Interesting comments David - but we didn't all come over in the same boats - 
some of us walked over the bearing strait when the two land masses were 
joined - or so science mostly tells me.
Cheers
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David J. Rosen" <djrosen at comcast.net>
To: "The Poverty, Race, Women and Literacy Discussion List" 
<povertyracewomen at nifl.gov>
Sent: Thursday, July 26, 2007 7:32 AM
Subject: [PovertyRaceWomen 929] Re: Nomenclature



> Andrea and others,

>

> My rule of thumb is to try to use the names that people call

> themselves, not the names that others may give to them. This means

> asking them -- as individuals -- how they like to be referred to.  I

> have a friend and colleague who refers to herself as a an Italian-

> American woman, another who calls himself Black, another who prefers

> "a person of color", another who calls herself an African American,

> another who prefers Latina. Anthropologists have sometimes found that

> the name that a group of people prefers to call itself in its own

> language means something like "people" or "the people" whereas what

> other groups call them means something like "those people over there"

> or worse.  I refer to myself as a "North American" or "American" and

> sometimes "Bay Stater".

>

> Where all this really makes a difference is in the social political

> arena.  Mel King, MIT professor, Boston Mayoral candiate and

> candidate for Congress, a person of color (I don't know if he would

> use this term, but I think so) many years ago when he was a State

> Representative, pointed out that he did not want to be referred to as

> a "minority." He said it was clear in the Massachusetts legislature

> (overwhelmingly Democratic) what it meant to be a member of the

> minority party -- powerless.

>

> It was also Mel King who also said "We may have come over in

> different ships but we're all in the same boat now"  That would be a

> good quote for a classroom poster!

>

> David J. Rosen

> djrosen at comcast.net

>

>

>

>

>

> On Jul 26, 2007, at 9:54 AM, Andrea Wilder wrote:

>

>> Colleagues:

>>

>> Is there any clarity to be found in the names we give each other?

>>

>> Within the past  couple of years I have been  called "white" by a

>> Cuban, a Japanese, a South Asian, and a Black American.

>>

>> I am unclear about what names are in currency for these  groups,

>> or, in

>> deed, the meaning of "white" any more.

>>

>> My part Wampanoag friend prefers "Indian."  My dark-skinned friend

>> uses

>> the term "Black American" to define himself.

>>

>> What other names are going the rounds these days?  What names do

>> students and teachers use in class?

>>

>> Thanks for any info.

>>

>> Andrea

>>

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>

> David J. Rosen

> djrosen at comcast.net

>

>

>

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