Why did they start calling us "African American"?

[videogamestashbox.com]

This is the first in hopefully a series of topics I want to cover.
Misconceptions (terms/concepts) 1 of 3 - "African American"
Misconceptions (terms/concepts) 2 of 3 - "Hotep"
Misconceptions (terms/concepts) 3 of 3 - One drop rule
Misconceptions (terms/concepts) Bonus - 3/4ths rule

Black or African American – A person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa.
About​

Above is the official listing for the term "African american" as denoted by the U.S. government. What I want to go into via this post is

1. How the term came into being.
2. What it denotes in it's usage
In the process I hope to clear up confusion I've heard such as "It(the term "african american") was created by white people with white guilt" ...or "black is your race, African American is your ethnicity."

Deep history
The term "African" itself​

Spoiler: Deep history

The morphology of the term "Africa" is composed of two morphemes...
1. Root: afri-
2. Affix: -ca

This matters because we get to see exactly whats being referred to here.

The affix -ca descends from the proto-indo-european -kos which means (characteristic of, typical of, like, pertaining to) the latin forms of -kos would be as follows.

Masculine: -cus ( Afri-cus ) Africus
Feminine: -ca ( Afri-ca ) Africa
Neuter: -cum ( Afri-cum ) Africum

Other morpheme examples:
-ology/logy (Afri-ca-ology ) Africology
-iana (afri-iana) Afriana
-ana (afri-ca-na) Africana
-an (afri-ca-an) African

Which brings us to the affix -an as in (Afri-ca-an) African; -an being derived from latin affixes -ana, -anum, -anus; which means (a collection connected/associated with a person or place)

-an
"a suffix occurring originally in adjectives borrowed from Latin, formed from nouns denoting places ( Roman; urban) or persons ( Augustan), and now productively forming English adjectives by extension of the Latin pattern. Attached to geographic names, it denotes provenance or membership ( American; Chicagoan; Tibetan), the latter sense now extended to membership in social classes, religious denominations, etc., in adjectives formed from various kinds of noun bases ( Episcopalian; pedestrian; Puritan; Republican) and membership in zoological taxa ( acanthocephalan; crustacean)."

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2017.
the definition of -an


A decent interpretation of the term African(Afri-ca-an) can be given if the morphemes are read backwards.
Africa: Collection(-an) pertaining to(-ca) the Afri(-afri). This "collection" being any number of cultural artifacts.
I.E. Music pertaining to the afri, clothing pertaining to the afri, ...people pertaining to the afri, etc.

This all leads to the question...
"Who are the Afri?"

The answer is...
"I'm not sure."

As far as I can tell "Afri" is the term for a people in northern Africa, specifically around the area of Punic era Carthage. Now if that is the name they gave themselves or the name that was given to them by outsiders is unclear. That said I see no other usage of the term Afri other than for those Africans.

As an example the term "berber" given to indigenous north Africans is not what they call themselves. Outside of specific ethnic groups they collectively call themselves "Amazigh" or "Tamazight". The word "Berber" comes from the greek word "bárbaros" which comes down to us as "barbaric"/"barbarous".

That type of situation concerning berbers doesn't seem to be the immediate case here with the Afri. If you want a quick dump on ideas concerning who they could be, most of the ideas I've read or seen over the years are already listed in this wiki article...
Afri - Wikipedia


That said, looking at maps I've seen the continent called everything from Aethiopia, Libya, Afrika, Afrique, to of course Africa.

Modern History
The term "African American" ...where did it come from?​

It was announced/POPULARIZED by Jesse Jackson in 1988 after Dr. Ramona Edelin suggested it during a group meeting of 75 people who all agreed it's a good idea to change the name to African American.

​

That said the term African American was already in use, though mostly in academic & "cultural nationalist" circles.


Leaders Say Blacks Want To Be Called 'African-Americans'
AP, Associated Press
Dec. 20, 1988 5:05 PM ET

Ideological Timeline​

Given the original declaration was in 1988, below I've included a time line of articles (1967,1989,1991,1997,2005,2013) that gives a clear idea of the politics/"zeitgeist" of African American thought around the term.

