JUST DON’T CALL ME AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN

Here is an excellent letter to the editor of the Washington Times on the term African-American  (which I consider demeaning and disrespectful to all Black Americans). The author, Andrea Valdez, speaks correctly of how African-American denigrates and perpetuates a caste system for black citizens of this country. I do part ways with her on the term people of color; that is not a term I use to describe myself. Black works just fine with me. I also part ways with her on the use of the term African American to describe Whites born in African countries. Sure, they are “Africans”, as descendants of invading hordes that overran Africa and decimated it with colonialism and anti-human imperialism. Sure, the Dutch Boers, Afrikaners, etc., are the descendants of the Smuts, the Bothas, and the Rhodes, and many other Europeans who came to Africa to leech and suck her dry. But, when I think of Africans, I think of “Black” Africans; those whose ancestors were there before the plague of white supremacy abominations came to Mother Africa.

Some people will say, “But, you have white blood in you, maybe even Native American blood,” and to that I would agree. No Black American living now can say they are pure African in any way: skin color, foods, traditions, customs. So much was destroyed by white racism and hatred, that there remains few Black Americans who have any kind of direct link back to Mother Africa, save a few enclaves in the Black community—the Gullahs definitely come to mind.

I often tell non-Black Americans not to call me African-American, but, it goes in one ear, and out the other. So much for being respectors of my wishes.

Just in case anyone thinks I have a problem with anything African, here is a comment I made to a poster on a previous post I made. She took offense with my not wanting to use the term “African-American”. Here is my response to her:

 

“I must admit I cringe a little when I hear people say that they don’t like to or believe we should call ourselves African American, for several reasons.”

I choose to call myself “Black” because I recognize only the black blood that has suffered and endured to make this country do right by its black citizens.

The “White” blood never has acknowledged its part in genetically altering African peoples, not even now in 21ST Century America, so I prefer Black American, but oftentimes, Black citizen.

There are “Whites” and “Blacks” alive now who are related to each other because of white male lust, racist/sexist hatred of Black women and girls (segregation times)—-and many whites do not know of the Black relatives they have because of the callous disregard done to defenseless Black females in the last 515 years in this hemisphere. So, I do accept wholeheartedly my “Black/African blood”. It will be years (if even then) if I can accept the white rapist blood that flows in my veins due to white male hatred of black women and girls.

“First, the label Black to me seems insufficient; it tells the world what we look like, but doesn’t say much else…it doesn’t say we are actual human beings; it seems kind of objectifying…if that makes sense; we know that as a people we are more than how we look. I mean the basis for our oppression in this country, on the continent and throughout the diaspora is our looks, our skin, our hair, our build—those things that in the white supremacist culture we live in identify us as “other”. Not only that but like you said, anyone can call themselves “Black” b/c they have “dark” or “darker than normal” (read: White) skin; the term Black b/c it is a construct can be too easily changed and manipulated to fit the person using it, to me anyway.”

So, too is the term, “African American”. It too has been commodified, co-opted and manipulated. I have known of the term “Afro-American” which I like better than African American,; this term speaks more accurately of Black American’s hertitage .  African American (due to the last U.S. Census—-can mean “anyone” with “black blood’, but, it should not mean just anyone not from America can call themselves a “Black American”, hence I take objection to the term “African American”.

Yes “black” can be used to describe anyone not white, even in the case of the Dalits of India, the Aborigines of Australia—-whom I do not consider “Black” as in of “African” blood/descent”, nor as Black Americans.

“Black” may seem insignificant to you, but, as I stated, I recognize ONLY my black blood. Yes, before 1967, Black citizens could not completely claim all that was a part of THEM, hence the hated ODR. So, why claim that which for centuries did not want you———–and still does not?

I do not consider “Black’ “objectifying”. I know that genetically I am not pure Black. Millions of black citizens are not. But, Black still ties me to Africa, of which I am very proud. If anything, the white blood is something to be ashamed of—–not the black blood. Just my opinion.

