Would you rather be called red or Native American; yellow or Asian American; black or African American?
Which of those titles are better?
How derogatory is it to even consider calling an Apachee red or a Vietnamese yellow? You would not even entertain those titles as being respectable.
Are people color-blind; does it even have to do with color? Most people become infuriated when they are called out of their names.
So why do most blacks accept and even prefer black as a title?
Most journalists abide by a certain writing style called the Associated Press style.
The AP is the backbone of the world’s information system, serving thousands of daily newspapers. AP Style states that the preferred term for African-American is black.
Black (this is the last capitalized “black” you will see) as the preferred title is disturbing to me.
There are some who say that because most blacks have never been in Africa, they should not be associated with the continent from which there ancestors came.
It is true most blacks in America were not born in and have never gone to Africa, but does that erase the ancestral connection that black people share?
Italians and Greeks living in America, regardless of their birthplace, are very proud of where their family history began.
Not enough blacks care about where their ancestors derived. I once heard a black person say blacks were made in America and are therefore American. They went on to explain that for that reason, blacks are the first and only true Americans.
Although I understood this concept, I could will not accept or agree with such a notion.
Perhaps, the AP’s board of directors has not yet been presented with an argument as to why the title “black” should be considered for change.
I am not upset at this issue, but I am concerned at the state of it.
Everyone has seen the dictionary before, right? Merriam-Webster’s definition of black is not exactly positive; take a second to look it up one day.
How is someone suppose to address an issue that he or she is not aware exists? You cannot treat cancer or HIV if you do not know you have it.
The Associated Press is not going to consider revisal if no one advocates change.
Some of you probably do not see why I am making such a big deal out of this.
Those of you who feel this way are victims of being content with whatever the standard is.
For goodness sake, it is not even a proper noun. Do not be okay with second-class titles.
Siraaj Sabree is a junior newspaper journalism student from Miami. He can be reached at famuanopinions@hotmail.com.