Spoiler: Timeline

Timeline: (1967,1989,1991,1997,2005,2013)​

What's In a Name?
Negro vs. Afro-American vs. Black
Lerone Bennett, Jr.
Senior Editor, Ebony Magazine
Source: Ebony 23 (November 1967)

"... The word "Negro" is not geographically or culturally specific. "Historically," he says, "human groups have been named according to the land from which they originated .... The unwillingness of the dominant group to recognize the humanity of the African is evidenced by the fact that when it is necessary or desired to identify Americans in terns of the land of their origin, terms such as Italian-American, Polish-American, Spanish-American, Jewish-American (referring back to the ancient kingdom and culture of Judaea), etc., are employed. In the American mind there is no connection of the black American with land, history and culture--factors which proclaim the humanity of an individual." Baird denies that the English word "Negro" is a synonym for black. He says. "'Negro' does not mean simply 'black,' which would be the simple, direct opposite of 'white.' We talk about a 'white man' or a 'white Cadillac'; we may talk, as many unfortunately do, of a 'Negro man,' but never of a 'Negro Cadillac.'

Baird believes the word "Afro-American" will supplant the word "Negro." He does not object to the term "black," which, he says, lacks the historical and cultural precision of the word "Afro-American." He is supported in this view by Richard Moore, Harlem bookstore owner and author of The Name "Negro"--It's Origin and Evil Use. Moore says the word "Negro" is so "saturated with filth," so "polluted" with the white man's stereotypes, that "there is nothing to be done but to get rid of it." He prefers the word "Afro-American" because of its "correctness, exactness, even elegance." He believes the adoption of the word will force "these prejudiced European-Americans" to reevaluate black people in terms of their history and culture. "Black," Moore said, "is a loose color designation which is not connected with land, history, and culture. While I recognize it as a step forward in getting rid of the term 'Negro,' I think it is necessary to take the next step. " ..."

Timeline: (1967,1989,1991,1997,2005,2013)​

January 31, 1989
'African-American' Favored By Many of America's Blacks

Timeline: (1967,1989,1991,1997,2005,2013)​

Vol. 106, No. 1 (Spring, 1991)
From Negro to Black to African American: The Power of Names and Naming on JSTOR

Timeline: (1967,1989,1991,1997,2005,2013)​

No. 16 (Summer, 1997)
The Emergence of the Term "African American" at Two Prestigious Institutions: The New York Times and the Supreme Court on JSTOR

Timeline: (1967,1989,1991,1997,2005,2013)​

2005
African American, (the term); a brief history | African American Registry

Timeline: (1967,1989,1991,1997,2005,2013)​

February 25, 2013
Census to replace “Negro” with “black” or “African-American”

 

[videogamestashbox.com]

My personal usage/perspective.​

African = branch(root) of humanity, human lineage, "race"
Black = phenotype(tropically adapted ...limb ratio, hair, skin, etc)
African American = Africans who are citizens of the U.S.
Ethnicity = Group of humans who share common means, ways, history, etc irrespective of "race"
(a person can also be of multiple ethnic groups simultaneously)

There is no "official term" for the ethnic group of Africans who have been in the U.S. prior to it's founding via the trans atlantic. Now there are "official terms" for subgroups like creole, gullah geechee, etc. but not for the entire group.

To be clear this isn't some wild conspiratorial issue against us. It's a rather bland and by the numbers issue. There is no "official term" for the ethnic group because there was never any real need for one(other African peoples were always absorbed into the larger cultural group). Simple as that.

SIDE NOTE: this is actually a problem that people who work with dna have when you read certain papers. Because "African American" is a grab all citizenship term dna samples that use it are not sure who they are dealing with.(This problem is detailed below by Dr. Shomarka Keita in the comments/notes attached to the following academic paper)

Spoiler: Dr. Shomarka Keita

A Note on Terminology for African Descendant Populations in North and South America
Posted by soykeita on 18 Mar 2012 at 12:27 GMT
Y Chromosome Lineages in Men of West African Descent


The phrase Legacy Afro-North American describes populations and individuals who are known or understood to be descendant of Africans who were brought to the United States via the Middle Passage, i.e. who are a legacy of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. "Legacy African American" could also be used. These phrases exclude Africans, no matter their geographical origin in Africa, who came by other means. This term would have parallels for South America and the Carribbean where there are also legacy populations (Legacy Afro-South Americans or Legacy Afro-Latinos for example).