“Also, the terms Black and White didn’t even exist as racial identifiers until slavery when Europeans needing a justification for what they were doing concocted the oppressive ideology of White Supremacy. We know that race is artificial, simply a social construct used to oppress us. So, then are we saying to the world that we essentially had no history prior to slavery—that we didn’t exist until whenever the first African was brought here in chains. And not to say that we should reject our history as enslaved people—I know many of our people would like to—but what I’m saying is that those Africans had a story, a history that didn’t disappear when they were placed in shackels. We are the beneficiaries, for lack of a better term right now, of that history. It is ours as much as it is those who remained on the continent. So using the term African American, particularly when we’re talking about naming ourselves as part of a strategy for struggle against our oppression, tells the world that we are descendents of Africans forcably brought to this country as slaves, who endured and resisted and struggled and continue to struggle in this country. The term African American, in my opinion, tells our story as oppressed people in America—I see the “American” part as pointing out the oppression aspect of that.”

Yes, race is a social construct of racist whites to keep (and still continue to keep) them in power. I am aware of that. Before American race-based slavery, there was no such thing as “human chattel” slavery where your race made you a slave. Only in America did such sick depravity exist. Only in America did the concept of “whiteness” occur.

Not to mention the sordid bloody history that happened to keep immigrants white, and blacks (no matter how light-complected they looked) —-black.

Yes, race, the social construct, which has vicious realities in the daily lives of Black citizens.

” The term African American, in my opinion, tells our story as oppressed people in America—I see the “American” part as pointing out the oppression aspect of that.”

I agree.

Black Americans are a unique “race” of people in America, in all that we have given to this black race-hating country considering what it has done to try and wipe us off the face of the Earth. Our African lineage was always there, and still is, no matter how much rape-mixing and attacks against our humanity that occurred. We are a part of America, as well as a part of Africa.

The “Americaness” of us includes White (European blood), Red (Native American Blood), and Black (African blood).

“Another thing is like I said, we know the Africans did not morph into new people during the Middle Passage—despite Master’s rules forcing us to outwardly reject any and all parts of our African selves, it is unreasonable to believe that they simply forgot this things and didn’t pass on some habits or customs to their children and so forth and so on. But since they couldn’t be straightfoward w/ expressions of their cultures, they adjusted and adapted and made new versions of the old. I mean there are SO many similarities to our culture and many African cultures, with variations that can be contributed to our history as oppressed people in America, that it can’t be a coincidence. These things are part of our DNA, seriously. Honestly, I believe we are (and I hate to use this term, but can’t think of a better one) a “tribe” of Africa…”

Yes, it is definitely no coincidence. The DNA is definitely at work. There is memory, there is history, there are traditions held onto———there is BLOOD.

I agree with you on what was definitely held onto by enslaved Black Africans. No matter how hard they tried, the monstrous racist could not destroy what God created. In the Black American folklore of Brer Rabbit, Anansi the Spider, The Signifying Monkey, the ragtime-jazz-blues-rhythm and blues-gospel/Negro spirituals, the dances (the Jerk, the Twist, the Horse, the Cakewalk, and yes, the Tango, of which there has been a profound African influence), other dance styles—-the samba, the merengue (Ever wondered why you (just asking) love the sounds of some “Latin music” so much?) It is because of the strong African-influence that enslaved Africans/Blacks brought from Mother Africa (and retained throughout the hells of the Diaspora), to impart to the so-called New World.

The languages of West Africa that still reside in the Sea Islands Black communities—the Gullahs.

The African “memory” of quilting that is seen in the Women of Gees Bend in their uniquely African abstract expressionism of their beautiful quilts that retail in the tens of thousands of dollars.

It is in the bones, the sinews, the memory of an ancient and beautiful past that courses through us, in word, action, thought. Yes, much that America sought to destroy, she could not. For in attempting to annihilate US, she forged us in the fire of adversity, and we have contributed outstanding gifts to America that no other race has—–no other race COULD have contributed, past and present.

“These things are part of our DNA, seriously. Honestly, I believe we are (and I hate to use this term, but can’t think of a better one) a “tribe” of Africa…”

Yes. The ties that bind.

The connection that is passed down from our ancient ancestors that no racist cruelty could ever obliterate.

Yes….we Black Americans are a “tribe” of Africa.

We always were. We still are. Africa’s heart still beats within us….it has never died. It could never be crushed. It never will be crushed.

