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Can a white person be considered "African-American"?

For example: an African born white individual and they move to America and obtain American citizenship. There are white people who have been living in Africa, specifically South Africa for generations such as the Afrikaner. So if an Afrikaner moved to the US and obtained citizenship, would they be considered an African-American?

8 Answers

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  • ?
    Lv 7
    6 years ago

    Yes of course.

    African Americans are people with citizenship in Africa and the USA. Or they are Americans who are of African descent who still hold cultural elements of some African culture.

    Most black Americans are wrongly labeled African American when they're not.

    Sasha Pieterse or Charlize Theron would be examples of white African Americans. They are from South Africa but live in the USA and have US citizenship.

    Then there are more white people in Sub-Saharan Africa that can be African American if they came to the USA. For example Namibia has a lot of white people too. And then there are also many white people native to North Africa who could be considered African American if they came to the USA and obtained citizenship.

    Below is Charlize Theron.

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  • tia
    Lv 4
    6 years ago

    No. African American is a term used to described people whose ancestry includes the African diaspora experience. They were stripped of their cultures and identities and were forced to breed like cattle with members of different cultures form different countries in Africa. These people were herded together and labeled as some not very flattering titles over the years. Since they do not know which countries they came from they have collectively identified themselves as African Americans, meaning born in America of African descent. A white person born in Africa is probably a British/German/etc African who immigrates to America. There is a world of difference here. Many whites have tried it before in an attempt to qualify for benefits that have been designed for the descendants of slaves. Mischievous devils indeed.

  • 6 years ago

    Yes

  • Anonymous
    6 years ago

    "African" doesn't mean black, there are many races in Africa like North Africans who are not black.It's a continent,not a race.

    So yes, white people can be African.As well as any race who immigrated from Africa.

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  • 6 years ago

    Those white people in Africa are not called "Africans," they are referred to as "Africaners." They called themselves that. No....they won't be called "African Americans." They will be referred to as Afrikaners. That's what I call them and so does everyone else. Africans who come to America aren't called "African Americans" either. That label is reserved for those born in this country and enslaved unjustly. Those from Africa who come here are called "Africans" or are referred to by their ethnicity such as "Nigerian," "Ethiopian," etc. Or "Sudanese American" if you want to add the "American" to the end.

  • Anonymous
    6 years ago

    Of course, African is not synonymous with black and African American is nonsensical since it is not equal black and so called African Americans (''blacks'') were not born in Africa

  • Anonymous
    6 years ago

    Yes

  • ?
    Lv 6
    6 years ago

    Yes. They have changed the meaning of the word recently. Smh.

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