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Who's an African American? Who's Black? Aetna Chief Diversity Officer Raymond Arroyo's story is still sparking a flood of responses and debate. Here are the latest unedited comments from DiversityInc readers on this story:

All of humanity is from Africa so we are all Africans.  Black, white, red, brown, tan, olive - we are all fellow Africans.  Racists should think about that next time they try to separate themselves by race. 

--Lee Williamson

Identity is important to just about all people. How we view ourselves depends on a number of factors but most of all the social and politic climate of the place or country. Terms such as colorism, caste, race can indicate privilege or ostracism. Those who  are wealthy even if they are from Asia, Latin America, for the most part, will say they are white. Persons who are obviously not white and are middle class and below will usually say they are of color or black. Race is just, after all, a social construct.

--Ismael Torres

I am what you would refer to as an African American. However I have never been to Africa. I am an American. When someone looks at me they will determine I am something other than and Anglo American.

At 47 I do not accept any journalist idea of what I will or won't accept. Please be careful as no one has the right to speak for an entire race of people. Not even for the fraction of that racial population that lives and may be citizens of the United States of America.

--Phillip Carpenter

Judy Knudsen's ask why "Blacks" or "African-Americans" can't be just "Americans" like the rest of us? It's a great question, but Judy is asking the wrong people. I am "Black" or "African-American" because my color matters to White people. Every department store security person who follows me instead of the middle-aged white woman, who is statistically a more likely shoplifter, reminds me that I had better include the hyphen in my nationality. Every car salesman who charges me an extra $800 (several studies indicate at least $250/car can only be explained by racial bias) reminds me of the hyphen. A joint study by MIT and University of Chicago showed that a resume with a Black-sounding name like Aisha only generated a call-back from prospective employers 2.2% of the time, while the same resume with the name Kristen generated a call-back 13.1% of the time. Wow! I'm glad my name doesn't sound Black. Apparently, just the threat that I may be Black would practically kill my chances of getting job interviews.

So I don't want a special name, nor do I want special treatment (at least not that kind of special treatment). Both are forced upon me by mainstream American society.

--John Hoffler

To Mr. Arroyo: In addition to the currently acceptable terms you mentioned I would add "of African ancestry" when you don't know an individual's country of origin or citizenship.

Secondly, and actually illustrative of my first point, it is my understanding that Barack Obama's father was African - from the African country of Kenya - not African-American. I don't think he became an American citizen, hence African-American would not be a correct term for him.

--Gail Stewart-Evans

I do not understand why, in discussions about terms such as those mentioned in the article, there is never any mention of "the one-drop rule".   Nor do I understand why there is no insightful discussion of why so many African Americans (whom I label as such because of the one-drop rule) are currently so anxious to call themselves biracial when it is clear just by looking at the variety of our skin tones, just how racially mixed we are.  On the other hand, since Anthony Quinn came out and acknowledged his Mexican,Irish, and Native American blood, I have seen other white people acknowledge their Native Amercan ancestry but NEVER their African ancestry which we know that at least 15million of them have --- according to the one-drop rule.   What is everybody running so hard and fast away from?

--Donald Williams

I found it very interesting in Mr.Arroyo's column that the preferred name for Blacks is African American.   Unlike Mr. Carter, I have visited the contintent of Africa and when asked by a Tanzanian, what I was - it gave me pause.   Had I said African American and then if I had been asked what part of Africa I would not be able to answer.  I too perform the term Black American.   Let's not forget that Africa is a continent and not a country.   Generally people from European descent will say - Italian American, Greek American - to describe the country of Europe they immigrated from. 

--Sandra Lee 

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