[alisasny]

No apology needed...why do you feel you need to label yourself African American. Perhaps we can start a dialogue from there. This is new in the last 10 years or so.

Do you read Dr Thomas Sowell and Dr Walter Williams? Both find it a negative term.

Look forward to your input here. We have a great many Americans of black white brown and pink skin who post frequently as well as many of all different religions and heritage. We even have some atheists and muslims and an entire melting pot of people who believe in a consevative based philosophy as well as distractors.

[Obushma]

I like African-American for ethnic identfication purposes. Black is fine (Although I’m reddish brown). I read Sowell and Williams. They’re entitled to their preferences (they do come from an older demographics than myself). It doesn’t really make me any difference whether my race is identified or not. But since during an election year everyone is interested in statistics-—count me in McCain’s 8 percent of Americans with slave ancestory (maybe that’s a safer term here).