The legacy status is deemed to have significance because of various known microevolutionary factors and likely epigenetic effects on these populations, which are socially defined differently in each country. (Remote African ancestry is not a factor in social definitions in all of the societies.)

The members of the legacy populations should not be homogenized with recent immigrants, something very important in health studies, irrespective of the definitions of census or bureacratic "race" notions. Another accurate designation for these groups/populations in the new world would include Middle Passage (or middle passage) Americans, with or without other descriptors (eg Middle Passage North Americans or Middle Passage Americans), because "Middle Passage" is restricted to those who came in this manner from tropical Africa. Other African peoples from Algeria to Zimbabwe have come to the US since the end of the great tragedy of the slave trade. They should be designated by their nationality regardless of phenotype and its assumed indicator or origin in the received racial schema and its erroneous basis (e.g.s. Algerian American). Nomenclature should accurately reflect a population or individual if the goal is to embed useful information in the terminology.

Conclusion​

Currently we have the official use of "African American" as an umbrella racial term then we have the creation of ambiguity by attempting to use "African American" as an ethnic term beneath the racial umbrella as well. Why? Because While that ethnic group does exist ...there is no official term for it.
(This ambiguity is reflected in academia as well)

This is similar to the whole "White Jamaican" thing. Short of the terms for sub groups like "maroons" and "rastas" there is no term for the total "ethnic body" of African peoples in Jamaica. As a result when people say "Jamaican" they assume "black people" but of course their are East Asian, Indian, etc. populations as well.

Predicted misunderstandings​

Spoiler: Predicted Misconceptions

Assumed question 1: So are you saying that the group who created american music, pushed for the civil rights all non white males enjoy, etc. is not considered their own ethnic group

Answer 1: No ...that's not what i'm saying

What I'm saying is that there was never any need to create a formal title for that group. Why? Because shy of immigrant hubs like NYC/Chicago/etc. there was never any need to distinguish between ethnic groups only "racial" groups. It's only been recently 1960s-70s that there has been a heavy influx of of various "African peoples" forming ethnic enclaves. Prior to this point people from the Caribbean, Africa, etc were "absorbed" fairly quickly.


Assumed question 2: Are you saying that the term "African American" is never used as an ethnic identifier

Answer 2: No ...that's not what i'm saying

The terms "African American" was meant to replace (colored, negro, black,etc) are racial designations. "African American" is a designation of race. With that said, when there is a need to differentiate ethnically between different "African peoples" in the U.S. people use it as an ethnic identifier ...(and I add)there by introducing semantic ambiguity. This country operates on racial designations before ethnic. The only ethnicity the census even tracks is Hispanic.





Assumed question 3: You do know there are numerous academic books/papers that speaks of "African Americans" as an ethnic group right

Answer 3: Yes ...See answer 2

This partly is what promotes that semantic ambiguity I mentioned. It's made even more conflicting because while sloppy ...it works ether way(Race or ethnicity) if i'm writing on the ethnic group it obviously works. If I'm writing on the racial group(in the U.S.) it still works. The sloppiness being that ethnic groups who have nothing to do with the event in question might get lumped in with the rest.


Assumed question 4: Why we gotta be called African Americans but white people don't have to be called European Americans

Answer 4: ! despise that fukk'n statement

We are called "African Americans" because we lobbied the press and government to be called "African Americans". If white folks want to do the same they are more than welcome.

My suggestion​

African = branch of human lineage / Race (also "African" on U.S Census)

African American = Ethnicity (Specific "Racial" ethnic group ...similar to "americo liberian" or "maroon")
Black = Phenotype (How you look)

(Time stamped for convenience)​

"Black tells you what you look like, it doesn't tell you who you are"
- John henrik clarke

"When all is said and done, dogs and slaves are named by their masters; free men name themselves."
- Mr. Richard B. Moore
The Name "Negro," It's Origin and Evil Use

 

[Rhapscallion Démone]

So do you feel in relation to the subjects of reparations and affirmative action that "Legacy African Americans" should distinguish themselves? I ask this because even though there is a perceived semantic ambiguity about the term African American, distinctions are still made. "Legacy African Americans" being passed/looked over by employers, colleges and universities because they are perceived as less submissive than their non "Legacy African American" counterparts.

