AP African American Studies / Unit 2: Freedom, Enslavement, and Resistance
2.10 Black Pride, Identity, and the Question of Naming
Notes
Black Americans debated what to call themselves (African, Colored, Negro, Afro-American, Black, African American), reflecting identity and pride. Early institutions often used "African" in their names (the AME Church).
Practice
The African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church's name shows:
1816.
Debates over naming reflect:
Self-definition.
The term "African American" became widely used in the:
Popularized around 1988.
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