The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1915-03-06
PROPER NAME FOR
RACE R ] ||'|!; !: | DISCUSSED! l /
Neither Negro Nor Afro-Amor-
lean Is Logically Right.
MANY OPINIONS ADVANCED.
Views Of Former AGditor For United
States Navy Department on Title by
Which Our Race Should BE Recoa.
nized-coIored American Seems More
Appropriate.
By RALPH ". TYLER.


Appropriate.
By RALPH W. TYLER.
There is wide variance among us as
to which of the descriptive terms Ne
gro, colored or Afro-American should
be applied to us as people to distin-
guish us from the white race. In
truth, we are Americans that is, the
very great majority of our people
who, with their forebears for many
generations back. were born in this
country. DR.. Booker T. Washington
has insisted, and does Insist today, on
the use of the descriptive term ''Ne-
gro" and has used hts best endeavors
and very great influence to not only
have the Associated Press and many
metropolitan publications by white
people use that term exclusively, but
to capitalize it.
But are we "Negroes?' The diction-
airy, and that is the final arbiter for
all chronological disputes, says NE
gro" is a "blackses,z member of
that African race ssieh is character
lied by "a black or Atfy dark skin and
hair of woody or crisp nature" Mark
you, it says Of that African race,
clearly Indicating that because black
or dark skinned person may be born
in Africa he is not necessarily "Ne-
gro" A Negro IS member of
THAT African race which, etc."
We are not Africans because we are
native born and native sired Ameri-
cans. Some Of US may be black; some
of us are brown; some of us, like DR..
Washington, are mulattoes, and some
Of us because Of an unlicensed mis-
cegenation have skin of alabaster
white. Then why should this variegat-
ed people be arbitraril gsftted out with
the descriptive tern + Negro which
means "a member Of THAT African
racer" 4 ....-
Out of the 100000 of US who were
born, like our parents, grandparents
and great-grandparents, in this coun-
try but 81 per cent of us have woolly
hair. Some of us have hair similar in
texture to the Malays; some of us have
hair similar to the Jews; some of us
have hair similar to the American In
dian, and some Of us are endowed with
golden tresses that float upon the pill
low" In color our hair ranges from
a jet black to auburn. Now, if our
hair is not wooAy, why should we be
called Negroes when "woolly''' hair
is distinctive Of the members of ''that"
African race, natives Of country the
most Of us know little or nothing
about? ... ..-..
Some Of us are but remotely con-
nected with either an African or a
Negro tribe; some of US are not even
remotely so connected, and some Of
US, at least Sc per cent, are human
hybrids. "a medley of bloods," through
whose veins, In riotous confusion,
courses the blood of many races. Take
myself, for instance, and l am but IL
Illustrative of thousands On my ma
ternal side I would have to 60 back
only three generations to plump up
against an American Indian chief and
on my paternal side might by the
genealogical process trace kinship
back to the tenth president Of the Unit
ed States, whose patronym am, per-
force, Juggling through life, From this
it is manifest ] am not Negro, though
I am colored, because my skin is dark
er than the white mans skin.
We are Americans by birth, not by
adoption. as "Afro-American" would
suggest to the uninitiated.
That final genealogical arbiter, the
dictionary, gives as d definition Of "col-
ored," ''having skin darker than the
skin Of person Of the white race"
The great majority Of our race, this
variegated race, do possess skin dark
er than the skin Of person Of the
white race" at least IS per cent Of US
have and It would appear therefore
that the descriptive term ''colored"
more clearly and more properly fits us
as a people. It does not follow because
we object to the descriptive term NE
gro" or Afro American that we are
ashamed Of our people: no more than
it follows that because the Jew pre-
fers to be called a Hebrew he is
ashamed Of his people. "a rose might
smell as sweet by some other name.'' It
is true, and this race or people Of ours
can succeed just as well BY some other
description than Negro" or afro
American - either Of which IS actually
wrong when applied to us as a people.
There are not to exceed $4,000 native
born, Africans in this country. These
might properly be called Negroes"
or Africans" or, more properly. "Af-
ro-Americans." since they are native
Africans who have settled in this