 

[videogamestashbox.com]

So do you feel in relation to the subjects of reparations and affirmative action that "Legacy African Americans" should distinguish themselves? I ask this because even though there is a perceived semantic ambiguity about the term African American, distinctions are still made. "Legacy African Americans" being passed/looked over by employers, colleges and universities because they are perceived as less submissive than their non "Legacy African American" counterparts.

I'm going to assume your on that Yvette & Antonio tip...
​

Not particularly feeling their politics, gave up on them awhile back That said, i'll answer your question outside the context of their politics.




In relation to the subjects of reparations and affirmative action, do I feel distinctions should be made upon dispersal? ...well , it depends.

Assumed question1: Fine, depends on what?

Answer 1.1: First off, any answer I give is through the matrix of the position that we should be pushing to build our own as opposed to looking for cacs to "give" us.

Answer 1.2: With that said, In general I hold the same position as Booker T Washington

"Africans in America had not yet received anything free yet had toiled on it's soil, and so if Africans abroad had a chance at opportunity afforded by their African brethren in America, they should be more than welcome."
- Booker T Washington, 1915

I.E. Basic things like "affirmative action" I'm not really worried about. Who are these people that can't go to school for nursing, civil engineering, etc. because some other people, let alone different "African peoples" "took a spot"? If you have money(hell, or not) and want to go to continue your education outside of H.S. I don't see any barriers to that.



Assumed question 2: What about in relation to employment? What you mentioned above was education based.
Answer 2: What are the stats on the "legacy population" not gaining employment because of recent African populations already being employed?




Assumed question 3: What about reparations?

Answer 3: This is really where the depends comes in. The nature of those "reparations" is critical here. I.E. there is only so much land you could give away. So if there is a one time lump sum of [insert good here] then obviously differentiation should be made.

​

Our ancestors already fought this fight.
Immigration Act of 1917 - Wikipedia​

The U.S. already tried to exclude other "African Peoples" from the U.S. ...and by extension access to the spoils of what the "Legacy population" fought for. That same "Legacy population" successfully fought back against those attempts by the government. Put another way, access to the spoils of our fight ...has been part of our fight.

Pages. 22 - 23

​

AAME :

Page. 213

Spoiler

(Time stamped for convenience)

(Time stamped for convenience)​

Now the position can be made ..."well, they were wrong" To which I say ....ok
Change the laws / culture then.
But understand that the current configuration is the deliberate product of our ancestors fighting for it to be that way.



NOTE:
The above stated, be clear that I'm not politically naive enough to not have reservations about cacs picking who they want to give money/influence to. Then claim "well see we gave yall [insert good here] so don't complain to us".

(Think Clarence Thomas on the supreme court)

Whatever do you mean...? We already put an African American on the supreme court???


Conclusion: ​

I'm more worried about cacs being able to pick and choose who and how those reparations are given out than anything. While not opposed to additional means, my "long game" position has always been to position ourselves in a way to tax the reparations out of Europeans via trade relations.(make them pay a surcharge)

That way we are in control of the terms of the deal(which is my main concern)

​

What is a 'Surcharge'
A surcharge is a fee or other charge that is added to the cost of a good or service. A surcharge is typically added to an existing tax, and may not be included in the stated price of a good or service. It may be a temporary measure to defray the cost of increased commodity pricing, such as with a fuel surcharge, or it may be permanent.

