Which Racial Identifiers Do Black People In The United States Use Now? (Selected Comments From The July 10, 2025 TabithaSpeaksPolitics Discussion Thread)

TabithaSpeaksPolitics, July 1, 2025
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Statistics as of July 10, 2025 at 10:26 PM EDT
Total # of views - 39,655
Total # of comments - 681

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases a vlog and selected comments from TabithaSpeaksPolitics YouTube channel in which Tabitha corrects misperceptions about whether or not she is connected to several Black racial groups, movements, or lineages.

This post also presents some comments from that video's discussion threads about how they racially identify themselves.

The content of this post is presented for historical and socio-cultural purposes  

All copyrights remain with their owners

Thanks to TabithaSpeaksPolitics for her YouTube vlog and thanks to all those who are quoted in this pancocojams post.
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Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2024/06/article-excerpts-about-population.html for a pancocojams post explaining the terms "Foundational Black Americans" (FBA) and the closely related term "Americans Descendants Of Slaves (ADOS).
 
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A QUOTE FROM THIS VLOG'S DISCUSSION THREAD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYxd63y1Bwo

"I'm getting a lot of people trying to connect me to FBA's Foundational black Americans.
I am not a .. I don't identify as a foundational black American. I Yeah. The the head of of 
that group. No. Mm-m. I mm- no, it's a no. Okay.

People are trying to connect me to um I believe that's American Descendants of Slaves. I'm not connected to that group either. Not at all.

Somebody asked me about the Nation of Islam. I'm not connected to them either.

Somebody asked me about um Hebrew Israelite. I am not connected to to that ...them either. I am not connected to any of these groups.

I am a Black American.

That's it. I roll alone"...

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SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THIS VLOG'S DISCUSION THREAD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYxd63y1Bwo

All of these comments were published on July 10, 2025. These comments are given in relative chronological order based on their publishing time, except for replies.

Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.

1. @poshscene
"Per the scriptures, we American Blacks are from the tribe of Judah, we are not even African. African come from Ham. We black Americans are from Shem (both Noah’s sons): It’s about bloodline. That’s why Africans look different and treat us a tourist and don’t like us either. We are not the same. So much more to this story but I’m going to leave it here…we were in Africa because in the land of Judah where we lived, we were taken over by Babylon in the scriptures of Kings so we fled to Africa to blend in and that why we were there and that’s why the Africans sold us out because we were not them. They are our cousins though but we are not African that s why there is no connection."

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2. @PrettyPowerfulAndPersevering
"I’m blackety black black BLACK AMERICAN"

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3. @precioustee19
"Black American all day in all ways  and proud to be!!"

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4. @candyfields535
"Thank you, Tabitha, for all your efforts. We appreciate you! 100%. I'm a Black American female expat living abroad.  I view your podcast everyday. You keep me informed. I'm not familiar with those groups. I was wondering what FOB stood for. lol...Tabitha, you keep rolling alone and focus on Black Americans. Full stop."
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"FOB" is a typo for "FBA" (Foundational Black American).

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5. @dianneyung111
"I'm a 92 percenter.  Other than that I am a black American woman. Full stop."
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"92 percenter" - The percentage of Black women who were reported (by state's voter exit polls) to have voted for Kamala Harris for President in the November 5, 2024 United States national election. 

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6. @mnat089
"I am a Black American woman.  I'm associated with momma, daddy & em!! LOL!!!"

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7. @2good2leaveunow
"I am Black, like Tabatha, I don't belong to any of those groups mentioned. I am Black American and am a descendent of slaves and people who lived through the history of  lacks in America. I do not identify as African American. That term is vague as Africa is a continent. My culture is that of Black American. And yes, I can recognize the disrespect that Africans who look down on us and who think they are better as they run to the US for Black American dollars, screw up Black American festivals and talk smack. I am not here for the foolery."

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8. @greymatters7039
"THANK YOU!  I don’t know where all these factions cropped up from, but I’m an American who happens to be black. 

My family is multiracial and we’ve been here since the 1800’s comprised of free and enslaved descendants."

