[teenyelliott]

Well, yes, I know that. My point is when does one simply become American? How many generations does it take to get rid of the hyphen? Would my grandmother have been African American, Irish American, or simply American? Colin Powell's parents are Jamaican. Is he still African American? Halle Berry's mom is white. Why is she hailed as a successful black woman? Tiger Woods' mom is Asian, and his dad is only half black, I think. How much black ancestry qualifies one as being black?

IMHO, if your parents are immigrants, you can claim the something-American label. If your ancestors came over from another country generations ago, you are simply American. I wish we no longer felt the constant need to categorize people.

[cyborg]

I agree, except that there's a lot of money in bean counting for some people. Plus some of it is emotional for some people. Just calling myself American eliminated a lot of explanation and outlining of my life *lol*

[NCC-1701]

"...How many generations does it take to get rid of the hyphen?..."

For me, not one second. The flag that flew over the hospital I was born in was the flag of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I am proud to be a 100% pure non-hyphenated American.

[Marysecretary]

Colin Powell is Afro-Caribbean. You only need a drop of black blood to be considered black in the eyes of the government.