I'm not black

[reer]

To be honest, I think most every day people, if you really speak to them, are able to understand nuance. For example, the average person will see me and my dark skin and curls--however loose--and categorize me as "Black" but if I sit down with them and discuss my ancestry they're able to understand a Somali is different from a Black-American. That we don't have a history of mass enslavement, that we're basically immigrants and refugees to the USA if we live there at all, that we're from a different side of the continent and so on. If we bother to even get into the weeds of the genetics with them like being half SSA-MENA mixes, most people--just based on our looks--will fully follow along in my experience. So what's honestly the problem?

There's no one who's going to insist you are identical to African-Americans, Nigerians, Ghanaians, Mozambicans or whatever other group after you've bothered to explain the nuance to them if they're interested in a serious discussion and getting to know you and your origins but otherwise... you're just asking people not to notice your complexion and, for simplicity's sake, not categorize you into a simple initial box like "cadaan", "madow" or whatever else and to fixate on such a thing, in my humble opinion, is silly and shows a complex.

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[Espaa_]

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[cunug3aad]

Something interesting to note about your example is how chinese and indian are seen as distinct. But the term asian is still used but it is used only for like east asia and at most southeast asia

I say when our country has advanced to the point that we can have decent reputation then people will automatically start to differentiate us from western africa, or when they say africa they then clarify west africa as they do clarify east asia and somali will be distinct or taken with east africa or the horn of africa rather than the rest of the continent

All of this will come from awareness of how africa works which comes when africa is built to the point that people visit the countries and actually experience the nuance

 

[sums20]

Idk why you lot care if someone asks what I am I immediately say somali and it's visible just by looking at me so no problems here i only say I'm Black for forms because that's what I'm socially seen as

 

[novanova]

Something interesting to note about your example is how chinese and indian are seen as distinct. But the term asian is still used but it is used only for like east asia and at most southeast asia

I say when our country has advanced to the point that we can have decent reputation then people will automatically start to differentiate us from western africa, or when they say africa they then clarify west africa as they do clarify east asia and somali will be distinct or taken with east africa or the horn of africa rather than the rest of the continent

All of this will come from awareness of how africa works which comes when africa is built to the point that people visit the countries and actually experience the nuance

I think the ceiling is higher for Somalia compared to the rest of East Africa, we will be seen as separate from them also in the future.

 

[Khal Mah Oma]

Idk why you lot care if someone asks what I am I immediately say somali and it's visible just by looking at me so no problems here i only say I'm Black for forms because that's what I'm socially seen as

I kinda find it weird that a lot of community who just don’t want to associate with the term. I think it’s the reputation of that name or maybe people don’t want to identify as a colour. I could agree if people say im more than a colour. But I get that feeling Somalis know they’re too distinctive so they believe they need to elevate that name to something more secluded to the mainstream term just by them saying they’re black.

 

[sums20]

I kinda find it weird that a lot of community who just don’t want to associate with the term. I think it’s the reputation of that name or maybe people don’t want to identify as a colour. I could agree if people say im more than a colour. But I get that feeling Somalis know they’re too distinctive so they believe they need to elevate that name to something more secluded to the mainstream term just by them saying they’re black.

Yea it's probably bc of the negative connotations to being Black but while people were trynna seperate us off they gave us an even worse rep and legit popularised the j word like its nuts. I never got the beef bc I've always been seen as somali first madow second

 

[SpaceyCadet]

You’re black and Somali. End of discussion.

*somali and black

 

[Keep it a boqol]

I’ve met ppl who refer to me as black person and non-black i don’t care but ill always tell them im Somali and refuse to take disrespect

 

[Nnn]

Yea it's probably bc of the negative connotations to being Black but while people were trynna seperate us off they gave us an even worse rep and legit popularised the j word like its nuts. I never got the beef bc I've always been seen as somali first madow second

I don’t like the fact that Somalis get made fun off for not calling themselves black when the reason some of us don’t call ourselves black is because black people told us to not call ourselves black ( I’ve experienced this in real life). This never gets acknowledged for some reason and it’s really annoying.

 

[Nnn]

I’ve met ppl who refer to me as black person and non-black i don’t care but ill always tell them im Somali and refuse to take disrespect

Yeah I just call myself Somali and if the person asking me wants to consider me black or not black that’s their personal business