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Reply
9. @ShouttyCatt
"They cropped up specifically to create division. Think of how all the divisions happening within this country. Between the races, sexes, political parties, etc. It’s ON PURPOSE.

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10. @ShiningHawkHealing
"In 1988 Jessie Jackson made the announcement that Black People no longer wanted to be called Black. (No one called me or anyone in my family.)  His reasoning is that we as Black People would be more united with a name that represents a history rather than a color. It sounds noble and would be if it had any effect on our situation as a minority culture in this America. As a Black Woman in her 60's I have always been uncomfortable being called African American because I have never been African. I have always been Black and I have always been American. I love ALL people and I want to respect the culture of every person I meet. Preferring to be one thing over another is everyone's right as human beings. There should be no problem here. This Black woman, Tabitha chooses to be called Black American. She is a proud Black woman who knows what she wants. Why is that a problem?  We shouldn't get all twisted up and take off earrings because her choice is not your choice. As for Essence, it's like Harlem...gentrified. That is the way of this world. People will sell out their culture for dollars and then wonder why the culture dies out.  Peace and love to all.  Stay safe. Stay frosty.  Walk in Beauty.💚💚💚"

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11. @jacquelynjackson4346
"Tabitha I support and I stand with you. Im a black American woman two that is half Filipino bit I have always been a black woman...period"

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12. @Legally_Bomb
"Black American 🇺🇸 man here with 8 great-grandparents descended from American chattel slavery. We don’t need a group—we are one, already connected by blood. 🩸 We descend from the roughly 388,000 Africans forcibly brought to what became the U.S. Our shared lineage is our unbreakable bond."

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13. @precioustee19
"Black American all day in all ways  and proud to be!!"

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14. @miltoncraighead3659
"Thank you, Tabitha. I am a "Black American", not African American. An American of African descent."

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15. @Anthony-hs9wb
"I am a Caribbean born Black American."

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16. @hillarydaniel2936
"I’m black from the Caribbean. I consider myself Jamerican😂, but I identify very much with black America, and respect the struggles, but not with any of those groups you mentioned."

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17. @KevinGarris-b9o
"The only ideology that considers the overall collective, while making room for the individual expression of groups within it, is Pan-Africanism. The  native born Black American,, Nigerian, Trinidadian, Jamaican, etc doesn't have to throw off his individual identity, but recognizes his connection to the whole. Are there those who are divisive within the diaspora, sure, but we  exclude them from the Pan-African vision."

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Reply
18. @lukewhite3033
"Obsidian Luke here. It took a while but your’s is the only comment that gets to the core. Divided we fail.  Every one of us have to account for our time on this passage called life. ❤"

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Reply
19.@KevinGarris-b9o
 @lukewhite3033  Thank you brotha, I see that as our only path forward.

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20. @lisawicks8205
"I’ve been saying this…. I’m a Black American woman…. And do not call me African-American either."

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21. @lindarussell1287
"Remember back in the day (To be young gifted and BLACK) I'M a black American ten toes down." 

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22. @NCT127stan
"I’m a black American woman my are parents black American and grandparents were black American and my great great grandparents were black American and  I’m’ proud of it.  Nobody has the right to tell me who i am.  And I am part of 92% in a red state."

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23. @Gerberdaisy77
"I am a woman of certain age and was never comfortable with the term “African American.”  I wasn’t born in Africa.  Most Africans don’t like the term either and I don’t blame them."

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24. @louwill2012
"Black Guyanese American here,  Black people, stop the division.. do not take a page from MAGA, and become, MBASGA- Make Black Americans Slaves Great Again? If this is about reparations, it is all yours. Trump said that the check is in the mail"

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25. @tomikkapershard1952
"I Stand With You ❤❤❤  I Am A Black American Woman 🫶🏾🫶🏾🫶🏾 And Appreciate You Tabitha 10 Toes Down !!!"

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26. @chukwumaduru2435
"As a Nigerian American male!  I respect and empathize with the lived experiences of African Americans.  Thank you for your content!"

