America is the only country who refer to black people as african americans
do they call black people in London African European or what about black people in china African Chinese. like what even. just call us black or american
26-30, F
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DrWatson · 70-79, M
The term used to be "colored." (In the 1950's). Then we were told that it was arrogant for whites to use this term, because all people have skin pigmentation, so it was wrong of whites to say "those people" were colored.
So next, the preferred term was "Negro". But by the time of the radical movements of the 1960's, this term was rejected. The Black Power movement objected to using "Negro" because it was "the name the white man gave us" and favored the word "Black."
But over time, the word Black was associated with radical politics: the Black Panthers, the Black Separatist Movement, Black Power, the Black Muslims, the Black Revolution. As the country became less polarized, the civil rights movement wanted to foster a new image of Blacks as wanting the same opportunities in America as other immigrant groups wanted, that Blacks were in pursuit of the same American Dream. But since the word Black had come to have almost the opposite connotations -- one of violent revolution -- the term Afro-American was adopted. This soon became African American. The idea was to think along the lines of any other ethnic group: Italian Americans, Irish Americans, and so on.
Other countries do not define themselves in terms of immigration the way the United States does, and this is probably the reason we have this unique term.
So next, the preferred term was "Negro". But by the time of the radical movements of the 1960's, this term was rejected. The Black Power movement objected to using "Negro" because it was "the name the white man gave us" and favored the word "Black."
But over time, the word Black was associated with radical politics: the Black Panthers, the Black Separatist Movement, Black Power, the Black Muslims, the Black Revolution. As the country became less polarized, the civil rights movement wanted to foster a new image of Blacks as wanting the same opportunities in America as other immigrant groups wanted, that Blacks were in pursuit of the same American Dream. But since the word Black had come to have almost the opposite connotations -- one of violent revolution -- the term Afro-American was adopted. This soon became African American. The idea was to think along the lines of any other ethnic group: Italian Americans, Irish Americans, and so on.
Other countries do not define themselves in terms of immigration the way the United States does, and this is probably the reason we have this unique term.