White Americans Don’t Have To Be Hyphenate, So Why Should I
Another argument against the “African-American” label is sometimes posited by Black Americans who prefer to just be called American, claiming that the United States was built on the backs of enslaved Blacks, who were one of the first ethnic groups to make up the nation. Because of this, they argue that Black Americans have just as much of a right to call themselves Americans as any other ethnic group and should not have to be hyphenated.
Herman Cain, a 2012 Republican Party presidential candidate, said, “most of the ancestors that I can trace were born here in the United States of America. I’m sure my ancestors go all the way back to Africa, but I feel more of an affinity for America than I do for Africa. I’m a Black man in America.”
Another example is former hip-hop mogul, Suge Knight, who shocked the nation after he told a TMZ cameraman he would rather be called the N-word than African-American because he’s not from Africa.
African-American Applies More To African Immigrants
Some American-born Blacks argue they shouldn’t call themselves “African-American” because now there are many more people in the United States who were actually born in Africa.
According to people like Black writer and political commentator John McWhorter, American-born Blacks are so vastly less “African” than African-born people, that calling them “African-American” is not only illogical but almost disrespectful to African immigrants.
