Black vs. African-American

Another tutorial for my conservative friends on proper etiquette at a liberal party. Those people with dark faces are African Americans.

I know, I know. Some of them will call themselves black. And, we don't call whites from South Africa or Arabs from North Africa African Americans. Granted, the only thing American blacks have in common with African blacks is their appearance, and even that is a stretch most of the time. And, we've gone from negro to colored to black to Afro American to African American in two generations. What's next? And, it's fewer syllables to simply say black. You have all the logic on your side. You win.

But you know why you have to say African American? Because most educated blacks do. We think race is a social construct, and narrowing it down to black and white is too distinct a line to be drawn. So, just swallow your pride and say it.