Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Padgett
OK - I'll get down off my soapbox now. BTW - my best man at my wedding 31 years ago was a black male and we're still good friends. Also BTW - I know it's not politically correct (and I'm certainly not) but I don't hyphenate the word "American". Every citizen of this country is an American - end of story.
OK - I'll really get down off my soapbox now.
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There is a difference between race and ethnicity. Being Black is my race. Being African-American is my ethnicity. And since many in this country call themselves Italian, French, Irish, Russian and Mexican, I think it is only right and makes since to label myself what I know I am. I am a decedent of African, not a descendant of America. There were only one group of people that were genetically from this country and it was not people that look like me or you. But the one thing I cannot do like many of those who are not Black (and there are many Blacks that can go back to other countries BTW), I cannot trace my heritage directly to a "tribe" or Klan (which they are really called BTW) like you and many others could. So to keep a since of my heritage and culture, I choose to call myself African-American. If I could I would consider myself Nigerian-American or South African-American like a famous actress can. And when I go to the World Cup I could cheer for my home country if they were participating (I know a joke is coming), but I cannot do that. And it matters to me that the people that I come from were not allowed to hold citizenship and were slaves. So no, I will never just be American. I cannot trace my background like a fellow official friend of mine who knows how is name was changed to reflect coming to America, rather than hold on to the language his Grandfather spoke. And all of that is important when it is obvious that a lot of my values did not come directly and only from this country.
Peace