which is correct?

I'm currently taking a class called Race, Gender and the Media. We were assigned to do readings and write a journal entry, and in honor of MLK, Jr. day and how far we have come with civil rights, here it is:

My question is that I am not sure which term is more socially acceptable or politically correct, "African American" or "black". In many of my classes last week, including COM346, I found that each of the terms were used, so I guess it is OK to use both, but I have trouble understanding why it is necessary to say African American.

Last semester, I asked one of my good friends (whom is black) which term he prefers. He told me that although many of his friends like to say black, he appreciates when people call him African American. This confused me because I thought that in this day and age, people have come to just say black instead. It’s not like every time people see me they call me Italian American or even European American. I am simply white, so why can’t black people simply be called black? It is not as though many of the black people I meet are directly from Africa, just as many of the white people that I meet aren’t directly from Europe and many of the Latino people that I meet aren’t directly from Latin America. I understand that our ancestors were from these places, but does that mean we need to refer to our ancestors all of the time?

While I was studying abroad last spring, I became used to calling black people black, simply because I was not in America and knew that they weren’t African American. I had a tour guide while I was in Dublin, Ireland tell us that he had an American girl in a group who saw a black person walk by and she said, “Look! They have African Americans here!” The tour guide said he just smiled and shook his head.

This brings me to the idea about how Americans do not look outside of the box that is America too often. This is a large world and I have learned that there is much more out there than our fifty states. I will not get into my views of this topic...now at least.

To continue with my issues of African American/black terms, one of the readings that stood out to me this week was when the author did first-hand research with elementary school girls. These young girls are a prime example of much of the hypocrisy that is racism. The young black girls grew up learning that their culture is sacred to them and that no one except black people can act like them. I understand that black people have a history of oppression, but we have come a long way to unite people as people, not by our skin color. When a black person tries to act white, there is NEVER a white person who tells that person to stop acting white (not that i completely know what it means to act white, but i know that if a white person were to ever tell a black person to stop, they would be called a racist).

My friend who I had spoken about previously told me that he hates it when black people use oppression and anger as a reason to lag behind. What I mean is, my friend, let’s call him Brian, has learned that there are a lot of privileges out there for minorities. Brian is from Paterson, NJ and he is one of the only people in his family to make it to college. Although he had a rough time being one of the only blacks in his predominantly white private high school, he has made his way to Syracuse and is now an RA. Brian finds the time to do everything he can to be on the top. He knows that just because his skin is black does not mean he has to be lazy and take the easy way out in life. Brian has many plans for his future and he uses his minority level to get everything he can. For instance, Brian has received scholarships, awards, and positions of authority due to his color. Although he understands that his color shouldn’t be a reason to have some advantages, he also understands that there is a reason which these minority advantages exist. White people have been working the system for a long time so that they can be on top, and Brian knows that due to the civil rights movement, affirmative action and other policies, he can work just as hard as the other white students, but he will stick out because he is one of the few blacks that has come so far. Brian will be successful because he works hard and knows that his skin color does not make him a better person, but it provides advantages which whites do not have.

Personally, I have learned that being a white American girl is going to make my life much easier than it is for many other people. While I was studying abroad last year, I knew that I felt safe anywhere I went because I can speak English (which is used everywhere), and that by being a white female, people always have a sense of trust in me. People are rarely afraid that I am going to do anything wrong. This is a privilege that I know many other people do not have, especially those of color. So, I can see why people of different heritages, especially blacks and Latinos, seem angry that they are the minority and they don’t want others to act like them. I think that instead of being so hasty towards others for acting like them, they should be complimented and learn to use their heritage to get them farther in life. It is a tough road, but we have already come such a long way with civil rights.

The musical Avenue Q features people dancing and singing with puppets, which although it seems like a ridiculous show, it has many meaningful ideals and songs in it which I will probably use quotes from frequently. Here are some lyrics from the song "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist":

Everyone's a little bit racist
Today.
So, everyone's a little bit racist
Okay!
Ethinic jokes might be uncouth,
But you laugh because
They're based on truth.
Don't take them as
Personal attacks.
Everyone enjoys them -
So relax!
Everyone's a little bit racist -
All right!
Bigotry has never been
Exclusively white
If we all could just admit
That we are racist a little bit,
Even though we all know
That it's wrong,
Maybe it would help us
Get along.

I want to end this entry with my excitement of having a female candidate and a black candidate running for president. Not only are they in the running, but they are the frontrunners right now. It is exciting to know that Americans are finally looking past gender and race and learning that people are PEOPLE. We all have the ability to make decisions. Just because white men have run this country for the past 240 years or so, does not mean that the streak has to continue. What is so special about white males anyway? I think they have had their turn and it is about time to see what someone else can do.