Who Is An “African-American”?

Board of African-American Genealogy

Who is an “African-American”? African-Americans are an ethnic group. An ethnic group is a category of people who identify with each other, usually on the basis of presumed similarities such as a common language, genealogy, ancestry, history, society, culture, nation, religion, race, or social treatment within their residing geographical areas of the planet. The BOAGG has adopted a genealogical and ancestral definition of “African-Americans” as the genealogical descendants of enslaved peoples within the boundaries of the present United States between 1619 and 1865. On average, African Americans are of admixed West/Central African and European descent, and some also have Native American ancestry. African-American history starts in the 17th century, with peoples from West Africa forcibly taken as slaves to English colonies in North America. After the founding of the United States, “black” or “negro” people continued to be enslaved, and the last four million “black” or “negro” slaves were only liberated after the Civil War in 1865. “African-Americans” are the direct descendants of these four million freedmen and freedwomen who were liberated under the 13th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

Study: White people see "black" Americans as less competent than "African Americans" – Vox

The Political Agitator response: Just when I thought I had heard it all. Well I am black because I have been black for 52 years.

Calling someone black instead of African American could cast the person in a more negative light, according to a new study.

The research, to be published this month in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, found white people characterize a “black” person as belonging to a lower socioeconomic status, being less competent, and having a less inviting personality than an “African-American” person. And this difference in perception could have an impact on African Americans in various settings, from the labor market to the criminal justice system. (Source: Read more)