(Afro-Latino-American here)
Through-out U.S. history Black folk have had to contend with a lot of BS names. Colored, Negro, Black, etc. "African-American" is just an acceptable euphemism, because, in America, you HAVE to be categorized by race.
So your question is a question for AMERICA, not to black folk.
Read an interesting story on (I think) The Guardian a while back. A woman from Sierra Leone grew up reading good o'l Tolkien, CS Lewis and Harry Potter and went to university before moving to America. When she lived there she was apparently expected to be wholly infuriated, disdainful, hurt whatever else by 'our history of slavery'. 'Our' being (African) Americans. Which she isn't. She described it as a form of indoctrination that African Americans continuously push themselves into a victimsed role when they shouldnt be anymore. She now writes fantasy stories based on a multitude of African mythologies and got published, which is how she got on the Guardian.
Just because that woman has no history of American racism does not mean it does not exist. You should check yourself before using ONE PERSON'S story who was NOT BORN IN AMERICA. who then decides to dismiss the clearly institutionalized racism of the U.S.
in other words, just because you haven't experienced it, in ALL OF ITS DOCUMENTED BRUTALITY does not mean it doesn't exist.
