“African-American” Becomes a Term for Debate
The New York Times
August 29, 2004
By RACHEL L. SWARNS
SILVER SPRING, Md., Aug. 27 – For a moment, the Ethiopian-born activist seemed to melt into the crowd, blending into the sea of black professors, health experts and community leaders considering how to educate blacks about the dangers of prostate cancer. But when he piped up to suggest focusing some attention on African immigrants, the dividing lines were promptly and pointedly drawn.
The focus of the campaign, the activist, Abdulaziz Kamus, was told, would be strictly on African-Americans. “I said, ‘But I am African and I am an American citizen; am I not African-American?’ ” said Mr. Kamus, who is an
advocate for African immigrants here, recalling his sense of bewilderment. “They said ‘No, no, no, not you.’ “
I would like to ask these people who say that Africans and other foreign-born “blacks” are not “African Americans,” why they insist on claiming people who are predominately white, American Indian, Asian, etc. who made it clear that they did NOT want to be called “black” or any of its current synonyms. Anatole Broyard is a good example. Why is he denounced as a “black” who merely “passed for white” when he was of predominately European ancestry?
If Africans want to be accepted by “African Americans,” all they have to do is say that they are NOT black (Hell, Vijay Singh is darker than most Africans and he is never called “black). Hysterical American blacks will then stalk them, screaming that they are “black” whether they like it or not.