NATIVE BLACK AMERICAN TRIBE

PLEASE VISIT, SUPPORT, PASS THE WORD AND HELP IT GROW: www.BlackAmericanTv.com (hopes to eventually be what BET would be if it was Black owned, operated and ultimate-decision controlled)

We are the Black American Tribe. We are soldier, lawmaker, businessman, athlete, entertainer, astronaut, scientist, visionary, revolutionary. We are rich, we are poor, we are Republican, we are Democrat, we are Libertarian, we are Communist, we are Christian, we are Muslim, we are Jew, we are atheist, we are Buddhist.

We are warriors, we are pacifists, we are straight, we are gay, we live and work in the city-country-suburbs-mountains-valleys and in every state of America. We are mixed with every people who has come to our land. We are light-skinned, we are dark-skinned, we are every color of the human rainbow.

We were here from the beginning of "America". We helped build what has become "America" from the first brick. We have fought and died in every war, rightly or wrongly, for "America".

Our Tribe was born of this land called the United States Of America. Next to the Native American Indian, we are the most indigenous peoples of this land called "America".

As we have evolved, so have we evolved-changed-affected America. Our struggles have been America's struggle to realize its full potential. America would not be "America" without the distinct contributions of our tribe.

Though we do not always recognize or acknowledge our distinct tribe, we are. This album is born of a desire for us to see us. A gathering of the Tribe.

If you can reasonably assume Black American Ancestors to before the Civil War on this land, then you are a member of our unique, wonderful, diverse tribe. The "Native" Black American Tribe. Welcome.

CLICK GREEN NUMBERS TO VIEW ADDITIONAL TRIBE PHOTO PAGES: 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

PLEASE EMAIL ALL COMMENTS/SUGGESTIONS/QUESTIONS TO: COMMENTS@ BLACKAMERICANTRIBE.COM

"Black-American" versus "African-American" Dr. Martin Luther King NEVER referred to Native Black Americans as "African-Americans". He used the terms "Black" and "Negro". Dr. King said that "the Negro knows little of Africa". There was great forethought and wisdom in Dr. King's recognition of the uniqueness of the Native Black American Tribe; a wisdom that other leaders have missed and therefore, in this regard, have misled. It is a mistake that should be corrected. Seeking this "correction" is not saying that Native Black Americans do not appreciate the African part of their heritage; it is to recognize the unique nature of Native Black America and to regain the strength that comes with knowing one's true tribe.

During the time when Nelson Mandela was being celebrated by Native Black American leaders, who had worked very hard for South Africa and Mr. Mandela's release, Mr. Mandela was asked by the press about his peoples' relationship to Black America. He answered that the Africans had more in common with the Native American Indian than the Black American. We should learn from King's wisdom and Mandela's honest response.

New York Times January 29, 1991 Poll Says Most Blacks Prefer 'Black' to 'African-American' AP

Despite the increasing use of the term African-American, most black Americans still prefer to be called black, according to a survey. The survey, by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a Washington research organization specializing in black issues, found that 72 percent preferred black, 15 percent African-American, 3 percent Afro-American and 2 percent Negro, with the rest giving no opinion or other responses. Milton Morris, the center's vice president for research, said the poll was conducted by telephone last fall among a random sampling of 759 black people nationwide. The survey had a sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points, he said.

The term African-American has gained currency recently, at the African-American Summit in New Orleans in April 1989 and when Ramona H. Edelin, president of the National Urban Coalition, suggested that the term would give black people a greater sense of their history. The Rev. Jesse Jackson endorsed the change, and the term has since been adopted by prominent blacks including Mayor David N. Dinkins of New York, Mayor Maynard Jackson of Atlanta and Representative William H. Gray 3d, Democrat of Pennsylvania.

The Joint Center has not embraced the change. "Individuals here use the term, but as an institution we have not adopted it," Mr. Morris said. "Frankly, we think that among other practical considerations it is a bit more cumbersome than is convenient for much of our communication." Mr. Morris said Mr. Jackson's endorsement appeared to have been the chief impetus for the movement to use African-American instead of black. "There is a strong inclination among what you might call the elite in the black community to fall in line with such pronouncements, so they have, and the white community has been very responsive," Mr. Morris said. Seeking a Sense of Public Mood Mr. Morris said his organization had undertaken its survey because "at no time have we had any sense of what the public preference was, what the mood was."

In polls in 1989 by Time magazine and The Chicago Tribune, a quarter of black respondents said they preferred African-American. In the Time poll, three-fifths said they preferred black; in the Tribune poll, two-fifths favored black and a third accepted either term. The Joint Center poll also considered preferences offering only the terms black and African-American. It found that black was preferred by 72 percent to 28 percent in the East, 76 percent to 24 percent in the Midwest, 85 percent to 15 percent in South and 78 percent to 22 percent in the West. The survey found more support for African-American among black men than among black women, 28 percent to 15 percent. Blacks with some college education favored African-American more than those who had not gone beyond high school, by 20 percent to 15 percent. Older blacks liked African-American the least, 17 percent for those of ages 50 and over, compared with 19 percent for those of ages 30 to 49 and 28 percent for those 18 to 29.