Going_Back_to_Black

Tiffany Brackens Exploratory Paper Ms. Rebekah Clinkscale English 1302 29 March 2010 African American vs. Black Some people say the term "African-American" should be used instead of the word "black." I beg to differ. From the beginning, we as a people have suffered from identity issues. We have always gone by the names others have given us. I have accepted the term since the late 1980s only because everyone else was doing it. African-American was a fad not a politically correct term. Blacks have been called Negros, Colored, and Afro-Americans. And those are the names that were once considered politically correct and reluctantly accepted by the black community. We have also been called darkies, jigaboos, coons and worse. Now several blacks go by the mark of "African-American" only because someone else made it sound moral and acceptable. But if you really look at what that really means, maybe you'll change your minds. It's time we descendants of slaves brought to the United States let go of the term "African American" and go back to calling ourselves Black - with a capital B. The debate about the importance of race in America goes on with little to no end in sight. As a Black woman, I believe that classification by race constructed exclusively on skin color, behaviors, or social norms could possibly assist in further dividing people. However, Americans will continue to organize individuals based on visual interpretations. If it has not been proven that these interpretations support genetic ancestry, then why don’t we use the evidence provided for us rather than judging by what we see' Consequently, I accept as true that using race as a manner of organizing populations not dividing them is an effective argument as presented in K.A. Dailey’s “Go Back to Black” article, one that can theoretically benefit masses of people in America and other countries throughout our world. In the article the author speaks about the difference between the terms African American and Black. While many Blacks’ ancestry can be traced back to Africa, not all Blacks are of direct decent. Blacks are Americans. If we as a people are to be categorized then we should be called Black Americans unless we are of direct decent from another country. It should not be based on skin tone, type of hair, or the size of our hips and noses. If an African travels here and applies for citizenship and it is granted then he should be categorized as an African-American. I was born in America, I live in America, and I will die in America the same as my mother. I am American. Blacks have gone through so many changes in what we should be titled. Time has changed our label. Different countries have changed our label. People have changed our labels. All of these factors are different yet the labels remained the same. Blacks were called what was popular at different times throughout the era by people in various countries. The current acceptable label depends on when and where you are. I do not want to be part of a fad nor do I want to be “labeled”. If I am to be categorized then I want to be known as Black wherever I travel, whenever that time may be, and by whomever I encounter. The author states that in many countries the term “Black” is welcomed no matter the skin tone nor the time of arrival. The author believes that the term Black should be honored and the term African American be retired. Americans should not categorize us by the date of our ancestor’s arrival but by the term in which we all share a bond regardless of where we are from. I want to know my heritage, my ancestors, and my background but I should not be labeled by their existence in the modern world. Blacks have set aside their exclusive labels and bonded by this term black. We shall honor it. Works Cited: K.A. Dailey, “Going Back to Black,” New York Times, February 27, 2008.