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Originally Posted by Autumn
Same is true though of using the term "black". There are a wide variety of skin tones in the world. Is someone of African ancestry to be called "black" even if their skin is not black? Is someone who identifies with a European ancestry "white" even if their skin is darker than someone who identifies as "black"? Do we call a Hispanic "black"?
My point is neither way of describing things works 100% of the time because these categories are fluid. But we need ways to describe things. African-American acknowledges that we're referring to someone's ancestry, not simply the color of their skin. I think a lot of people have found it an improvement to shift the focus in that way. The fact that there are still issues with it only shows that trying to describe "race" is an impossible thing.
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I see what you're saying, but, African American almost always implies that they mean black for those who use it as opposed to actually referring to someone's ancestry. Almost like they are afraid to just say 'black'. I'll buy into the 'African-American' title when people start using it and are not referring to ones skin color.