African-Americans
Black U.S. citizens
African-Americans are Americans of African descent, particularly those whose ancestors were brought to the United States as slaves.
The term emerged in the 1980s as a preferred alternative to "Black," emphasizing cultural heritage alongside racial identity.
Both terms remain current, with African-American appearing more often in formal contexts: African-American voters, African-American history.
Some prefer Black as more inclusive of recent immigrants from Africa or the Caribbean.
Racial pride movement
- civil rightsGuaranteed individual legal protections
- NAACPCivil rights advocacy organization
- Black Lives MatterCivil rights movement against racist violence
- voting rightsEntitlement to elect officials
protest · boycott · self-determination · anti-racism · freedom struggle · reparations · social justice · grassroots
Ownership of people
- emancipationRelease from legal bondage
- ReconstructionPost-1865 national reunification period
- Great MigrationVast collective relocation
- Jim CrowRacial separation laws
civil rights movement · segregation · integration · Juneteenth · Middle Passage · abolition · Harlem Renaissance · freedmen
African descent identifier
- people of colorNon-white racial groups
- communityCollective of connected people
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
- ancestryFamily line of descent
melanin · kinship · roots · representation · visibility · solidarity · belonging · resilience
Traditional Black Southern cuisine
- jazzImprovisational American music genre
- bluesMournful American music genre
- hip-hopRhythmic spoken-word music
- gospelSacred choral tradition
Kwanzaa · HBCU · barbershop · R&B · spoken word · double dutch · call and response · Negro spirituals
- Rosa ParksCivil rights icon
- Booker T. WashingtonEducator, reformer, ex-slave
- Sojourner TruthAbolitionist and suffragist orator
- Barack ObamaForty-fourth US president
Malcolm X · Harriet Tubman · Frederick Douglass · W.E.B. Du Bois · John Lewis · Thurgood Marshall · Maya Angelou · James Baldwin
Black Power
Racial pride movement
- civil rightsGuaranteed individual legal protections
- NAACPCivil rights advocacy organization
- Black Lives MatterCivil rights movement against racist violence
voting rights · protest · boycott · self-determination · anti-racism · freedom struggle · reparations · social justice · grassroots · organizing
slavery
Ownership of people
- emancipationRelease from legal bondage
- ReconstructionPost-1865 national reunification period
- Great MigrationVast collective relocation
Jim Crow · civil rights movement · segregation · integration · Juneteenth · Middle Passage · abolition · Harlem Renaissance · freedmen · Underground Railroad
Black
African descent identifier
- people of colorNon-white racial groups
- communityCollective of connected people
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
ancestry · melanin · kinship · roots · representation · visibility · solidarity · belonging · resilience
soul food
Traditional Black Southern cuisine
- jazzImprovisational American music genre
- bluesMournful American music genre
- hip-hopRhythmic spoken-word music
gospel · Kwanzaa · HBCU · barbershop · R&B · spoken word · double dutch · call and response · Negro spirituals · funk
Martin Luther King Jr.
- Rosa ParksCivil rights icon
- Booker T. WashingtonEducator, reformer, ex-slave
- Sojourner TruthAbolitionist and suffragist orator
Malcolm X · Harriet Tubman · Frederick Douglass · W.E.B. Du Bois · John Lewis · Thurgood Marshall · Maya Angelou · James Baldwin · Barack Obama · Ida B. Wells
African-AmericansEuropean Americans
US citizens of continental descent
Caucasians · Anglo-Americans · WASPs · WASP · Asian Americans
African, Americans, Americana, Americanize, African-American, Americanization, Afrocentrism, Americanism, un-American