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'African-American' Favored By Many of America's Blacks

'African-American' Favored By Many of America's Blacks
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January 31, 1989, Section A, Page 1Buy Reprints
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A movement led by the Rev. Jesse Jackson to call blacks African-Americans has met with both rousing approval and deep-seated skepticism in a debate that is coming to symbolize the role and history of blacks in this country.

The term, used for years in intellectual circles, is gaining currency among many other blacks, who say its use is a sign that they are accepting their difficult past and resolving a long ambivalence toward Africa.

The term has already shown up in the newest grade-school textbooks, been adopted by several black-run radio stations and newspapers around the country and appeared in the titles of popular books and in the conversations of many blacks as they warm to the idea and speak of visiting Africa one day.

For many, the issue is already settled, not only in their minds but in their hearts. ''Whenever I go to Africa,'' said Roger Wilkins, a senior fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, ''I feel like a person with a legitimate place to stand on this earth. This is the name for all the feelings I've had all these years.''

Mr. Wilkins's feelings are not shared by all. Skeptics, many of them older blacks who have lived through previous name changes, are resisting the move. Some say they do not identify with Africa and resent prominent blacks telling them what to be called. Others fear that the debate over a new name draws attention away from problems like unemployment and drug abuse.

Leaders of the movement to change the language say it was concern about those problems and growing involvement in the fight to end racial separation in South Africa that led to the search for a clearer group identity.

They say they want to shift the definition of the group from the racial description black to a cultural and ethnic identity that ties the group to its continent of origin and fosters dignity and self-esteem.

''This is deeper than just name recognition,'' said Mr. Jackson who, along with others, called for the change at a news conference in late December. ''Black tells you about skin color and what side of town you live on. African-American evokes discussion of the world.''

Few people who favor the new term expect to see it replace ''black'' entirely, although they would like it to be the principal reference eventually. For now, there does not seem to be the distaste toward ''black'' that many felt toward ''Negro'' or ''colored'' two decades ago. Instead, there is a feeling that ''African-American'' can sometimes convey a significance that ''black'' cannot.

The debate among blacks comes at a time when other minority groups are also struggling toward redefinition. In recent months, Jews here and in Israel have been torn over the question ''who is a Jew?'' Hispanic Americans have grappled with the use of Latino and Hispanic. And Asian-Americans, seeking recognition of their many nationalities, have successfully lobbied the Census Bureau to delineate Asian groups in the 1990 census, even listing Samoans and Guamanians.

The push for a change from ''black'' to ''African-American'' came too late to become a category in the 1990 census, said Nampeo McKenney, director of the agency's special populations division. The form will say ''Black or Negro'' in the section on race. But in light of growing pressure, the agency is adding special instructions telling those filling out the forms that ''Black or Negro includes African-Americans.'' The term African-American cannot be used officially until the agency tests it in a process that takes several years, she said. Turning Point Is Seen

Still, the push by Mr. Jackson is seen by black historians as an important step. ''This is a significant psychological and cultural turning point,'' said Dr. Walter Allen, a professor of sociology at the University of Michigan who is black. ''This makes explicit what was implicit. First we had to convince everyone to come into the fold as black. Now we are clarifying what that means.''

Dr. Ramona Edelin, president of the National Urban Coalition, said: ''There were bitter battles when we went from 'Negro' to 'black.' We don't want that this time.'' Dr. Edelin said that when she brought up the idea for adopting the term African-American at a meeting of 75 black groups convened by Mr. Jackson late last month, there was ''overwhelming consensus'' favoring the change. The meeting attracted scores of people from fraternities, sororities and civic and social groups.

Several school districts, including Atlanta and Chicago, have adopted the term in their curriculums and encourage teachers to use it. ''We just feel it's a more accurate term,'' said Dr. Alice Jurica, director of social studies for the Chicago public schools.

