<p>"In addition, I know an African girl from an affluent background who moved with her family from Germany several years ago. She is a permanent resident now and thus can call herself African American, gaining admission to elite institutioins while, in fact, even she will admit that she does not consider herself American in any way. That’s simply unfair. "</p>
<p>I doubt that schools would consider a black permanent resident who immigrated from Germany to be African American. </p>
<p>The diversity in her background – particularly her being a black German – might make her stand out in other ways, however. She sounds like a very interesting person whose life experiences would give her an interesting perspective on the world that her classmates would benefit by being exposed to.</p>
<p>I’m African American (descendent of Africans enslaved in the U.S.), and I know some black Germans and have found them to be very interesting.</p>