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27. @GrammaJamma4U
"You have every right to be who you are. I am a Black American, acknowledging my African ancestry, a descendant of both the kidnapped and the dispossessed.  I appreciate the Diaspora and Pan-Africanism as long as respect is mutual. We are connected but we are of many cultures, faith systems, and diverse histories.  When you come to this country I expect respect. When I visit other countries I give my respect. It has to be a two way street. We are a unique people stripped of our languages, religions, cultures and land. We recreated our selves through defiance, struggle, perseverance and a refusal to bow to erasure, while creating our unique linguistics and music genres. I am more than ready to appreciate those who appreciate us."

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28. @hipking23
"I'm black Caribbean, and I get your messaging Tabitha. You been true to your purpose and goals since day one. I support you 💯."

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29. @RBaldwinning
"I'm still trying to figure out why everyone is in such an uproar for us wanting to delineate ourselves. If you ask anyone in the diaspora if they are Black American, they will quickly correct you and tell you where they're from. The minute we proudly proclaim to be Black American, we're promoting hate and division. This has nothing to do with hating other people in the diaspora. Living in South Florida, I experienced the disrespect first hand on a consistent basis for years from people within the diaspora. Being told that Black American women were dirty, ratchet, and loud. That Bllack Americans in general were lazy and that because i worked hard and was educated that I must be Carribean - that is NOT a compliment. I would NEVER go to someone else's country and disrespect them like that. I experienced more insults from people within the diaspora than I ever did from yt ppl. Sorry for the long message but this is all real personal. I'm with you sis. Enough with the disrespect. Love to everyone but stop it with the nonsense!"

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30. @NotJustYet3579
"I'm just a black man in a hostile land.  That simple."

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31. @robertmartinjr.4537
"Im a American Born Proud Black Man. Nuff said💯💪✌️"

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32. @tinajoneswilliams4253
"I have always been Black, not African American, or anything else. As a teen in the 60s, James Brown admonished us to Say It Loud. I'm Black, and I'm Proud." Xoxo 💕"

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33. @GoldBonap
"I am a African American... that's it. Like Ms. Tabitha... Not just connecting to any group.  WE thank you ☮☮💜💜"

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34. @EELCA
"You have great support from the Caribbean. We stand with you and thankful to you for educating us on the black American culture. I wish immigrants would take the time list to your podcast and be grateful if the get the opportunity to live in the country that welcome them whether it's the US or any other country. Stay blessed sending love from the Caribbean 😊😊"

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35. @bigutz8335
"Why can’t people just let you be who you want to be. I am Black American. The group I am affiliated with is my Momma and the rest of my family."

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36. @thatonegirlelaine
"I am a Black American. Point blank, periodt."

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37. @celestephillips4832
"From the cradle to the grave, I'm a Black American Woman"

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38. @meep2253
"I'm a proud AFRICAN American descendant of Cameroon Peoples."

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Reply
39. @Royalgazlite
"​@meep2253 Some of us are a mixture, my father's side has mostly black foundational roots, but my mother's side is a mixture of lots of things. Yes we claim are ancestors came from Africa but majority of us our people have been here before slavery, some indigenous etc. So conclusion, we claim black as a culture! Our history is black American history. Not everyone elses ! Get it or this is still so complicated. The government put the label African American to identify, them from us!"

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Reply
40. @itachimistress
"I make white people say African American lol"

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41. @mariehernandez5878
"I appreciate you saying this.  I often thought the designation was presumptuous."

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Reply
42. @Royalgazlite
"@itachimistress 😂 I get it! Because the way they say "The BLACK'S " makes me want toooo 💪🏽💥"

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Reply
43. @itachimistress
"Exactly! I ain't time to side eye! 😂​ @Royalgazlite"

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44. @shaywilliams3358
"I am so with you I’m a black American even though I have Native American in my background and I have Irish American in my background, but I’m black and a black."

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46. @odesinadosunmu3923
"2:23  Yes! Canadians call themselves Black Canadian or simply black. Only those who actually have an African parent can we say Afro Canadian, but even then, we are black. I am glad to see more and more black Americans' identity as black American."

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Reply
47. @Tiff_76543
"On the census we are African American though."