Surcharge




Though not my intention, If I'm going to be included in discussing this topic.. might as well pull in the rest also

@Diasporan Royalty @IllmaticDelta @Elle Driver @Poitier @K.O.N.Y @MR. WEST @BmoreGorilla
@R$G META @Raymond Burrr @calixprynce @SJUGrad13 @levitate @Moreganic
@Ronnie Lott @BmoreGorilla @Black Lightning @videogamestashbox.com @BrothaZay @Black Barbie @The College Dropout @DarrynCobretti @Barnett114@kayslay @Donovan Gumby@----- @satam55 @O.T.I.S. @BlackPearl The Empress @Malta @Dak_Brehscott @Mowgli @Lewis Black @ridedolo@Luck @LaughsLikePac @Cadillac @newworldafro

@Critical Distance @Shuttlesworth @Remo @SJUGrad13
@Michael9100
@Fedmahn Kassad

 

[Akata Man Bromo]

Just got home I'll read this after I shower

 

[Rhapscallion Démone]

I'm going to assume your on that Yvette & Antonio tip...
​

Not particularly feeling their politics, gave up on them awhile back That said, i'll answer your question outside the context of their politics.




In relation to the subjects of reparations and affirmative action, do I feel distinctions should be made upon dispersal? ...well , it depends.

Assumed question1: Fine, depends on what?

Answer 1.1: First off, any answer I give is through the matrix of the position that we should be pushing to build our own as opposed to looking for cacs to "give" us.

Answer 1.2: With that said, In general I hold the same position as Booker T Washington

"Africans in America had not yet received anything free yet had toiled on it's soil, and so if Africans abroad had a chance at opportunity afforded by their African brethren in America, they should be more than welcome."
- Booker T Washington, 1915

I.E. Basic things like "affirmative action" I'm not really worried about. Who are these people that can't go to school for nursing, civil engineering, etc. because some other people, let alone different "African peoples" "took a spot"? If you have money(hell, or not) and want to go to continue your education outside of H.S. I don't see any barriers to that.



Assumed question 2: What about in relation to employment? What you mentioned above was education based.
Answer 2: What are the stats on the "legacy population" not gaining employment because of recent African populations already being employed?




Assumed question 3: What about reparations?

Answer 3: This is really where the depends comes in. The nature of those "reparations" is critical here. I.E. there is only so much land you could give away. So if there is a one time lump sum of [insert good here] then obviously differentiation should be made.

​

Our ancestors already fought this fight.
Immigration Act of 1917 - Wikipedia​

The U.S. already tried to exclude other "African Peoples" from the U.S. ...and by extension access to the spoils of what the "Legacy population" fought for. That same "Legacy population" successfully fought back against those attempts by the government. Put another way, access to the spoils of our fight ...has been part of our fight.

Pages. 22 - 23

​

AAME :

Page. 213

(Time stamped for convenience)

(Time stamped for convenience)​

Now the position can be made ..."well, they were wrong" To which I say ....ok
Change the laws / culture then.
But understand that the current configuration is the deliberate product of our ancestors fighting for it to be that way.



NOTE:
The above stated, be clear that I'm not politically naive enough to not have reservations about cacs picking who they want to give money/influence to. Then claim "well see we gave yall [insert good here] so don't complain to us".

(Think Clarence Thomas on the supreme court)

Whatever do you mean...? We already put an African American on the supreme court???


Conclusion: ​

I'm more worried about cacs being able to pick and choose who and how those reparations are given out than anything. While not opposed to additional means, my "long game" position has always been to position ourselves in a way to tax the reparations out of Europeans via trade relations.(make them pay a surcharge)

That way we are in control of the terms of the deal(which is my main concern)

​

What is a 'Surcharge'
A surcharge is a fee or other charge that is added to the cost of a good or service. A surcharge is typically added to an existing tax, and may not be included in the stated price of a good or service. It may be a temporary measure to defray the cost of increased commodity pricing, such as with a fuel surcharge, or it may be permanent.

Surcharge




Though not my intention, If I'm going to be included in discussing this topic.. might as well pull in the rest also

@Diasporan Royalty @IllmaticDelta @Elle Driver @Poitier @K.O.N.Y @MR. WEST @BmoreGorilla
@R$G META @Raymond Burrr @calixprynce @SJUGrad13 @levitate @Moreganic
@Ronnie Lott @BmoreGorilla @Black Lightning @videogamestashbox.com @BrothaZay @Black Barbie @The College Dropout @DarrynCobretti @Barnett114@kayslay @Donovan Gumby@----- @satam55 @O.T.I.S. @BlackPearl The Empress @Malta @Dak_Brehscott @Mowgli @Lewis Black @ridedolo@Luck @LaughsLikePac @Cadillac @newworldafro

