Just Say Black

Talking with a group of international students at the Harvard Kennedy School, I was asked where in Africa my family was from. I had no idea, I said; for generations my family had lived in Texas. I was then asked if I considered myself to be African American. My response was that my entire life I had always considered myself to be a Black American. This response simultaneously amused and dissatisfied the small group of highly educated wealthy foreigners. After a brief exchange of words and our opinions someone asked, why is it that Americans are so obsessed with race? Why can we not just see people as people?

In the perfect world I would just be seen as a person. A human being. A carbon based life form. An American. However, in the United States, skin color has always determined so much about the type of life a person lived.  From 1619, when the British brought the first enslaved Africans to Jamestown and 231 years after being Black essentially meant you were a slave. In fact, it was written in the US Constitution that enslaved Blacks only counted as three-fifths of a person.

But then in 1865 Black Slaves were freed. Freed to what? Jim Crow, sharecropping, lynchings, and an American society that was roughly 100 years ahead of them in terms of financial security, ownership, and education. American society, especially in the south had grown accustomed to the system of race based slavery. Jim Crow laws were put in place to keep whites and Blacks separate. Race based categorization of American citizens was instrumental in the development of the United States. As a result of segregation political leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. and artists like Duke Ellington were able flourish in spaces for “Blacks only.”

As a Black American of slave descent I choose to embrace being Black. The term African American is misleading. It implies a connection to Africa that most Black Americans do not have. Furthermore, African American is divisive. It distorts and disrespects the history of Black Americans. Lastly, the term should be embraced because in the US it unifies all people of African descent.

Throughout history, “Black” or “Colored” is what a group of Americans have been called. Over the years Black Americans started to embrace the term and choose to identify with it. Of course over the past couple of decades there has been a drastic push to be more politically correct. In the 1990’s the term urban was popularized to describe Black youths and Black youth culture. “Urban” along with “African American” may roll off the tongue easier than Black but neither fully capture the experience and history of Black Americans.

People avoid the word Black because we would all like to live in a perfect post racial America. However, to call a Black person anything other than how an overwhelming majority of us self identify is worse. The term African American takes away from the history and struggle of Black people in the United States. Our ancestors did not use public spaces for “Africans only” they were pigeonholed into inferior Black quarters. From the unfortunate position so many Blacks occupied in society a rich American culture bloomed.  Jazz, Blues, Negro League baseball, civil rights movements, and countless other key legacies endure from segregation. Black American history and culture should be celebrated. Oh wait, it is, Black History Month.

Over the past three decades, in the United States there has been a large influx of immigrants from the Caribbean and African continent. With so many different groups of peoples of African descent now living in the United States instead grasping for the correct PC term just call us Black. It is a term that unifies us all, especially in the United States. It does not disrespect the history or experiences of a particular group of people.

The experience and history of Black Americans is not a particularly appeasing narrative. Therefore, I can understand why many people would like to not use the word Black in an attempt to move past the past. The experience of Black Americans is more than just pain and suffering. The triumph and rise of great authors, poets, musicians, and athletes are all a direct result of the Black American experience. The term also unifies the diverse network of people of African descent in America today. Therefore, it is quite alright and accurate to refer your friend, neighbor, classmate, or coworker as Black. They will thank you for it.