By Zachary Stubblefield ’15

Do not be afraid to use black as a descriptor. Far too often people tip-toe over someone’s skin color like it is sacrilege to point it out. They fear that if they refer to someone by their skin tone and ethnicity, they’ll be labeled as racist. That is such as unnecessary taboo; all it does is complicate things. It is perfectly fine to say someone is black; it is a defining characteristic that lets someone know who you are talking about right away. Whether black or African American is the right term when referring to me and my ebony brethren has also been a subject of debate among many people.

I believe that black is the proper term to call us; not African American. African American implies that we still have close ties to Africa. The fact of the matter is that most black people in America have not had ancestral ties to Africa for more than four generations and have created a completely divergent and unique culture than those of African countries. So why would we consider ourselves African when our families have not been there for hundreds of years and have no direct relations with Africans? So do us all a favor and just call us black.