by Mia Hill

Created on: November 12, 2008

Why are blacks in America called African-Americans? Where did the name African-American come from? Why do my people feel it necessary to rename our race every ten to fifteen years? What has caused the dissatisfaction with the name black? I am not African; I am not American. I am black, and I used to think the blacks in America were my brothers and sisters. However, I no longer feel that connection now that the blacks in America are calling themselves African-Americans. Does this mean that black Americans are now a separate race from the blacks in Europe, Asia, Canada, and the West Indians? African and American are nationalities. Since when did two nationalities equal one race?

In America, the people of my race were first called Negros, then Coloreds, then blacks, and then afro-Americans. But afros went out of style, so in came another name change back to black. Somewhere in between there my people were called the n-word, but only the rap artists are permitted to use that name today. According to some, blacks are now African-Americans. Some articles I have read have stated. "not all blacks in America are African-American." So if there are blacks in America that are not African-American, what are they? Or more important how are they related to the African-Americans? The use of the name African-American only further divides an already divided and confounded race. Black people, leaders in particular, should be devising ways to unite our race, not divide it.

How can we expect for our children and grandchildren to be proud of our black heritage when the adults in their lives are disassociating themselves with that heritage? How will the African-American boys and girls of future generations relate to Dr. Martin Luther King's statement that "one day right here in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers?" Or is there the intention to rewrite the history books that refer to the struggles and achievements of the blacks in America's history.

If the history books record Sen. Barack Obama as the first African-American president of America will people in America who are not African-American but are black, and other blacks around the world are able to share in this momentous occasion?

I wonder what the other races think about the blacks not knowing what to call themselves. The whites in America are not calling themselves European-Americans, Asian-Americans, or Canadian-Americans, they are simply Americans. By calling themselves African- Americans, the blacks are diminishing their claim to the land they call home and reinforcing the whites' belief that blacks belong somewhere other than in America.

African-Americans who read this article will probably think that it is none of my business what they call themselves. I am concerned that my people are being more fragmented, during this time when people of other races are becoming more united. I would like to see the word African be left as a nationality for all Africans black and white, and the word American be left as a nationality for all Americans both black and white. It is my desire that the blacks in America unit with other blacks around the world as a single race.

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