Two of the largest black-oriented radio stations in New York City, WWRL and WLIB, have been using the term. Now more listeners who call in refer to themselves as African-Americans, although once they get going they often slip back to using black, said David Lampel, WLIB program director. ''Often they will use black and African-American in the same phone call,'' he said. Changes in the Press

The heightened awareness has brought a bit of confusion. The station recently broadcast a report that referred to a woman with a dark complexion and a Hispanic surname. ''Everybody in the newsroom was struggling with what to call her,'' Mr. Lampel said. ''They decided on African-Latino.''

Several black newspapers, like The Amsterdam News in New York and The Chicago Daily Defender, are now changing their usage rules to accommodate the new term, to the delight of black editors like J. Lowell Ware of The Atlanta Voice, who replaced ''black'' with ''African-American'' 10 years ago.

'' 'Black' just never looked right to me,'' Mr. Ware said. '' 'Black' does not define a race of people. It's a color. It's an adjective, not a noun. And a long time before it was accepted, it was not accepted. It was one word we couldn't stomach from anyone. I just couldn't stand it anymore, so I changed it.''

Editors in mainstream journalism, including The Associated Press and The New York Times, said they had made no decision on the term. ''We're waiting to see how usage develops among writers and speakers generally,'' said Allan M. Siegal, assistant managing editor of The New York Times, which uses black ordinarily and African-American in references to advocacy of the term. Dictionary Editors Cautious

Similarly, editors of the major dictionaries said they were reserving judgment. ''We would have to see a preponderance of citations to make such a drastic change,'' said Eugene Schewmaker, senior editor of Random House dictionaries.

The question of a name has caused pain and controversy since the first Africans were captured and shipped to the Americas in the 17th century. The slaves called themselves Africans at first, but slave masters gave them English names and called them Negroes, the Portuguese word for black, historians say. That term was resented by some blacks who said it was degrading when whites mispronounced it, accidentally or intentionally.

The term African-American has had several incarnations in previous years, with ''Afro-American'' having spurts of popularity since the late 19th century and particularly in the 1960's. But supporters of the current movement find fault with that usage. ''We came from Africa,'' said Dr. Olive Taylor, a professor of history at Howard University. ''We didn't come from 'Afro.' ''

Arthur Ashe decided to use the term in his new book, ''A Hard Road to Glory: A History of the African-American Athlete,'' published late last year by Amistad-Warner. ''It was given a great deal of thought; it was definitely not going to be 'black,' '' the tennis player said. '' 'African-American' is much more appropriate and correct than 'Afro-American' or 'black' or any other alternative. And I didn't want to leave the wrong impression with something so permanent as a book.''

Now others are getting accustomed to the term. Hilda Whittington, a Chicago lawyer, has been calling herself an African-American since Mr. Jackson's remarks last month and is now planning a trip to West Africa next year. ''After thinking about it, I kind of like it,'' Mrs. Whittington said. ''We should call ourselves African-Americans and get it over with. This is it for me.''

But not for everyone. ''When did they take a vote on what blacks wanted to be called?'' C. Hutherson, a black Chicagoan, asked in a letter to The Chicago Sun-Times. ''They must have done it while I was asleep. Jesse Jackson and other black leaders have a lot of nerve speaking for all blacks.'' 'I Want to Stay Black'

In a recent discussion in Eva Brown's sophomore history class at Chicago's Kenmore Academy, several students were suspicious of the term. ''I want to stay black,'' said Madonna Cliff, who is 16 years old.

Nor should blacks see changing a name as a panacea, many say. ''This doesn't mean that everything will be wonderful and all the poor people will get taken care of,'' said Mary Frances Berry, a professor of history at the University of Pennsylvania who is a member of United States Civil Rights Commission.

''But with the devastating problems in the community now, building self-esteem can't be all bad,'' said Professor Berry, who is black. ''It's not going to make things worse.''

Now a term that was once considered militant is going mainstream. '' 'African-American' reflects a post-modern black consciousness,'' said Dr. Roderick Watts, an assistant professor of psychology at Yale University, who last year founded a community group with the name the Association of Agencies Serving African-Americans. ''It has a self-affirming quality that seems to fit right now.''

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section A, Page 1 of the National edition with the headline: 'African-American' Favored By Many of America's Blacks. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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