@Critical Distance @Shuttlesworth @Remo @SJUGrad13
@Michael9100
@Fedmahn Kassad

I am very glad you shared this because the next time African Americans are accused of being separatists, not inclusive or caring about the plight of other African Diasporans I'll refer them to these posts. This also proves that reparations are achievable when you fight hard and smart enough. Booker T Washington and his Tuskegee crew helped the Caribbeans/black South Americans who built the Panama Canal get their reparations for building it.....what was rightfully owed to them. These articles also point out that white people do make distinctions between African Diasporans/Africans. They were trying to keep "continental Africans" and Caribbean blacks out. "Legacy African Americans"/Descendants of Slaves born in America fought for them to come in. So what I'm trying to understand is how is African American a catch all umbrella term when the evidence you provided proves other wise? This all happened when all blacks were considered Negroes which IMO is more of an umbrella term given its origins.

 

[videogamestashbox.com]

I am very glad you shared this because the next time African Americans are accused of being separatists, not inclusive or caring about the plight of other African Diasporans I'll refer them to these posts. This also proves that reparations are achievable when you fight hard and smart enough. Booker T Washington and his Tuskegee crew helped the Caribbeans/black South Americans who built the Panama Canal get their reparations for building it.....what was rightfully owed to them. These articles also point out that white people do make distinctions between African Diasporans/Africans. They were trying to keep "continental Africans" and Caribbean blacks out. "Legacy African Americans"/Descendants of Slaves born in America fought for them to come in. So what I'm trying to understand is how is African American a catch all umbrella term when the evidence you provided proves other wise? This all happened when all blacks were considered Negroes which IMO is more of an umbrella term given its origins.

Exactly what evidence have I put up that proves "African american" isn't a catch all umbrella term.
...especially given the term was coined in 1988 for U.S. citizens while the immigration act was in 1915 and dealt with non citizens.

 

[AB Ziggy]

@YaThreadFloppedB!

 

[Rhapscallion Démone]

Exactly what evidence have I put up that proves "African american" isn't a catch all umbrella term.
...especially given the term was coined in 1988 for U.S. citizens while the immigration act was in 1915 and dealt with non citizens.

It was popularized by Jackson in the 1980s but it was coined earlier
The origin of the term ‘African American’
Jesse Jackson may have popularized the term in the late 1980s, but a Yale researcher finds what may very well be the very first written instance of "African American" - and it was published 233 years ago. Lawrence explains in his latest Rewrite.

 

[videogamestashbox.com]

It was popularized by Jackson in the 1980s but it was coined earlier
The origin of the term ‘African American’
Jesse Jackson may have popularized the term in the late 1980s, but a Yale researcher finds what may very well be the very first written instance of "African American" - and it was published 233 years ago. Lawrence explains in his latest Rewrite.

This is the first in hopefully a series of topics I want to cover.
Misconceptions (terms/concepts) 1 of 3 - "African American"
Misconceptions (terms/concepts) 2 of 3 - "Hotep"
Misconceptions (terms/concepts) 3 of 3 - One drop rule
Misconceptions (terms/concepts) Bonus - 3/4ths rule

Black or African American – A person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa.
About​

Above is the official listing for the term "African american" as denoted by the U.S. government. What I want to go into via this post is

1. How the term came into being.
2. What it denotes in it's usage
In the process I hope to clear up confusion I've heard such as "It(the term "african american") was created by white people with white guilt" ...or "black is your race, African American is your ethnicity."

Deep history
The term "African" itself​

Spoiler: Deep history

The morphology of the term "Africa" is composed of two morphemes...
1. Root: afri-
2. Affix: -ca

This matters because we get to see exactly whats being referred to here.

The affix -ca descends from the proto-indo-european -kos which means (characteristic of, typical of, like, pertaining to) the latin forms of -kos would be as follows.