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48. @SeasonedWoman1900
"What’s so strange is the entire world is fascinated with black Americans and our culture yet don’t want to give us our respect! I am over it too

I don’t know about everyone else, but I have always had a problem with the term African-American given the fact that we have so much other blood running through our veins European blood, Native American blood Latin blood all these bloodlines running through our veins which is basically America

I’m not putting anyone else down, but I don’t think black America owes anybody anything"

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49. @lakesharobinson111
"I am a Black American woman and I'm proud"

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50. @snookiejackson7602
"I am a Black American Man born and raise from New Orleans period"

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51. @swatkashamphotoimagery-n3e
"I am a Nigerian and there is NOTHING that will make me disrespect Black Americans! I honor you, I honor the pain and struggles that you have  had to face. I may not be received, and may be looked at with suspicion, but I'm not even mad at that - I understand. As for me and mine, we will fight for what you fight for."

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Reply
52. @johnwebb2442
"We Are Family, the African Diaspora."

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53. @TunTheOfficial
"🥺 I’m a black girl with Caribbean descent but I see y’all as my people being I been here all my life. Texas born"

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54. @msjay8668
"I’m with you. I am black America. Not African  either."

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Reply
55. @Tesha-A
"I so agree! Black America all day."

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Reply
56. @vindictivetiger
"I am a Black American woman... all of my ppl traced back 12 generations were all born here. My daughter has done extensive work on our family tree and we're blackity black black black only."

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57. @ValerieYates-m4h
"I am a Black American Woman, born here, fourth generation strong."

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58. @johnwebb2442
"I'm a Black American too.   I was born Black, I was raised Black and I'll die Black."

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59. @exiledfrommyself
"For as long as I can remember, whenever someone asked me, I would always say I'm American. I didn't need to include the black part because you can obviously see the color of my skin. I don't understand why we have all these different things now. It just seems like a way to divide us. The white racists don't care what we identify as; they're going to treat us all the same way."

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Reply
60. @1fortune2010
"Good for you, that you stated you're an American, however, I don't like the term "Black", because my skin color is not black and neither is yours, but I guess we have to live with this terminology."

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61. @kelvinbrown8131
"Proud Black man from South Central Los Angeles period ✌🏿"

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62. @Dot-t2k
"I support every descendant of Africans'  right to define themselves for themselves. 

I have been through all the name changes we experienced:  Negro, Colored, Afro American, African American, and New World African (which somehow never caught fire).

Identify (or not) how you want.

The only thing that matters is this:

STANDING AGAINST RACISM WHETHER FROM WITHOUT OR WITHIN.

Thank you, Tabitha, for your content."

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63. @MariaRogers-xh5od
"I don't think foundational Black Americans are a group Tabitha, but that is how a lot of young Blacks are calling themselves! It's not a group, its a term!!! We are Black Americans, Foundational Black Americans call themselves Black Americans!!"

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Reply
64. @PPHDocumentaries
"Black American and African American mean the same thing. Black and African is used is used interchangeably in certain situations. And Black American And African American is used interchangeably. You don`t have to have been to Africa to be a African American. Africa is not necessarily where your born, its in you. Its a ethnicity. Ethnicity means shared ancestry shared culture and place of origin. It  don`t have to be all 3. I`m not telling you how to identify i`m just stating facts to get rid of any confusion."

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65. @catbaloo22
"I have never identified myself as an African American. As with most of us Americans who are Black (with a capital ‘B’) our ancestors were brought here from Africa but were stripped of almost every tie to Africa; the languages, the traditions, the cultures. Our ancestors had to blend the fragments saved from various tribes with the harsh realities of the cruelty of slavery and creat something new. Black American culture is a unique 100% American creation that has been contributing to and influencing all American culture since the beginning of this nation. Black folks in the United States today are about as African as white folks here are British."

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66. @mackadoo101
"Tell them Tabitha! I am not connected to any of the above. But what I am is A Black Proud American Woman...and that's it! Like it or lump it! My Ancestors were brought over to this country as slaves. We have heritage from all of that. But I personally am not from Africa, therefore I am not African. I am straight up American and happily a Black American Woman!"

