Do you prefer/say African American or black?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Africans in America are harder working, more educated and wealthier than black Americans.

That's a stereotype. But maybe they also benefit from affirmative action that is meant for the black Americans and deprive the intended potential recipients of their opportunities.

I dont see how this is possible. Unless if you feel that employers would rather higher Africans over AAs because they have better success with Africans.

By getting the college scholarships meant for black Americans. They graduate from good schools and get the good jobs. Meanwhile the black Americans continue to struggle, burned again but this time by their own.

[Anonymous]

Seriously? In 2011? Folks it's just not that deep -- Call me Black or AA. Both references are fine.

[Anonymous]

22:35 ITA!!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Wonder why the NAACP hasn't changed it name to National African American Association if saying colored is so bad?

Because the resulting acronym would be NAAAA (National Association for the Advancement of African Americans) or NAAAAP (National Association for the Advancement of African American Persons), neither of which would have positive connotations.

[Anonymous]

My 75 year old father in law says Negro because that was the PC term he learned. He says calling someone black was considered offensive when he was younger so he has a hard time using it today. My MIL grew up in Alabama and while she uses black or AA now the PC term for her was colored.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hope Jeff will delete the racist crap off of this thread, which seems to be an inevitable racist magnet. However, I think it is a valuable question. I'm white and have a lot of black friends and colleagues. I make a point of paying attention to how they self-identify or refer to others of the same race and then try to use the same nomenclature. Particularly for someone I don't know very well. To be honest, feeling ever-so-slightly awkward about what to "call" a black person, though, has made me think about how often it is really necessary to describe a person by race? While I don't go overboard to avoid it, I do try to notice other details about a person. Say a salesperson is helping me, I'm not going to say "the black woman was helping me" even if she's the only black woman on the sales force. I'm going to say "the woman with the red shirt." or I'll get her name and remember it. It takes a little bit more effort and I don't always succeed in doing it, but the more we take race out of the description, the better. Obviously there are times this doesn't work, when you need a very explicit description of someone for one reason or another and then yes, i'd say black unless I felt the other person preferred A.A.

No need to delete... I am glad that "african amaericans" said that they are ok being reffred to as black. It's desciptive, not racist. Heck, I always get the blonde descriptoion/profile, and I can think above my knees!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am black. Neither my parents nor I have immigrated from Africa. If you call me colored things will get ugly.

Just as a side note, do you look down on Africa and Africans?
I mean is African ancestry something you are ashamed of?

YOu just want to start something, don't you?

[Anonymous]

Just say black. I hate the term AA. Africa is a continent not a country! I am Native American, Dutch with a small percentage of African descent. But people are quick to say I am AA. OR Just call me an American!

[Anonymous]

Agree with another poster - it's not that serious. Call me black or African-American - I myself use both interchangeably. People make too much of these labels.

@06:42 As someone noted before the reason why we use the blanket term African American is because most of us don't know the African country our ancestors are from because of, ya know, a little situation called slavery. And it doesn't make sense for someone who came to the US from Nigeria to be called AA - they would likely identify as Nigerian and black. If folks call you AA tell them not to and say you prefer black - simple.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I prefer "of color" or "colored". Nobody I've ever met is black or white.

It has got to be hard making your way through the world if you are that literal.

Are you saying you call people colored to their faces? What happens next?

Do you think it is derogatory? Why? Seriously, I think it sounds much better than "black".

If you go to work in 1960 in your time-travel-equipped DeLorean, it's totally appropriate. Otherwise, not so much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am black. Neither my parents nor I have immigrated from Africa. If you call me colored things will get ugly.

But didn't you see the quote? THe NAACP SAID it's ok!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am black. Neither my parents nor I have immigrated from Africa. If you call me colored things will get ugly.

well, people call me Irish-American (if anything), when describing ethnicity or background, and my family has been here for 200 years +.

Sidenote: I'm Irish and that just pisses me off.

[Anonymous]

As an AA/Black, I am afraid that this thread does not clear up anything for those of other races who just want to be sensitive to the race. It, in fact, muddies the water. As 22:47 said, either AA/Black is fine. If someone gets offended by your referring to them as either, that's their problem -- not yours.

I, for one, will be happy when this thread dies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I prefer "of color" or "colored". Nobody I've ever met is black or white.

It has got to be hard making your way through the world if you are that literal.

Are you saying you call people colored to their faces? What happens next?

Do you think it is derogatory? Why? Seriously, I think it sounds much better than "black".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colored

The history of the word "colored" in the U.S. overrides however it may sound to you. I think if you polled black Americans, 99.99% of them would rather be called black than colored.

Wonder why the NAACP hasn't changed it name to National African American Association if saying colored is so bad?

They probably realized they would constantly be changing their name because these terms constantly evolve.

NAACP --> NAAAAP --> NAABP --> NAAAAP etc. etc.

(colored, afro American, black, African American, ...)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As an AA/Black, I am afraid that this thread does not clear up anything for those of other races who just want to be sensitive to the race. It, in fact, muddies the water. As 22:47 said, either AA/Black is fine. If someone gets offended by your referring to them as either, that's their problem -- not yours.

I, for one, will be happy when this thread dies.

Then sorry to keep the thread going, but I'm curious that you use black as a descriptive noun rather than an adjective. Saying "a Black" sounds offensive to me. Do the AAs here feel that way?