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• Re:Knowing is relative (Score: 3, Insightful) by GreatAuntAnesthesia on Sunday May 21 2017, @08:01PM

  by GreatAuntAnesthesia (3275) on Sunday May 21 2017, @08:01PM (#513136) Journal

  Calling a black man an African American, somehow implies that all Africans have some continental identity vs being from dozens of countries with unique and distinct national identities./quote>

  I can see where you're coming from, but it's worth remembering that "African Americans" (at least, those who are descended from slaves, which I imagine makes up the majority even now) have had their heritage effectively stolen from them. For hundreds of years children were separated from parents, education was disallowed and any attempt to retain and pass on ancestral culture would have been implicitly or explicitly oppressed, as the slave owners wanted to turn their slaves into obedient, English-speaking, Jesus worshipping cattle rather than people with their own identities and ideas. African national identity was not then what it is now anyway, being more tribal than national in most places - the reason Africa was the source of all those slaves is that it was in a chaotic state, politically. (Ironically, this was due at least in part to the collapse of the African gold industry following the discovery of so much gold in the Americas.)

  What I'm getting round to is, the vast majority of modern African Americans probably have no idea, and probably no way of ever find out, which bit of Africa their ancestors came from. "African American" may be ridiculously broad, but is as close as many people are ever likely to get.

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