This was a quote from Glenn Beck…you know who he is so I won’t insult you with a litany of reasons why I shouldn’t agree with him. The only thing about this statement I disagree with it that it’s PC…it ain’t PC if I don’t want to be called that. However in this instance, I believe I do. When discussing the topic of race identification in the shadows of the impending 2010 U.S. Census. I made a similar statement to a colleague. Much to the chagrin of some black activists (yes I said black) the paperwork will include “Black,” “African-American” and “Negro” as three of the available choices on its forms for us to choose from. I don’t know which is more sad or disheartening, the fact that there are three different categories for black folk or the fact that the reason for this is because some black folk would get mad if there weren’t. If you’re actually from African and you became a US citizen, then you’re African American. If you can’t name a person in your family who was born in Africa (even 4 generations back) than stop claiming a continent that weren’t born on, have never visited and that you know nothing of. It’s divisive and ignorant of us to keep delitigimizing our American birthright. I’m American, I was born American, I only know America, and I shan’t insult my American heritage by claiming something other than my American heritage. [Even if I know that my parent’s lineage hails from Haiti and Portugal]
If you know me, you know that I’m one that thinks it is dumb as all outdoors for us to be changing what we call ourselves every 4 years, yet we do it. I believe it is even more stupid to get mad at non-black folk who call us what we used to be called before we decided we wanted our quadrennial name change. It’s almost like trying to learn street slang, once you think you have the hang of it, everything changes. As a people, we’ve created a quandary of our own making. I think it’s high time we stop blaming everything on white folk and having them walk on egg shells because they don’t want to offend (even unwittingly). I’m one of the least politically correct people I know. Most who know me get the gist of my conversation without taking offense because they know none was intended. I shan’t ponder every word to make sure that I don’t say something that offends someone for some obscure reason.
I recently read an article that asked the question as to whether or not the census should be using this term. The author of the article went on to berate the census for using the term and called it antiquated. I also read the transcript from an NPR interview with a college professor who inferred that the ‘learned’ black folk preferred the African American term and the ‘negro’ term is mostly used by older black folk who don’t know any better. While I concur that what you choose to be called depends on who you are, where you were reared, and in large part, how insecure you really are, I resent this guy basically relating the inference that because I refuse to be called something that I’m not (African American) I’m not as intelligent as those who insist on it. I understand that the term ‘negro’ has fallen by the wayside as of late; I know that ‘colored’ is taboo; and I shan’t EVER be referred to as ‘nigger/niggah/nikka/nigga or any other derivation of this word without protest. However, for us to be truly unified and stop looking foolish as hell we need to decide who we are what we want to be called and stick with it! In the meantime quit whining, griping and crying about the census listing names that we call ourselves, define ourselves as and use, or may have used far and wide. It’s their job to count folks, NOT define them. That being said, I’d be interested to see the results of this census and what they finally use as a category to catch all these divides, confused, disillusioned black folk. Wake up, stop being so sensitive and find something really worth fighting about to get behind. While you’re at it, realize who you are AND where you’re from. Until then, we can’t really say we’re teaching our kids to have pride in their heritage, cause they don’t know what it is.
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