Everyone is a particular kind of human being. No one is “just human” — we all belong to, or identify with, a distinct group of people who share certain characteristics that make their group unique. Their unique group is considered a NATION and their collective identity is considered their NATIONAL IDENTITY.
For the most part, people of African descent residing in the United States are a nation. Under U.S. rule, however, we have been labeled a “race” and have been subjected to various forms of racial discrimination ever since (and before) this country became politically independent.
Under U.S. rule several racial labels have been imposed on us: Negroes, colored, Black American, jigaboos, and other disgusting terms. The U.S. government has never officially recognized or acknowledged our standing as a nation.
As such, racial discrimination against us, in this country, is really an aspect of the NATIONAL OPPRESSION we have endured. Our struggles in this country, at root, have been NATIONAL LIBERATION struggles for freedom, human rights, and full, first-class citizenship.
These struggles were underway during the American colonial period, and laid the basis (from about 1660 to about 1860) for our evolution into a distinct nation. Together, the shared characteristics that made/make us unique include:
[1]
Language (sometimes called Ebonics)
[2]
Ancestry (we have interbred with Europeans and indigenous “Indians”)
[3]
Territory (we are concentrated, primarily in the southeastern region of the United States)
[4]
Culture (we have blended African traditions with American customs)
[5]
History (no other people on Earth have experienced what we’ve been through)
These are the main characteristics that, over time, distinguished us as a people and defines our NATIONAL IDENTITY.
Ukali Mwendo