Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Oh goodness here we go again. The census adding the word Negro, Harry Reid saying Barack Obama had more electability in America because he is a light skinned Black man without the negro dialect, and now should Black Americans continue to call themselves African-American- it just seems the race issue never ends in America for the darker sect. I shook my head & chuckled in an amusingly cheeky manner when I read the title “Rethinking African-American” and saw the picture of Tom Kuntz, who I consider a typical looking average White guy, starting up the debate on whether Black Americans should call themselves African-American or not as the idea of the day, on the eve of the state of the union address, a year after electing the first African-American president. I guess this will be more fodder for Chris Matthews and others to speak on their favorite go to topic of the times, the question of attaining “a post-racial America” after the election of 1 Black man to the presidency in 233 years since the birth of modern day America-Yawn-SMH!
I thought to myself-Really?- don’t you have anything better to do your studies on? Do you recognize the state of the state & our world right now to have this even be anyone’s priority of debate & research funding, let alone the idea of the day? Then I thought who the hell is this Tom Kuntz to even bring this up, why doesn’t he go and worry about Snookie & the Jersey Shore crew calling themeselves Italian-Americans & parading around Italian flags & stereotypes, which horrify my native born Italian friends living in America?
I read further & realized that Mr. Kuntz is just the vessel of what he & other editors at The New York Times Idea of the Day blog think is the most interesting writing that they come across on the web this week. This just happened to be the day to highlight what a so called “black linguist & commentator” said about Black Americans re-thinking whether to continue to call ourselves African-Americans.
Today’s idea: American-born blacks shouldn’t call themselves “African-American” because now there are many more people in the United States who were actually born in Africa, a black linguist and commentator says.
I quickly realized that the Black linguist & commentator, who they were quoting is John McWhorter, the usual go to Black adversarial view on issues in Black America that I always see & here every time White people want to open the flood gates for Black Americans to fight with one another about race in America, without them coming off as the bad guys indirectly manipulating the deck of cards. I wouldn’t go as far as to call Mr. McWhorter an “uncle Tom” because I have come to realize that that saying is just another divisive phrase in line with the master’s teachings/plan of divide an conquer; whereby we do not allow ourselves to see & accept that we are multidimensional people of one race, who should be allowed to have differing views about & within our race as other races do without being seen as less or more a part of or a champion of the race as one collective.
As a first generation American of direct Ghanaian (African) decent, I really don’t have much of a problem with Black Americans calling themselves African-Americans nor have I ever heard it be on the top of priorities of discussion amongst any native Africans that I know. My only problem is that Black Americans who choose to define themselves as African-Americans should at least know a thing or two about Africa & its history, particularly that which is intertwined with the history of America & Black America, along with representing for Africa with as much heart & love as the guidos & guidettes of the Jersey Shore represent for their Italian heritage, without the over the top indulgence in stereotypes.
I am sure the cast of “Jersey Shore” have as little direct connection to their Italian heritage as many Black Americans have to Africa- so if there’s no argument about calling them Italian-Americans then let African-Americans be free to embrace their heritage as well, whether it’s years or centuries in their past; However, Africa is a continent- so Black Americans who choose to embrace the title of African-American need to no longer live as displaced Africans, but as new found Ghanaians, Nigerians, Congolese, Kenyans, South Africans, Liberians etc. by utilizing the technology & resources available to find their direct roots in order to represent their Africanness properly.
There is no language called African or flag of Africa; Dr. Kwame Nkrumah tried to bring that to fruition by working & funding the idea of uniting Africa under one United States of Africa banner, but 52 years later the dream has not been realized, so until then it’s best to find your direct roots & raise that flag high with the love of belonging, as many Americans who embrace their heritage knowing that as Americans we are America, but not of America.
How amazing would it be to experience having that ultimate pride in your heart knowing that the world cup will be played on African soil for the first time and you are of that history in the making. How amazing would it be to be able to raise the flag of Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Angola, Kenya, Egypt or Algeria while finding camaraderie in the madness & joy of the global game of football (the one actually played with the foot) as African teams go head to head in the Africa Cup of Nations, just as many of us are fanatical about repping our Yankees, Red-Sox, White Sox, Marlins, Phillies, Patriots, Jets, Saints, Lakers & Celtics? The best part of it all is how beautifully fulfilling it is to know that in a land taken & developed strictly through the settlement of immigrants by force & by choice, that you are amongst the rest of Americans who have somewhere else to call home, just in case the Native Americans have an uprising and decide to take back their nation. I’m just saying anything can happen so it’s nice to have a plan B-LOL!