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Reply
67. @peachesjohnson9387
"ME TOO 92% HERE ❤😊"

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68. @yvettewilliams5967
"Thank you Tabitha. You are a BLACK AMERICAN WOMAN! PROUD, STRONG, EDUCATED AND WISE! Do not join any of those groups, many of them have some real ‘hate’ issues. I saw a few talking some stuff. Continue to be yourself. No fighting with anyone. I am with you CARIBBEAN AMERICAN here."

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69. @sadiewilliams
"I'm a black American my daddy a black American my mama is a black American my grandpa my grandma are black Americans my great-great-grandparents is black American!"

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70. @violawood309
"Thank you sis, I actually had to look up a lot of these titles. We started off as colored, then negro, then afro American, then African American, then black American, and now foundational American...stop, just.....stop! Say it loud! We're black and we're proud!"

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71. @ricofrost3676
"Tabitha, you are actually an Israelite by birth as are all us so called black peoples who descended from slaves. This is 💯 percent facts and the Bible is our history book. All of the things happening now has been written in the Bible and once we as a people turn back to Our God Yah in heaven our deliverance is nigh…please check this for yourself"

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72. @tammhawk15
"I am a black American that happened to be foundational to this country."

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73. @CynFromMN
"I'm Blackety Blackety Black ya'll! I BLACK and I'm Proud!!!!!"

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Reply
74. @johnwebb2442
"Me too."

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Reply
75. @lwills8609
"Say It Loud!!!  This is me all day everyday!!!"

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Reply
76. @drkCapricornrose
"Say it again sis! ✊🏾💅🏾"

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77. @elanatyson2347
"I remember talking to someone from my past after many years who had at some point aligned himself with the Black Israelite movement, which I know absolutely nothing about . . . he told me that the first thing I needed to do was to get my passport in order, " . . . in case you have to leave this country." And he was serious. My response was that I have no intention of leaving because this country is where I am from . . . I am a Black American. Where am I supposed to run away to - Israel?"

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78. @sharonb.9128
"Got it. I will still consider myself an African American despite the black diaspora trying to treat us like or worse than white people. What I refuse to do is allow anyone to define me as “descents of slaves” as if we didn’t exist before we were dragged here. We are descended from the builders of civilization. I’m a descendant of much more than slaves"

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79. @Nemby2
"Regardless of where we were shipped, we were all BLACK!!!  As a people we were shipped and traded internationally."

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80. @maryjackson9816
"My ancestors were kidnapped from Africa.  Some African nations was involved in selling slaves.  I was born in America, with that being said, I am a black american.  If you're not, you do you"

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81. @lindah.2815
"First let me state I am a black american. Now. What the heck is a Foundational American. I didn't know we had all these different groups out there."

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82. @sabrinacheeks8876
"I'm a proud black American born in Texas...black like that...💙💙💙 92 percent 🙏🙏 God bless us all 🙏"

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83 @CLARA-j9o
"I love you, speak up im partly from the Caribbean diaspora and i respect black americans"

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84. @siennathique3779
"What-the-what⁉️ What’s going on? I must be missing something! We’ve got to get it together y’all! “United We Stand, Divided We Fall”!🙏🏾"

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85. @Kenwyfe29
"The groups are only a diversion and another way to cause confusion and division between the Black American community. Don’t fall for it!"

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86. @MALLYGEEZ1
"Im so confused by this convo. Why are different groups of black people getting bent out of shape by what other black people identify as???"

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87.@rayhunt6696
"What do you mean when you say you’re a  Black American? Are you of of Haitian Descent? Nigerian? Ghanaian American? They’re all black as well."

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88. @CoachAhava-0000
"Proud black American femme. i may be ethnically mixed yet i am culturally black. and proud.  Past groups had problems also and until the misogyny and self hate stuff is addressed I'll be blackity black black."

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89. @fgurley1
"Agree Tabitha! Black American woman here walking tall through it ALL!"

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90. @lyndapatterson850
"I have a sincere question for you what do you consider a black American? You know black is a color, where is Black land at? Do you know people identify themselves with a land culture and geography if you take the Chinese they have a land geography and culture ! When you say black , where is black land at?"

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