JoyG said:
I would venture to say that ethnic labels are more important in the minority groups of this country than the majority. "Caucasion" is a more acceptable way of saying white, African American is a more acceptable way of saying black. If we didn't claim African American as our title, people, and the media would make up their own names to describe us and we know where that goes...
For many African Americans, that title doesn't really describe our ethnicity, but it describes the ethnicity we identify with. I have no idea where my descendants are from, they could be from the islands, from Africa, Native Americas, Europe...or most likely they are from all the above. I just use the name African American b/c I don't want you calling me anything else.
We should be able exist peacefully with labels that describe obvious physical differences between people without having unequal treatment of those people go hand in hand. It's not a choice between one or the other.
ITA!! And, I applaud you for being so honest, in a discussion that is often "danced" around. I think it is mainly caucasian Americans that take issue with the African American label (and, before we go any futher, I am caucasian). I think the real problem here (correct me if I am wrong), is that all words used to describe African Americans previously were "put" upon a race of people. These words...some nicer than others, have all come to have certain "negative" implications.
The truth of the matter is this...Africa is not a country, but a continent. So, when people in this country make comparisons to Irish-American, or otherwise...they are, in essence comparing apples to oranges. The true comparison would be "European American"...something to which NO one identifies (at least, not yet). Ironically, this is the complaint I hear most often from detractors of the use of "African-American".
But, here's what they are missing....I believe most people who use this terminology would dearly LOVE to know their ancestry. I am sure they would love to say, "My family is from Sierra-Leone"....or Guinea, or any one of a hundred African countries. The problem is...except in rare cases....they do not know their heritage.
I am proud of my heritage...I am French, Irish and English. Knowing this, I have studied these countries and their languages. I have researched my family crests, and have made a personal goal to visit the towns of my ancestors. Most people who choose to be called African-American will never have that luxury. The fact that they can only identify themselves with a continent, rather than a specific country, tribe or clan, IMO means that we need to cut them a great deal of slack!!!
I have a friend who is adopted. She has spent MANY years trying to find her "real" parents. Her adopted parents are amazing, but she still felt a need to find out where she came from. She is lucky...she now knows. Imagine if you had little or no hope of knowing where you came from? Now, imagine if that were due to a turbulent event in our country's history? Isn't this one of the root causes of the trouble in Israel? Two different tribes of people are desperately fighting for a "home". A group of people who feel they have no true homeland can be a very sad group of people.
And yes, the descendants of those who were brought over as slaves have been accepted into the fabric of America. But, I am not sure how I would feel when others celebrate the holidays centered around the birthdays and events of people who stated "Every man created equal"...when my equality was specifically excluded from that statement. As a woman, I would like to see a holiday for the Nineteenth Amendment. I'm sure many would like to see the Black Suffrage dates commemorated as well. If we are a country about freedoms, shouldn't we celebrate the freedoms of all of our citizens?
I think those of us who have the luxury of being able to take for granted all the benefits that come with knowing your heritage, should feel grateful, and not mock the choices of those who have no such luxury. Being American is a great thing, but even children who are adopted into the best homes still want to find out who their real parents were.
Those of us who know where we came from do not have the need to identify quite as much. Joy, I think the white perspective is this. To place a continent's name before the name America seems to many to be belittling our country. Those who are so offended by this need to realize that identification of heritage is not a monogamous relationship in a country that is, in essence, a patchwork quilt. It is okay to identify, and to state both...it really is doing no harm.
And, I truly believe it is those who can least identify their ancestry, are claiming something that they otherwise would not have. Instead of looking at them and becoming angry, maybe people ought to look inside themselves and feel blessed.
Joy...I think you used "descendants" when you really meant "ancestors". I TRULY imagine you actually know where your "descendants" came from!!