This may all sound a little far fetched, trivial or even crazy to some, but as an African-American in the true sense of the title these are the privileges & gifts that I get to share in along with the kinship & bond of language that is authentically & exclusively of the other nation that I hold near, dear & proud- the other nation that I can also call home. A true sense of home that makes me feel fulfilled & whole as a human being knowing that I have a true foundation of roots!
What do the globanistas/globalfusionistas of the world think about all this, how do you define yourself & who do you proudly represent?
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
If we know who we are it makes us clear about where we ought to be going.
This whole idea of post-racial America & being color blind is by far one of the most ridiculous ideas ever. We can not run from race or erase it. I don’t want nor need anyone to be blind to my beautiful Ghanaian cocoa skin that represents the heritage of my African roots. The issue is that we have to stop harping on race & being consumed by race. We should not run away from, be blind to, or not recognize & appreciate race. Having diffrentiation on race in a census that is used to make sure resources are allotted to certain communities by numbers & need is a good use of recognizing race, but having a debate on whether Black Americans should no longer be called African-Americans, or whether we are in a post racial America or are colorblind to the race of our President is just ridiculous unnecessary, disingenuous & a waste of time & energy, which insults the intelligence of most Americans who know that a so called “post racial America” is just a silly non issue & buzzword that doesn’t & will never exist, unless we go through some disastrous racial cleansing. It’s one thing to ask to not be judged by the color of one’s skin but by the content of one’s character & another thing altogether to ask to be blind to the fact that color exists. America as we know it today is a nation of immigrants- those who came by force & those we came by choice- but nonetheless a nation that should be equally shared by all the many people of different nations who together built a strong super power nation that all other nations looked to for leadership & the pursuit & promise of a freedom fought for and attained by a global collective of people seeking freedom!
Uhhh Chris Matthews really? Why is he always looking for or bringing in the discussion on race, while trying to say others are obsessed with race & that he doesn’t see race, post racial AMERICA -BLAH BLAH BLAH. I like Chris Matthews, but he’s starting to look really foolish like all the White folks that think they are honorary Black people & can relate to Black people more than their White counterparts- See how quick that changes when u say the wrong words-Bill Clinton had to learn it the hard way, so Chris Matthews word of advice -watch yourself before you go overboard because the issue of race seems to be more of an issue for your commentary than it is a real concern for most of America, particularly Black America. Yes the president is Black – he’s not hiding it nor asking you not to see it-now let’s move on!
Hi I’m an African (born raised, long ancestral ties etc) and I am also a South African CITIZEN. I’d like you think about some things. Race, societal construct or not, exists. So the labels that define these races matter -I’ve written essays on the subject, explaining exactly why and how but haven’t made them publicly available as yet and I wanna keep this short so I won’t explain much here):
Try thinking about what your refer to as “black people” in the same way you do about Asians, Indians or Native Americans (Red Indians, I personally don’t like the term). Hope my intention’s clear here, I just want you to consider those terms as race identifiers.
Ever wonder why it’s not common practice to refer to Asians as Yellows or Yellow people? Why want less for yourselves? You are African (or African-American if you prefer) I say own the continent, people, you have some right to it and deserve better than being referred to as ” A Black” any other African who disagrees needs to examine his/her definitions of racial identity, and ask him/herself why she is content to accept an arb phenotype classification that probably doesn’t realty match (as everyone knows most Africans are actually brown)
PS I’m sure there are more important things that need doing than a debate on continued usage of the term African American but as it’s seems to have been happening any one with an opinion might as well chip in.
Hi I’m an African (born raised, long ancestral ties etc) and I am also a South African CITIZEN. I’d like you think about some things. Race, societal construct or not, exists. So the labels that define these races matter -I’ve written essays on the subject, explaining exactly why and how but haven’t made them publicly available as yet and I wanna keep this short so I won’t explain much here):
Try thinking about what your refer to as “black people” in the same way you do about Asians, Indians or Native Americans (Red Indians, I personally don’t like the term). Hope my intention’s clear here, I just want you to consider those terms as race identifiers.
Ever wonder why it’s not common practice to refer to Asians as Yellows or Yellow people? Why want less for yourselves? You are African (or African-American if you prefer) I say own the continent, people, you have some right to it and deserve better than being referred to as ” A Black” any other African who disagrees needs to examine his/her definitions of racial identity, and ask him/herself why she is content to accept an arb (might as well be woolly hairs, as black) phenotype classification that probably doesn’t really match (as everyone knows most Africans are actually brown)
PS I’m sure there are more important things that need doing than a debate on continued usage of the term African American but as it’s seems to have been happening any one with an opinion might as well chip in.