Black...or?

[ksarmand]

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the way I feel is kind of that my Native American, and other ancestry has been denied me by virtue of the fact of being African-American because it’s a designation often used in absolution without the notion of the various cultures that often contribute to the people it describes.

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<p>Completely true. </p>

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I’m interested in learning more about anyone and everyone that make up the fabric of who I am, and what it means to be connected to those people.

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<p>You’ve given some very well-articulated and completely sensible reasons for pursuing your choice. If you’d like to talk about your heritage, I think the essay and the interview would be more appropriate places to do so, that’s all. In the case of things that are products of a complicated history, the “meaning” of the corresponding concept or word is the “crystallization” of that history, a synthesis of “meanings,” which makes defining it impossible.</p>

<p>Personally, I view the term African-American as having such a complicated meaning that eludes strict definition and could potentially encompass multiple racial contributions to one’s genetic makeup and primary identification with one cultural group. Nevertheless, it’s ultimately your decision. Best of luck! :)</p>