Is Teresa Kerry African-American?

[question everything]

She is from Africa, but I have heard that some find this offensive, that this description should be used by descendants of slaves in this county.

What do you think?

[Indiana_Dem]

1. I think you're hilarious! lol

I never thought of that!

[tishaLA]

2. It's probably up to her.

Have you asked her by which identity she prefers to be known?

[Alenne]

3. I'm sure Teresa Kerry considers herself white

but if every white person from Africa would like to check African American on the census it can only add to our numbers.

[rucky]

12. She may single-handedly drive up the median income stats

then people will say, "what inequality"?

[MAlibdem]

19. I have a friend from S Africa

Who's white, he calls himself a white African American (well, he's not quite a citizen yet).

[Alenne]

24. Most people from South Africa or any African country

call themselves by what country they come from, South Africans, Nigerians, Sudanese. White South Africans are usually called Afrikaners.

[formernaderite]

40. A woman who works in our office is also from Mozambique...

She refers to herself as African. Yes, she too is of Portuguese extraction like Ms. Heinz. Her family escaped to Zimbabwe some 30 years ago,and then had to leave once again and move to South Africa nine years later. Eventually they all went back to Portugal, which they hated.
She knows she will never be able to go back to her homeland, but she also can't identify with being anything other than African. When she took classes at University, she told me she checked African-American which the administration told her she could not do. They suggested she state that she is Hispanic, because of her Latin family name, which she found hysterical. Needless to say, she was appalled at all the categorization that occurs here.

[AP]

4. Republicans will try to convince bigots that she is.

[arewethereyet]

5. its a running joke with my South African friends

they like to chide our mutual black friends. its all good natured.

[Dookus]

6. this is the whole problem with the term

"African-American"

It includes white people of African descent (which is not what the term is generally meant to imply) and it excludes people of African descent who may live in other places, say the Caribbean. Do we need to specify "African-Jamaicans" or "African-Haitians"?

[kskiska]

13. Same problem with "America" and "Americans"

The term "America" encompasses this entire hemisphere – North America and South America. They're all "Americans," actually. Somehow, the United States hijacked the term and I'm sure Canadians and many others resent it. I can't blame them.

[arcos]

18. American could include anyone in the Americas...

and actually a lot of people in Latin America resent that from the US.

In Latin America, North America and South America are not considered separate continents, it is only one, called America. Thus, anyone from any in the region can be considered an American.

It is not very politically correct to say "Soy americano"... you better say "Soy estadounidense". So... I'm not sure "African-American" necessarily excludes "African-Jamaicans" and "African-Haitians".

[Dookus]

23. Yes.. I understand that

the rest of the hemisphere also lays claim to the term "american". But then that means we need to use the term United-States-African-
American". Ugh.

I like "black".

[Alenne]

25. You can call yourself black

Nobody is forcing you to use African American but there are people who prefer African American.

[Dookus]

28. well I could

but it would be a lie.

The issue is, if I am referring to someone who's black, and I don't know anything else about them....

what should I call them? I don't know if they're American. What if I *DO* call someone from Jamaica an African-American - will everybody understand what I mean?


The term is either too broad or too narrow to be of much use.

[arcos]

29. I understand your point...

and yes, I agree.

Although I'm not American (in the narrow definition), I've always thought "black" was the better word to avoid confusion... it is the word most of the rest of the world uses.

[tishaLA]

30. It's Afro-Caribbean

like Audre Lorde, Claude McKay, etc.

[arcos]

33. do they call themselves Afro-Caribbean? n/t

[Alenne]

31. It really isn't that serious

Since most people in this country know that African American refers to a black person there would not be any confusion. But you can call whoever you want whatever you want.

[arewethereyet]

22. black is accurate, simple and straightforward

I never use the term African American.

[_Jumper_]

34. n/t

n/t

[spooky3]

37. I have been advised that "persons of color" is preferred for that very

reason. But for some reason that has not become the most popular usage. Maybe because many groups could legitimately claim that title, but that would obscure distinctions that some want made, e.g., between Latinos and African-Americans?