Masculine: -cus ( Afri-cus ) Africus
Feminine: -ca ( Afri-ca ) Africa
Neuter: -cum ( Afri-cum ) Africum

Other morpheme examples:
-ology/logy (Afri-ca-ology ) Africology
-iana (afri-iana) Afriana
-ana (afri-ca-na) Africana
-an (afri-ca-an) African

Which brings us to the affix -an as in (Afri-ca-an) African; -an being derived from latin affixes -ana, -anum, -anus; which means (a collection connected/associated with a person or place)

-an
"a suffix occurring originally in adjectives borrowed from Latin, formed from nouns denoting places ( Roman; urban) or persons ( Augustan), and now productively forming English adjectives by extension of the Latin pattern. Attached to geographic names, it denotes provenance or membership ( American; Chicagoan; Tibetan), the latter sense now extended to membership in social classes, religious denominations, etc., in adjectives formed from various kinds of noun bases ( Episcopalian; pedestrian; Puritan; Republican) and membership in zoological taxa ( acanthocephalan; crustacean)."

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2017.
the definition of -an


A decent interpretation of the term African(Afri-ca-an) can be given if the morphemes are read backwards.
Africa: Collection(-an) pertaining to(-ca) the Afri(-afri). This "collection" being any number of cultural artifacts.
I.E. Music pertaining to the afri, clothing pertaining to the afri, ...people pertaining to the afri, etc.

This all leads to the question...
"Who are the Afri?"

The answer is...
"I'm not sure."

As far as I can tell "Afri" is the term for a people in northern Africa, specifically around the area of Punic era Carthage. Now if that is the name they gave themselves or the name that was given to them by outsiders is unclear. That said I see no other usage of the term Afri other than for those Africans.

As an example the term "berber" given to indigenous north Africans is not what they call themselves. Outside of specific ethnic groups they collectively call themselves "Amazigh" or "Tamazight". The word "Berber" comes from the greek word "bárbaros" which comes down to us as "barbaric"/"barbarous".

That type of situation concerning berbers doesn't seem to be the immediate case here with the Afri. If you want a quick dump on ideas concerning who they could be, most of the ideas I've read or seen over the years are already listed in this wiki article...
Afri - Wikipedia


That said, looking at maps I've seen the continent called everything from Aethiopia, Libya, Afrika, Afrique, to of course Africa.

Modern History
The term "African American" ...where did it come from?​

It was announced/POPULARIZED by Jesse Jackson in 1988 after Dr. Ramona Edelin suggested it during a group meeting of 75 people who all agreed it's a good idea to change the name to African American.

That said the term African American was already in use, though mostly in academic & "cultural nationalist" circles.

Leaders Say Blacks Want To Be Called 'African-Americans'
AP, Associated Press
Dec. 20, 1988 5:05 PM ET

Ideological Timeline​

Given the original declaration was in 1988, below I've included a time line of articles (1967,1989,1991,1997,2005,2013) that gives a clear idea of the politics/"zeitgeist" of African American thought around the term.

Spoiler: Timeline

Timeline: (1967,1989,1991,1997,2005,2013)​

What's In a Name?
Negro vs. Afro-American vs. Black
Lerone Bennett, Jr.
Senior Editor, Ebony Magazine
Source: Ebony 23 (November 1967)

"... The word "Negro" is not geographically or culturally specific. "Historically," he says, "human groups have been named according to the land from which they originated .... The unwillingness of the dominant group to recognize the humanity of the African is evidenced by the fact that when it is necessary or desired to identify Americans in terns of the land of their origin, terms such as Italian-American, Polish-American, Spanish-American, Jewish-American (referring back to the ancient kingdom and culture of Judaea), etc., are employed. In the American mind there is no connection of the black American with land, history and culture--factors which proclaim the humanity of an individual." Baird denies that the English word "Negro" is a synonym for black. He says. "'Negro' does not mean simply 'black,' which would be the simple, direct opposite of 'white.' We talk about a 'white man' or a 'white Cadillac'; we may talk, as many unfortunately do, of a 'Negro man,' but never of a 'Negro Cadillac.'

