For most people, “Black” and “African-American” are interchangeable.

Both words mean the same. People think “African-American” is more politically correct and “Black” is a bit old-fashioned, but they still refer to the same group of people.

This is wrong. Take a closer look at each term and they both have different meanings.

Even knowledgeable informational platforms found on trusted search engines like Google don’t seem to recognize this difference.

According to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), Black or African American refers to “a person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa.”

Despite this, senior Chidubem Akpati, whose parents immigrated from Nigeria, has a different perspective.

“I define Black Americans as a product of history,” he said. “They’ve been oppressed so much in the past with slavery and segregation so their culture is different in the aspect that it’s their response of rising from the ashes with things like hip hop and all that in the face of oppression.”

On the other hand Akpati agrees with Community Commons’ definition for “African-Americans” saying that Black refers to racial identification while African refers more to ethnicity. 

“I feel like we have a lot of culture in us because of the struggles our ancestors went through to gain independence and preserve our culture after colonization,” he explained. “We have a rich culture and there are a lot of different denominations, cultures, languages and sections. But  I feel like there’s a parallel to Black America. We rise from oppression in a way that our culture thrives. As a whole I guess we are a product of our history.” 

Akpati considers himself a true African-American by definition.

While many Black or African-Americans may share  Akpati’s perspective, there are always differing viewpoints, as with any opinion.

“I wouldn’t separate the two terms,” said senior Chioma Chiawa, who immigrated to America from Nigeria when she was five. At the end of the day we all face the same racism. In the eyes of other people or races, we are the same, so I do see the point of separating us.”

Despite recognizing the unity between Black and African-Americans, both Chiawa and Akpati still acknowledge key differences between the two.

For example, Chiawa observes that African-Americans often display a strong sense of drive in their pursuits.

“I can speak from experience, at least for Nigerians, we are very hard working people,” she said. “I think it comes from the pressure from our parents because they’re coming to America for a better life and they want the best for us, so they push us to achieve our best. Besides that, I’d also say we’re loud, outgoing, funny and sometimes kind.”

Akpati agrees that parental pressures are influenced by an immigrant background.

“I feel like for African Americans, our parents having immigrated to this country, and our parents are more overbearing because we’re a direct lineage to how they struggled to come to America,” he said.

Despite their common skin color, the pressure to succeed is not a reality for Black Americans, according to Chiawa.

On the other hand, Akapati emphasizes that while Black Americans may not experience the same parental pressure as African immigrants, they still face expectations for success — just in a different way.

“I think the difference is that some Black Americans have been here for generations and they don’t have that struggle of having to fight to move to America, but I still think that pressure of success is there,” he said. “I think they use different means and look up to different people like Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X. But us Nigerians don’t have any connections to that because it’s not our history specifically.  I think the main difference is parents and who we look up to.”

Another difference Chiawa has observed after her time in the U.S. is how each group approaches religion. She noted that Black Americans don’t seem to engage with faith or church as deeply as African-Americans do.

“There definitely is a difference in culture when it comes to religions,” she said. ”Like for Africans it’s religion 24/7. You have to pray every morning and go to church every Sunday. You have church communities. A lot of Black Americans don’t identify with religion and don’t speak out.” 

At the same time, Chiawa acknowledges that this culture shift isn’t something Black Americans can control, because most of their descendants were forcibly brought to America as slaves. 

“The culture is obviously different,” she said. “If you come to another country without consent you’ll lose your old culture.” 

Black History Month celebrates the achievements of Black Americans, but is also a reminder of the over  400 years of torture and involuntary servitude to which people of African origins were subjected.

Even though slavery existed in many African home countries, the distinct separation between Black Americans and African-Americans is a direct result of European colonization.

“Historically, any group who migrates from their home country is going to differ from recent immigrants after generations of assimilation and acculturation in the United States,” AP African American Studies teacher Ms. Aditi Doshi said. “I think a more interesting question is how the terms people choose to identify themselves reflect bigger conversations about their community’s identity.”

Slavery was and still is a relevant part of Black and African history, and may also be a cause of difference between the two communities. However, Akpati believes that both communities are still closely connected.

“I feel like we’re all united in this struggle to make a name for ourselves because we do live in a white man’s world,” he said. “But there is a connection between us because we’re trying to do well in this country and overcome struggles in the workplace or school alike.”

Even though each group’s origins might be similar, certain topics cause division, like using the n-word. Some Black Americans argue that they can say the n-word because they went through European slavery, but African Americans can’t because they don’t have the same history.

But this argument doesn’t really make sense to Akpati.

“I feel like it’s complicated,” he said. “I mean, I feel like because of the history of the Black Americans as slaves and segregation but I also feel for black people living in Africa during colonization we weren’t called princesses and princes. Our ancestors were called racial slurs as well. While I personally don’t use the word, I feel like it’s a term that all black people can use. It’s a way to take our power back, so I feel like it’s not just for Black Americans. It’s a term for us black people to use as it gives us power because we’ve come so far in this world.” 

Chiawa agrees. Both African Americans and Black Americans experience racism on a daily basis, so there shouldn’t be any animosity.