Comments on: Ask the White Guy: Is a White Person From Africa an African-American?

By: jb

jb — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 18:40:47 +0000

In the early 70′s/80′s black america changed from being called negros,to black americans and finally african americans.
All names were for people of color and whose ancestors arrived here as slaves from Africa.

Has this person ever been a black slave from Africa- or is just a white man from Africa? if it is the latter, then that is the answer- this person who is white who either comes from Africa or lives there. This eliminates this person from being an african american.

By: Bonolo

Bonolo — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 17:00:48 +0000

This question is nonsensical, as is the entire premise of the arguement. I find, as an African. There are, to be sure, white settlers on the African continent, largely in South Africa my native country and Kenya. But they are not Africans despite their loud protestations. I repeat they are not africans. Anyone who knows that the Greeks meant by Aperica being the home of the Ethiops will tell you that none of these people are from a continent of a people ‘with a burnt face’. So, a white settler who is from Africa, and marries another one from Africa, are referred to as White, and by the native (look up that word) land of their parents before they got ‘settled’ in Africa. They are not African and they themselves don’t even consider themselves African, except in instances of selfish economic interest. It does not make them any more African, than it makes a black person who settles in Europe for decades European, or in Japan a Japanese. That is why this argument is nonsense if you know what you are talking about. It raises however the interesting question however, of ‘what is race?’ and ‘who is this or that race?’

By: Daria

Daria — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 09:49:53 +0000

It isn’t just political correctness, and there is a valid difference – “black” refers to skin color (some people call it race) and “African-American” is an ethnicity. Ethnicity is really, at heart, an outcome of shared experience. African-Americans are American in the same sense that most of what we call “Anglo-Americans” are – like me. I’m white, and my ancestors have been in America for several hundred years. Before that, they came from all over Europe. “African-Americans” also have deep roots in America, and like me their pre-America heritage is also lost to them… but their *American* heritage differs from mine. Their ancestors were developing different coping strategies (cultures) for different experiences on the same soil. Not only slavery, but post-slavery segregation. Like parallel Americas.

By: Luke Visconti

Luke Visconti — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 21:10:25 +0000

What crap. With your reasoning, if someone robbed your house of something of negligible value but, in the process of the crime, left you a paraplegic, then the judge should not take that into consideration because your disability had no remedy. This kind of garbage could only be said by someone who is in the majority culture.

I was introduced to a distinguished Indian professor who opined that injustices due to the caste system might take hundreds of years to rectify—and that people needed to be patient. I told him he was lucky that Dalits don’t have access to our Second Amendment, because a time period that might be reasonable for upper-caste people might not seem so reasonable to someone who isn’t. Luke Visconti, CEO, DiversityInc

By: White Person with Dark Skin

White Person with Dark Skin — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 20:54:45 +0000

The answer is rubbish good intentioned or not. Any post slavery immigrant from ANY African country who identifies as African-American is afforded 100% of all benefits (albeit not much, and albeit not enough) offered as part of the white guilt that has taken over the USA. When good intentioned people honestly try to right a wrong that can never be made right, they unintentionally create bad policy. Nobody, regardless of race, ethnicity, color, creed, sexual preference or any other trait that one is born with or into should be discriminated against. However, none of the above should be treated better than or different than any other person. Period. To do so is merely sexist, racist, homophobic, low class, ill conceived and just, well its just dumb if you’re honest with yourself

By: MadAir

MadAir — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 20:12:00 +0000

“‘African-American”\’ refers to descendants of enslaved Black people who are from the United States.”

Since I was born in Sierra Leone and immigrated to the US, I’m a Sierra Leonan-American, but not an African American?

But my native language was Krio, which means my ancestors were probably slaves who returned to Africa, so I may be African-American, after all? What if they returned from England or Jamaica? It’s so complicated. I have black friends who listen to the same music I do, know the same slang, like the same foods–is there no way any of us can know if we’re actually African-American without undertaking a possibly-fruitless genealogical search?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 14:39:24 +0000

What is a an African American, being brought here as a slave does not make me an American what is does make me is a prisoner of war..those born here are Americans if they chose to be! It amazes me how the American culture creates words to make things better, we are the only people on this earth asked to co exsist with our masters and continue to fight for total equality!

By: Luke Visconti

Luke Visconti — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 14:08:04 +0000

You’re right. But, for example, if we’re talking about someone who was born in Haiti and is a descendent of enslaved people from Haiti, then that person would be Haitian, not African-American. The history of purposeful obliteration of African ancestry may be similar, but it’s not identical. Many majority people express exasperation at this discussion, but the success of heredity and lineage websites tells me that this exasperation is hypocritical at best.

I want to make a point: Fred asked his question with respect. We should all encourage questions—but not when they’re mean spirited. The cruelest bigots want to put people “in their place” by making meaningless their quest to retake their history, identity and humanity. When you hear a dismissive “what’s the big deal” or “get over it,” you’re hearing someone who is ignorant at best, but often you’re hearing a sadist. My advice is to educate, and if the behavior doesn’t change, fire them with alacrity, as you would any other disruption to the workplace. Luke Visconti, CEO, DiversityInc

By: Fred

Fred — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 17:45:02 +0000

I am puzzled by this statement, “America is unique in having people who are African-American.” On a strict reading that is absolutely true because it’s America and that’s where the Americans are, but from the context of the article it seems to be saying that only in America was the “personal and family history” “purposefully obliterated by people who enslaved other people.” And that strikes me as complete nonsense.

I have a hard time believing that in the Latin America countries, England and the Caribbean islands there was no similar practice of obliterating personal and family history of the slaves brought into the country. In fact, I would be far more surprise if there was a slave holding nation where this wasn’t the practice…

By: Luke Visconti

Luke Visconti — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 22:44:58 +0000

We are working on simplifying that test. I recognize its flaws. Thank you for persevering. Luke Visconti, CEO, DiversityInc