Who you callin' "African American"?
1.) I'm not from Africa.
2.) Africa is a continient and not a country. If I'm from "Africa" then what part of Africa am I from?
3.) I've never even BEEN to Africa. In fact, my grandparents, and my grandparents grandparents were not born in Africa.
4.) Most African people I have met know we share a common GENELOGICAL ancestry, but do not consider us African.
5.) I don't speak any native African tongues. All my dumbass can speak is Ameri-cun.
So what about me means that I am Africa? I was born in America. My ancesters built THIS country with blood, sweat, and tears. So it's mine. It is not uncommon for tribes of people to migrate across the world to make a new home. It is unusual to indentify with the old country when you are in a new one - even if the new one wasn't exactly "adopted" by choice.
Fact is, I am American. I am not ashamed to say I am American. Fact is, I have never been to the continient of Africa so why am I compelled to identify with it as my land? Because of the legacy of slavery? That perhaps, were it not for Slavery, I might have been born in Africa?
I was never one to believe in "what-ifs".
I would not be "ME" if I were born in Africa, I would be "someone else" with a different spirit, energy, and understanding of the world. Perhaps, I might believe in female circumcision, perhaps I might be Muslim, and avoid wearing makeup, and writing stories that allow my characters to have s*x. Who would I BE if I were African? Maybe someone great like Nelson Mandela, or perhaps, someone who is the victim of racism or genocide.
I don't know. And if God wanted me to know, I wouldn't be here, I would be there. So what am I? What are you?
In most countries what you are, is determined by where you are a from. Not where your ancesters were from hundreds of years ago.
In short, I'm American and proud to be. What say you?

I struggled with that also. I also learned something recently that we're not Americans either (not exclusively, anyway). We are citizens of the United States of America. North America (Canada & US) and South America can use the term Americans as well.