In Kindergarten, we all have had to complete a family tree. There are two ways to go about building this family tree. You can simply list your family members in a hierarchical structure or you can include your ethnic roots. 

I felt like I didn’t have a choice in the matter. My only option was to simply list my family members, reaching all the way back to my great-great grandparents. 

I didn't think much of this project until recently. Now 15 years later, I’m discovering the underlying messages.

I attended a predominantly white elementary school in a small town in North Carolina. It was clear that my classmates would be able to identify as Italian-American or Irish-American. However, I knew the term African-American didn’t necessarily apply to me.

I would cling to the word simply because it “sounded better” and it’s not as harsh as saying black, but now I’m able to distinguish the difference between the two labels. 

My conclusion: I am black.

I say this because I can’t recall knowing any of my African ancestors. My family has been in America for decades, as opposed to my Nigerian counterparts and so on.

As I said before, I am from a small town in NC, and my family history lies here. It doesn't lie in Ghana or the Democratic Republic of the Congo. So how can I truly identify with that label?

Think about the origin of the term African-American. Jesse Jackson coined this term in 1988 in order to establish a label that set us apart, while simultaneously making us cohesive as in comparison to the rest of the nation. It sets us apart because the term makes you remember the mistreatment our ancestor had to go through upon entering this country. On the other hand, it was supposed to give us a label slightly similar to other Americans with foreign roots (i.e. Italian-American, etc.).  

The term black has rather negative undertones. Generally speaking, when you think of the colors as a whole, white is more than often associated with purity, and royalty, while black is associated with darkness, and impurity. 

The connotations of the general colors have helped us to unconsciously judge anything in relation to those colors according to our predetermined mental prototypes. 

African-American is seen as more politically correct. According to The Atlantic, in a study found in The Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, the participants were given a short description of a Chicago man with the last name Williams. The participants were split into two different groups. In group one (AA), the man was identified as African-American. In group two (B), he was identified as black. 

Both groups were asked to assess the man’s salary, professional standing, and educational background. 

Group AA Identified all of Mr. Williams professional qualities and salary estimates as higher than Group B based solely off of the brief description and ethnic label.

It was clear that the term African-American was seen as more professional, however, it is not accurate.

The term black is more suitable because we are in fact more American than African. All of our roots, that we and our elders can recall, are American. We fight for equality because we do not consider ourselves foreigners. We are just as American as our white counterparts.

Our language is purely based on English dialect.

Though we’ve brought many different beats and rhythms to music, the sounds are still more western. 

Our culture is western; it’s American.

Our way of thinking is completely different from that of our African counterparts. Our traditions are skewed, though fashionably speaking, we make assimilations to cultural trends and we are still too highly influenced by western culture to truly identify as African-American.

We sometimes think of Africa as the “Motherland”, which isn’t completely historically false, but if we to travel there they’d ask us where we are from. We won’t simply blend in because of the color of our skin. 

When I look at job applications and see black as an option, I am not offended because that is what I am. When I look in the mirror, I do not see an African-American. I see a Black-American who, despite all of the obstacles placed in my path by living in this country, embraces their western roots.

As the great James Brown once said, “Say it loud! I’m black and I’m proud!”