Are You Black or African-American?

July 2, 2008 by
Filed under: Blog Entries, My Thoughts, Society & Culture 

On the way to and from work, I listen to a lot of talk radio. I love my music stations, but sometimes I get tired of hearing the same songs over and over. In listening to talk radio hosts, some liberal and some conservative, I’ve noticed something as they talk on topics dealing with race. On the more liberal stations, you can tell they are trying to be PC, so they use the term African-American. While most of the conservative stations use a mix of black or African-American.

I’ve heard friends and family make comments about their preferred “race title”, so I wanted to ask you. Do like being called black or African-American? I ask because some people I know really have an issue with white people calling them black. Even on college and job applications, they put African-American/Black as a selection. For those reading this who aren’t black, which term do you use the most? Do you switch between the two based on who you’re talking with?

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, I try to remain politically correct while getting my point across. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn’t. And sometimes I just have to say what’s on my heart and forget those who might be offended. So, just so you know I prefer the term black over African-American. While my ancestors may be from Africa, I am not. I’m a black person born on the south side of America. I’m proud to be black because we are the builders of this country and our history is one of strength and overcoming obstacles. When it comes down to it, I’m just a human being who happens to be black. I love who I am and I use the history of my ancestors to inspire me to create my own page in American History.

Let’s stop getting upset up over terms and titles when it comes to race. I know a lot of people who cringe at Dave Chappelle’s comic relief, but I think it’s on the lighter side of pure genius. Sometimes we can be too uptight when it comes to discussing race in this country. Check out one of my favorite clips.

 

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Comments

17 Comments on Are You Black or African-American?

  1. Mom on the RIse on Thu, 3rd Jul 2008 10:57 am

    2. I prefer the term black over African American too. Calling me African American forces me to identify with something that I cannot.

  2. Joel on Thu, 3rd Jul 2008 6:55 pm

    3. Black…for similar reasons as your’s Theo. I consider myself American while recognizing my undiscovered African ancestry. But I prefer Black. It’s also a more global term. Plus it’s fewer syllables :-)

  3. theo.johnson on Fri, 4th Jul 2008 2:11 am

    4. Thanks for your comments. Mom you bring up a good point. It’s hard for me to relate to a country I’ve never had the opportunity to visit. I also prefer Black American.

    Or you can just call me Theo.

  4. Joel on Sat, 5th Jul 2008 9:05 am

    5. Man I wish Dave Chapelle would get back to work. That was classic. For shizzle!

  5. Keith on Mon, 7th Jul 2008 9:47 am

    6. Hey Theo.

    All I can do is escho what Joel said. That clip had me cryin laughing. Brilliant stuff.

  6. theo.johnson on Mon, 7th Jul 2008 11:09 am

    7. Keith, as always thanks for your comments.

  7. darrell.holmes on Tue, 8th Jul 2008 4:31 pm

    8. I always identified with Black and it continues to be a stumble point for some people who don’t know whether to say “Black” or “A-A” when they are around me in a professional setting. Plus, you can’t paint the White House “African-American”.

  8. theo.johnson on Tue, 8th Jul 2008 5:19 pm

    9. Funny you’d say that. Some people seem to get uncomfortable when calling us black. Yeah, painting the White House “African-American” doesn’t sound so cool.

  9. HTownTejas on Thu, 10th Jul 2008 2:26 pm

    10. Interesting, I’ve always said black (I’m white) unless I feel uncomfortable that someone might be sensitive. Then I say African-American and feel wierd that I thought about it and changed what I would have ordinarily said….

  10. theo.johnson on Thu, 10th Jul 2008 3:01 pm

    11. HTownTeja,

    Thanks for your comment. There are a lot of people sensitive to the term. I don’t understand always why, but I’m sure they have their reasons.

    I’ve felt the same way when it comes to calling someone Mexican, Hispanic, Latino. But people have their preferences.

  11. darrell.holmes on Thu, 10th Jul 2008 3:11 pm

    12. The unfortunate thing is that we have to focus on exactly what to call someone. That being said, there will never be an agreement on exactly what to call anyone. All you can do is be respectful in your intentions and carry on.

  12. HTownTejas on Thu, 10th Jul 2008 3:34 pm

    13. The unfortunate thing is that we have to focus on exactly what to call someone. That being said, there will never be an agreement on exactly what to call anyone. All you can do is be respectful in your intentions and carry on.

    That sounds dead on.

  13. theo.johnson on Thu, 10th Jul 2008 4:08 pm

    14. I think the only real “African-Americans” are those who come from Africa and become an American citizens. I’m not trying to distance myself from my African roots, I just don’t see why people get upset over it. My birth certificate actually has “Negro” as the race. Born in Texas 1976.

  14. sandy on Sat, 2nd Aug 2008 2:17 am

    15. Today I was determined to find a website discussing the term/label “African-American”. I am sick of hearing it. Just as HTownTejas put it…some white people think all of us black people prefer African-American as politically correct and are afraid to say black. I as a black person sense this and am revulsed each time I hear it used. It sounds condesending. I don’t need it. People should not discuss their ethnicity anyway. It will always be impolite, just as discussing religion, politics and sex. This type of discussion IS politically incorrect because it is PERSONAL and only to be discussed in private among family and friends.
    All public officials and business associates need are simple identifying characteristics. For example: Country of birth, Hair color, Skin color, Eye color, Height and Weight. If that is not enough, too bad! Any further probing into a persons personal information would be POLITICALLY INCORRECT with rare exceptions such as one’s doctor.

  15. Web Prospector on Thu, 7th Aug 2008 12:01 am

    16. I generally go with the term Black but I’m old enough to have been negro and colored in the past. I occasionally use African American but now I am starting to lean toward “American African” since I’ve traced my ancestry in America back
    seven generations and still counting. Most of us whose people didn’t arrive on these shores recently go back at least that far whether they can trace it or not. I honestly believe that most white folks can’t make the same claim. Many of their families only arrived after our ancestors built the infrastructure.

  16. theo.johnson on Thu, 7th Aug 2008 12:26 am

    17. Sandy & Web Prospector, thanks for your comments. I’ve been wanting to trace my ancestry. It’s something I may do later so my boys will know their roots.

  17. Web Prospector on Thu, 7th Aug 2008 1:04 am

    18. Theo If you’re interested in tracing your ancestry, check out this site that I featured on my blog.

    http://blackmediamine.blogspot.com/2008/02/center-for-african-american.html#links

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