Ancient Africans proudly called themselves "Black People." The origin of the word "Black" is African, from the Ethiopian word Celeno.
It pre-dates the Indian Sanskrit name ‘caeruleus yamas’ (i.e. "black"). In very early times "Black" was used by Africans in Africa, by Europeans, and by Asians to designate those living in Africa (King, African Origin p29). Apparently the Ancient European Sanskrit borrowed the term "Black" from African populations that migrated to India from Africa many thousands of years earlier. The color "black" in African ontology (theories on the realities of "Being") actually refers to that which is “invisible.” Although “black” is popularly regarded as a distinct color, like white, for all practical purposes it is technically not a color but rather the absence of color. Advocates of the term "African American" should note that “black” and "dark" are highly honored in African Tradition--with both “black” and "dark" indicating the ultimate un-manifested; the realm of potential possibilities for all of the Cosmos; the inscrutable source of the One and the All; and "black" designating the ultimate in spiritual perfection. These concepts are under the terms of the Absolute, the Potential, the Unknowable, the Un-manifest, Amen, and God. In Ancient Egypt, black was the color of resurrection and eternal life, perhaps because new life was seen as emerging from the darkness. The Amenta (the Nun, the Void, Nothingness) contains in its upper region the Mind of God and the body of God. It is all Black. Melanin (Greek, melan—black)--the substance that imparts a black color to skin and is in the brain of those of the African Diaspora, is connected to the Amenta. Recent research connects together each member of the human (i.e. Black) family (and particularly via the nervous system and brain) with the Amenta.
In the Americas, and prior to emancipation in 1865, dark-skinned people were not considered Americans and therefore most saw themselves as Africans, Black, or "Colored" citizens, even though devoid of the rights of citizens. Part of the reason for such naming diversity was from racial mixing with various ethnic groups of Whites and Amerindians (e.g. Creek, Cherokee, Muskogee, Choctaw, and Pawnee). Besides, the Slaves from Africa --the Yoruba, Wolof, Mandingo, Hausa, Asante, Fante, Edo, Fulani, Serere, Luba, Angola, Congo, Ibo, Ibibio, Ijaw, and Sherbro--were quite mixed. Whereas at least as early as 1836 "African American" was the preferred term for those born in Africa and located in the American South, terms also frequent during this time period were “coloured, darky, nigger, and Negro--most incorporating phrases like “work like a nigger” (1836) and “nigger in the woodpile” (1852). Following slavery, the ex-Slaves were generally called "Blacks"--or more politely "Coloreds" until the 1880s, when "negro" increasingly became the preferred term. Despite racists Europeans continuing to use the terms Blacks, Servant, Slave, Negro, Colored, and African American throughout slavery and the post-slavery period there was no particular pattern as to what time period of their usage; as to where in the USA they were used; or as to why they were used. This meant much overlap of terms and much checkered prominence of a given term, sprinkled by gradual changes by dark-skinned people themselves in labels they deemed distasteful.
A prominent example occurred during "The Harlem Renaissance” of the 1920s when resident Artists, Writers, and Musicians were being promoted by both races to the point that they started abandoning the words "Negro" (a Spanish and anthropology term applying to people who have black or brown pigmentation), “coloured," darky Negress, and particularly Nigger in favor of Black (Portuguese)—a term ‘loosely’ applied to any non-European "race" (e.g. Asian, Indian, Caribbean, Malaysian) a little darker than many Europeans. In 1925 Alain Locke introduced the "New Negro" to indicate the striving for self-realization and acceptance in White society. Still the terms Black, Colored, and African American did not go away. But in the 1960s "Black" again returned to prominence under such terms as "Black Power" because “Black” portrayed a stronger, self-reliant image than African or other terms involved in the debate. By the 1970s "Black" had almost entirely displaced Negro and has since been joined by African American, Afro-American, Afri-American, Afra-American, and Afrikan (which is now usually associated with Europeans born in Africa). To this day such designations as African American/Black and "Black/Negro" are used to refer to those having origins in any of the Black African groups. Ref: Bailey, Word Stories Surrounding African American Slavery. |
