considers yourself one of these or even if of another race) which is more logical or which would you rather adopt?
I have met many who want nothing to do with the term 'African-American' because they say well I wasn't born in Africa,' some have said 'I am black, that is what people see, no matter where I was born,' some older folks still prefer to be called 'negro'. But then what happens to those who were born in Africa then migrated to the US, or born in America & migrate to Africa or Europe. Or does someone born in England whose parents and grandparents are from Trinidad say I am "British-Trinidadian"... I mean, to much confusion here! Someone once said to me, as long as you fit into the black race, then one should be called black no matter the country/ethnicity; however what if someone opposes it with "my skin is not *black* (literally) Now here is the final controversy, the same female who said we should ALL just be called black excluded Africans, she says they are different!
So in short:
Which would you like to identify with & why not the others! What is the confusion...LEAVE UR VOICE!
5 comments:
- VERY NICELY PUT -
Very Interestin & A Controversial Topic Dat Ppl Tend 2 Avoid.
Readin It Makes Me Think Abwt Wha I Wuld Prefer 2 B Calld .. Technically, Im Nt African-American , Im Black But As Yu Sed .. Ppl Can Easily Argue Dat Our Skin Is Brown, So Does Dat Make Me African-British Den ?
.. x
I just personally feel that people try to complicate things in life. If I see someone from China or Korea, before I know or they make known that they are Chinese, "I will refer to them as Asain"....if I see someone from Poland I will first refer to them as "white" before they let me know their ethnicity is Polish...i feel it is the same for those of African decent...when they see us, they see black, no matter the shade...so that is what we are, now if they ask; "what are you/ethnicity" then clarifying becomes easier, but it seems like these days ppl want to be attached to something and want to be called something, like it is soo anoying when you ask someone what they are & they say..I am jamaican, ghanian, part trinidadian, african-american & 1/14th asian..its like, WTH, which one do you identify with more and built your life around...but no, everyone has issues with identity!
i feel that i am a black american. if we are ever going to have unity in this country, we must identify blacks as "black americans." you can look at my skin and tell that i am of african descent. i think it's quite redundant. i don't hear the term "caucasian american" being used. they are just white americans. you can look at their WHITE skin and tell that they are of caucasian/ european descent. white is to black.. as caucasian is to african american. since "white" is widely used, then i am black.
- A black american
indians are already the "brown" people. yes there are darker indians but so what. and if one wants to get into the technicalities of being brown vs black, a white person can argue that they are red, pink or beige. lol. i'm black.
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