How correct is the term “African American"?
What about black people from Haiti, Caribbean, etc.

Is it about where people are indigenous to?

Not all Black Americans are African American,
right?

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It depends on the person, I think Black is safer now. And most of the time we understand. It is the tone and inflection that get people in trouble.

No. All Black Americans are not African Americans or are they? LOL We had this discussion among a group of Black people from the islands and the USA, and it was brought to our attention that all of our ancestors arrived here from Africa. That didn’t sit well with everyone but it showed the divide among Blacks over this title. By the way, I have Egyptian friends who don’t like being called African. It is complicated.

Go with Black until someone says something and then respect how they want to be referred to.

likehelpful

I believe African American is a specific term for people who are descended from slaves, in that they do not know their exact heritage. It is powerful for some, and not for others.

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Had a white dude in our office who is from South Africa... technically speaking he is African-American. The more multicultural our society become the more outdated that term become.

In addition, hyphens are often more specific. Mexican-American, Italian-American, Korean-American, ect. So the broadness of doing that but for a whole continent can feel offensive to some folks.

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Regardless of what people like, the term African American at least as far as government statistics go, refers exclusively to black people who are descendants of slaves (in the US) and have a history of several generations in the United States. All these people have a shared historical and cultural heritage that sets them apart from say black people from Africa or the Caribbean or Latin America. Barak Obama is black, but technically he’s not African American. Michelle Obama is. The difference is in the shared cultural heritage of one group vs another. Black Dominicans, Cubans, and Haitians have a totally different culture than say, a black person from from Alabama.

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Just say black. There should not be a stigma to the word black anymore than there is white. Black.

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People from the Spanish speaking Caribbean islands are considered hispanic. In theory, the denomination is based on your cultural background, not the color of your skin.

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Ask Derek Walker :)

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You can just say black people (black person here)

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Good idea!

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Black. I’m from the Caribbean and black. Thanks 🙏.

I hate being called African American. Never been to Africa and even if my family came from Africa I would have preferred being called Afro Caribbean or African (Island) if that had to be a thing.

I’m (Island) American or Caribbean American since I got naturalized here.

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So many layers to this thing. 🙈

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(Latinx here but work with many POCs because we tend to band together.) From my discussions, It feels generational. My close peer prefers Black but a SVP-Partner, while says prefers black, uses African-American as his default still. FWIW, Nearly all my clients brand guidelines have moved to Black.
On an individual level, like the rest of these minority terms, it matters how individuals define themselves, and I find many welcome being asked rather than assuming.

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I have never been to Africa.

@Derek Walker, you’re a real one 👏🏾✊🏾👏🏾

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