[AngryAmish]

38. I hate "persons of color" as a term

It implies that Anglos are transparent. Hate is actually too harsh of a term, but the phrase is unpleasing to my ear.

[Jerseycoa]

7. Bleh

[JI7]

8. she is from africa of portuguese descent

born and raised in mozambique africa, but of portuguese descent. she is an american citizen now. she has a really good knowledge of the world including america.

[jenk]

9. I thought she was french

Heinz? Sounds french to me.

[displacedtexan]

14. Heinz is German.

Were you trying for humor, or do you really not know that Heinz is a German name?

[jenk]

17. re

I thought it had something to do with all the Kerry-French GOP talking points.

[JohnKleeb]

16. married to John Heinz before he died

Portuegese does sound French though, I can see why you were mistaken jenk.

[Bucky]

41. Yes, before he died would be a good time to marry him. Good call, Teresa K

She was born American. Let's call her American. Sheesh. I guess since my ancestors came from Africa (aka, "Lucy") I could be called African-American too. I'm tired of being divided by race. Let's be Americans.

[SummerGrace]

10. Born in Mozambique - Portuguese parents

Born in Mozambique to colonial Portuguese parents, the former Teresa Simões-Ferreira earned a bachelor's degree in romance languages and literature from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa and a degree from the Interpreters School of the University of Geneva.

After John Heinz died in a 1991 plane crash, she was urged by state and national Republican leaders to run for her husband's seat.

Instead, she took charge of the $1.6 billion Howard Heinz Endowment and the Heinz Family Philanthropies. She created the prestigious Heinz Awards, which recognize outstanding vision and achievement in the arts, public policy, technology, economics, labor, the environment and the human condition.

[MoonRiver]

11. What part of Africa is she from?

In South Africa whites call themselves Africaners.

[Mairead]

27. She's from Mozambique

And I'm fairly sure the term 'Afrikaner' is only used by those whose first language is Afrikaans, since it means 'African' in that language. The English-descended ones call themselves 'South Africans'.

[Nicholas_J]

32. Nope

Afrikaaner is applied to people of Dutch ancesty who lived in South Africa. It is a specific term applied to people of Dutch Ancestry who lived in South Africa. It is not an appropriate term for any other white colonial resident of Africa. It is not applied to the white citizens of Zimbabwe(ex Rhodesia) or of Mozambique which was a Portugese colony. In essence Mrs Kerry is Portugese.

[Closer]

15. A french sounding

African American first lady. That'll go over REAL well with the southern and midwestern vote.

[JohnKleeb]

20. Actually its Portugese and a lot of those areas were originally

French like Lousiana still has a lot of French Creole descedants. Also your guy has a Jewish wife, if they wont go for Teresa what makes you think they would go for Judy Steinburg Dean. I won't play that way with you because I dont think people really care about a candiate's wifes background.

[JI7]

21. Iowa loved her

she is loved in iowa and every other part of the country.

[greatauntoftriplets]

26. We in the Midwest are hardly that provincial, especially not in Chicago.

That being said, I am still not a Kerry fan.

[genius]

35. Technically yes.

A fact is a fact.

[question everything]

36. Sigh of relief

Thanks, all. I was afraid that my post would be considered insensitive.. Last year, or two, the stunning actress Charlize Theron was the hostess of Saturday Night Live. She is from South Africa and introduced herself as African-American and I thought it was clever then but, then, this was SNL...

Of course there is also north Africa but we describe the people from there - Morocco, Algiers, Tunisia, Egypt - as Arabs.

I, too, find the term black the easiest, but someone once said that this describes a person in what s/he is not - white. I don't know. I am not good at PC.

And then there is Colin Powell who is described as African-American but was born in Jamaica.

Again, thank all for the interesting posts.

[DrFunkenstein]

39. And Kerry Is A Jew

And a Catholic one at that!

[Moderator]

42. locked

inflamatory