“Also, I think using the term African can actually unite us—or should anyway. Bottom line is Black people come from Africa (so did everyone else, but I’m just going to focus on us)…regardless of where you are now or how you got to there, if you are a person that can be identified as Black (dark skin, strong features, tightly coiled hair, etc) then your ancestors probably come from Africa. We know that African people have been victims of oppression and white supremacy, dang near since the first White man stepped foot on the continent. Be it the Transatlantic slave trade, colonialism, etc., we have a common foe. All African people, whether on the continent or spreadout throughout the diaspora, have suffered…b/c we are African. And this at the end of the day is what should be uniting us—our common struggle as oppressed people, regardless of the nuances of each grouping’s oppression w/in whatever region they ended up. Not only that but I think the use of the word challenges White people to think about their use of the word “White”, how they b/cm “White” and on the flipside how I b/cm “Black”—or again it should anyway. So, in this instance, I see asserting myself as a person of African descent as an act of resistance…I’m challenging them to acknowledge that I wasn’t always here and its no mystery how I got here.”

Yes, WE are all AFRICANS.

Whether in Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, Panama, Cuba, Haiti——-even the United States.

I just believe that Black Americans should at least be able to decide THEMSELVES what we shall be called.

Too many have had the last say-so on what we were (and are), be that the white rapist slave master/overseer “sperm donor father”; the rest of white run-America, the rest of non-black America.

As for “Whites’ they were not always “white”, and that goes especially for the white ethnic immigrants who gave up much culture—–and humanity—–to become “White”.

I am tied to Africa and immensely proud of that. I am tied to Mose Wright, Diane Nash, Solitude, Aqualtune, Nanny, Sojourner, Harriet, Hatshepsut, Makeda, the courageous women fighters of Dahomey, the Ashanti, the Wolof, the civilizations of Benin, Zimbabwe, Mali and Timbuktu.

I am tied to Africa through the living, breathing lives of enslaved Africans who survived through the horrors of the Middle passage, slavery, destroyed Reconstruction and Jane Crow segregation——to stand on these distant shores, far from Africa, but never, ever always severed from Her; I am tied to Mother Africa, right down to the little Black girl jumping rope in the Double Dutch, thousands of miles from the African Motherland, while she sings and hums to HERSELF a tune of Africa that still runs centuries later——in her blood.

You can call me Black American, you can even call me Afro-American (a word whose history states American of African, European and Native American  ancestry, and dates back to 1890.)

Just don’t call me African-American.

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LETTER TO EDITOR: THE TERM ‘AFRICAN-AMERICAN’

 

Saturday, November 29, 2008

 

 

Recently, I attended a scientific conference in the District where research was done on a variety of aging issues examining numerous variables by race. Of the 30 or so posters and sessions I saw, all but one called their elderly participants “African American” and only one of the 30 actually used the term “black” for the studies. I finally asked one researcher from Virginia why she used the term “African American” and if she even asked the elderly participants in her study what they self-identified as racially” and she said it did not occur to her to ask.

 

This began a conversation on the term itself, and I prefer the terms “black” or “person of color.” If the researcher took the time to ask her research participants — those 60 and over — she may find they feel the same. “African American” is what every black American is now, a term pushed by the media and adopted without thought. Don’t call me African American.

 

Ironically, this researcher did not even know who originally coined the term “African American,” and like the lemmings of society, she and others adopted it immediately because it was politically correct at the time, and major media has since suckered all those under 25 to believe that is what we should have always been called. Not the case.

Look at Tiger Woods — he is about as African American as I am Dutch. The term itself is actually racist in the sense that it clearly identifies and separates Americans to be those with only African roots (who used to be called black) to now be called African American. What about the naturally born white Africans who move to America to settle? What are they to be called? Euro-African American? I don’t think so. They would actually be the truest kind of African Americans.

 

The term “black” or “person of color” does not define or limit our existence to be only of African descent. At this point, over 150 years after the end of slavery, blacks are so blended with other races and ethnicities such as white, Indian and European that I find it self-absorbed to quickly adopt a term “African American.” Many blacks in this country do not even speak an African dialect (and are more likely to be bilingual with Spanish as the second language as opposed to Swati), have not been to Africa, probably could not name five African countries, do not wear tribal or African clothing, do not cook authentic African food, but yet consider themselves to be “African American.” Makes very little sense. Just color me a black American or person of color, and I’ll keep with either term for my racial identification.

 

 

ANDREA VALDEZ

Fayetteville, N.C.

 
Copyright 2008 The Washington Times, LLC

SOURCE:  http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/nov/29/the-term-african-american/