Going Back to Black
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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...
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...