‘African-American’ Label Another Step In Evolution Of Relations Between Races

‘Ignorance of spiritual laws is bondage; knowledge of spiritual laws is freedom; application of spiritual laws is wisdom.” - Evelyn Underhill, philosopher, 1911.

Dear Ms. James: I have long had an interest in your writings. I have your words taped to my refrigerator as a constant reminder: “One of the cornerstones of a civilized mind is the ability to think before you speak. Going one step further, grace requires you to evaluate the impact of your words or actions on others.”

For some time I have been trying to find an answer as to why black Americans are referred to as African-Americans. To the best of my knowledge, an African-American is a person of any color who is born in Africa, or a citizen of Africa who comes to the United States and becomes a naturalized citizen of our country.

Can you answer my question? - Rhonda

Dear Rhonda: I think I can. Language represents awareness. When we form thoughts or concepts in our mind we use language to express them. New thoughts often require new language or new meaning: computer, aerospace, endangered species, etc.

This is especially true of labels for humans and animals: flight attendant, gay, physically challenged, dolphin-free tuna, cruelty-free cosmetics, etc.

The mind is trying to express increasingly complex thoughts about life and respect for life.

Immigrants carry dual identities so Italian-American or Japanese-American used for self-description might express that ambivalence. It might mean something else to one person using the label to describe another.

African-American has, I believe, a very different history. I do not know the earliest terms “Americans” used for slaves; the earliest term I remember is “colored.” The obvious meaning of the term is a contrast with “white.”

In many minds, “colored” was a negative, but perhaps in others, it was not. The NAACP used it in its title. But, given the history of racism in this country, it was clearly meant by many to infer less-than American. “Negro” was the next term, perhaps more respectful than what had gone before.

When in the 1960s, “black” emerged, it was a political statement, a demand for respect.

I thought of it as easing white people’s minds along - they could make the shift from colored to negro. Their minds might struggle with “black,” but they were still white, so it was OK. Then we were eased another step with African-American.

Yes, it’s an ambivalent concept that makes no sense because Africa is a continent not a country or a culture. It has a similar cultural meaning in language as “Jewish-American.” But, it is another step toward respect, a way-station on the linguistic path to American.

Had ex-slaves started with “American,” they would have found it hard-going. They had to slowly change the prejudiced mind and the language would follow. The problem of changing labels was the resistance of whites to allow others the same term they so easily gave to themselves.

My hope is that in my grandchildren’s lifetime people will self-describe themselves in a variety of ways, but we will all refer to each other as Americans, and perhaps, who knows, eventually as “Earthers, Earthites, Earthlings” - whatever you prefer - until we get to uni’s (universe) or humans.

These terms sound weird now, absurd, foreign, new. Maybe we’ll create other ones. The labels we use will always reveal our level of consciousness.

xxxx

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Jennifer James The Spokesman-Review