Comments on: In Your Words: Black or African American? http://dcentric.wamu.org/2012/02/in-your-words-black-or-african-american/ Race, Class, The District. Mon, 16 Jul 2012 03:01:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Guest http://dcentric.wamu.org/2012/02/in-your-words-black-or-african-american/#comment-1290 Guest Sat, 18 Feb 2012 15:13:00 +0000 http://dcentric.wamu.org/?p=14072#comment-1290 Japan, Ireland, and France are *countries*...not continents.  Africa is a continent.  It is divided into 54 countries. If you want to "celebrate your experience" find your ancestors *country-of-origin* in Africa and call yourself that.  African American is vague and sloppy.  Kenyan American or Nigerian American, however, are specific and accurate. Please do not negate and flatten the identity of all Black People into one politically correct term.  A Bahamanian American or Haitian American has no need for the term "African American". Call yourself something real, not something designed to make White People feel better. Japan, Ireland, and France are *countries*…not continents. 

Africa is a continent.  It is divided into 54 countries.

If you want to “celebrate your experience” find your ancestors *country-of-origin* in Africa and call yourself that.  African American is vague and sloppy.  Kenyan American or Nigerian American, however, are specific and accurate.

Please do not negate and flatten the identity of all Black People into one politically correct term.  A Bahamanian American or Haitian American has no need for the term “African American”.

Call yourself something real, not something designed to make White People feel better.

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By: Anonymous http://dcentric.wamu.org/2012/02/in-your-words-black-or-african-american/#comment-1277 Anonymous Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:05:00 +0000 http://dcentric.wamu.org/?p=14072#comment-1277 The name of a people should be tied to land (Japanese; Irish; French).  By embracing "African-American" we clearly celebrate our experience. The name of a people should be tied to land (Japanese; Irish; French).  By embracing “African-American” we clearly celebrate our experience.

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