Baird believes the word "Afro-American" will supplant the word "Negro." He does not object to the term "black," which, he says, lacks the historical and cultural precision of the word "Afro-American." He is supported in this view by Richard Moore, Harlem bookstore owner and author of The Name "Negro"--It's Origin and Evil Use. Moore says the word "Negro" is so "saturated with filth," so "polluted" with the white man's stereotypes, that "there is nothing to be done but to get rid of it." He prefers the word "Afro-American" because of its "correctness, exactness, even elegance." He believes the adoption of the word will force "these prejudiced European-Americans" to reevaluate black people in terms of their history and culture. "Black," Moore said, "is a loose color designation which is not connected with land, history, and culture. While I recognize it as a step forward in getting rid of the term 'Negro,' I think it is necessary to take the next step. " ..."

Timeline: (1967,1989,1991,1997,2005,2013)​

January 31, 1989
'African-American' Favored By Many of America's Blacks

Timeline: (1967,1989,1991,1997,2005,2013)​

Vol. 106, No. 1 (Spring, 1991)
From Negro to Black to African American: The Power of Names and Naming on JSTOR

Timeline: (1967,1989,1991,1997,2005,2013)​

No. 16 (Summer, 1997)
The Emergence of the Term "African American" at Two Prestigious Institutions: The New York Times and the Supreme Court on JSTOR

Timeline: (1967,1989,1991,1997,2005,2013)​

2005
African American, (the term); a brief history | African American Registry

Timeline: (1967,1989,1991,1997,2005,2013)​

February 25, 2013
http://nypost.com/2013/02/25/census-to-replace-negro-with-black-or-african-american/

 

[Self_Born7]

i refused to label or call myself african american.

 

[videogamestashbox.com]

I am very glad you shared this because the next time African Americans are accused of being separatists, not inclusive or caring about the plight of other African Diasporans I'll refer them to these posts. This also proves that reparations are achievable when you fight hard and smart enough. Booker T Washington and his Tuskegee crew helped the Caribbeans/black South Americans who built the Panama Canal get their reparations for building it.....what was rightfully owed to them. These articles also point out that white people do make distinctions between African Diasporans/Africans. They were trying to keep "continental Africans" and Caribbean blacks out. "Legacy African Americans"/Descendants of Slaves born in America fought for them to come in. So what I'm trying to understand is how is African American a catch all umbrella term when the evidence you provided proves other wise? This all happened when all blacks were considered Negroes which IMO is more of an umbrella term given its origins.

You just reminded me of another older post below where this chic from Nigeria was making the claim of African Americans not giving a damn about African immigration issues. I assume this is the kind of talk you are referring to above. Personally i'd never even heard the argument made until I watched that video

So I just went back and watched a video where this chick jumped off script and start talking about how African Americans "don't give a shyt" about African Immigration issues

Time stamps
3 mins 0:37:12 - 0:40:00
1 mins 1:25:40 - 1:26:47
5 mins 1:31:08 - 1:36:44



​

I'm like, hey I don't have an issue with advocating for it I simply don't know what the hell "it" is ....I.E. it's simply not on my radarno more no less.

​

The closest thing to "immigration issues" I can think of was this Kenyan grad student I know from my graduate research lab. His wife was a dentist in Kenya and couldn't work in the U.S. so she had to get a secretary job while he was finishing his Computer Science PHD
(I think he said she had to take a bunch test or retake classes or something before she could practice here)

So "Africa coli", what exactly is the immigration issues for yall?








I already know somebody gone jump off script

​

 

[videogamestashbox.com]

i refused to label or call myself african american.

Hey i'm not pushing one way or the other
...that said I'm curious, why do you "refused to label or call myself african american"?

 

[Rhapscallion Démone]

You just reminded me of another older post below where this chic from Nigeria was making the claim of African Americans not giving a damn about African immigration issues. I assume this is the kind of talk you are referring to above. Personally i'd never even heard the argument made until I watched that video

Breh, I just don't understand it. We African Americans have always been afrocentric. It's not some new thing for us. All the back to Africa movements over here, our concern for Nelson Mandela, say it loud we black and we proud. Africas well being has always concerned us. We care alot

 

[CodeBlaMeVi]

I can't speak on brethren from the continent of Africa but Caribbean brehs come to the US with their noses in the air at Legacy AAs as the text say. Personally, idc just trying to get mine and be able to be a viable voice with weight to make change. That talk on YouTube shyt all day isn't me.