How much do you know about your roots?

[Afroman]

why is black an ethnicity?

and then you look on certain drop down menus and you see:

asian

indian

hispanic

middle eastern

other ethnicity

mixed race

BLACK > > > > ????

i mean... that is the only colour in that group... its not an ethnicity - that really annoys me

Same could be said about white

[Mame Biram Diouf]

if ethnics wanna call themselves english then thats up to them.

They will soon find out the hardway what white dave really thinks of them

You lot care about what other people think of you way too much

[Kim]

I kno enough im canadian russian english turkish

got russian nose turkish eyes

[JOHN DOE]

...and a dusty lifestyle 

[Wale]

Question so when someone from outside the UK ask you where are you from what's your reply. I work in a hotel so guest from the states or Australia will randomly ask where you from? I say London. Lol the looks on there face, some don't believe black peoples are actually born n raised in London and some have actually said to me that I don't have a British accent lol. They expect you to speak like Harry porter . While English guest know straight away that I'm from London cause of my accent.

So from now on when guest from outside ask me I just tell them Sierra Leone

[Grafter]

Nah man don't give in. You see in that situation u gta think whats the point of the question

The point is to validate their own ignorance that "black" folk cant born an grow in England.

In those situations I just say "here" "london" or "England "

I had the same thing in Spain. If i was to tell them Jamaica it means nothing to the point of their question. When they hear what they are expecting they can relax their curiosity and move on with life. The question is not where are you from its how come you are here? Why do you speak English

And the answer is simple I am English

This woman at my job in spain plain didn't believe me because all the blacks she met were from Africa and not Europe it seemed

She ended our conversation with "in spain we accept all types of nationalities " as if i were hiding my nationality

So jus think about who it is askin you the question an dont try to appease them. Tell the truth

If its African or Caribbean askin me depend on how i feel ill say here or Jamaica. I always know what they want but sometimes its not relevant an sometimes i dnt wanna talk to the person so when i say here i get a confused face an therea nothing more to say

Rarely does a Jamaican ask me where I'm from.

[time_bomb]

I always get the "where u from" question, I just say im from london but my family are algerian, done, not a big deal at all. Some people are just genuinely curious/interested in knowing your roots, i am myself, if i ask a british arab whats their origins i dont really wanna know if theyre from london i already know this from speaking to them, i want to know which arab country their family is from, same way if im in conversation with a black person i may ask if theyre caribbean or african background, makes no difference to me its just talking.

 

/

 

If i had a pound for every time i hear benzema/zidane/world cup following my answer...

[Guest babatundestacks]

Weird.

whenever someone asks me where im from i just say nigeria.

Surprised so many actually say england.

Never really hear blacks apart from the odd carib elder say england.

[JOHN DOE]

i say im from london beacuse i am 

 

i was not born in Ghana I was born here 

 

I say my parent are from xxx but i was born here 

 

stacks unless you were born in nigeria, you are not nigerian 

 

you have nigerian orgins but if born here you are definielty not nigerian and if you were to go to nigeria today some would call u oyinbo because you are from london even if your surname is adekunle

[VENOM]

i see brem and Rina's points and understand their viewpoints. 

 

my opinion is that your heritage should be appreciated and celebrated. The annoying part is that if you're not white then somehow you get singled out more in the "where are you originally from" question, even though a white person could be Italian or Russian and never asked this question.

 

british history lessons teach non white people that they are 1st or second generation immigrants, when the fact is that there have been black people on these isles for 2000 years. do these people not have descendants? ive read books that show there were up to 30,000 black and mixed race people in bristol alone during a census in the late 1700's. 

 

but today black people are made to feel like they all just arrived after the 2nd world war on the Windrush...therefore negating any legitimate claim to having really being able to lay claim to the land. 

not every black person can trace their heritage for sure to the carribean or Africa and they can only state this heritage by default based on the colour of their skin. 

 

Since these people are clearly in their many thousands i do not see why this cannot be respected, so if a black person tells you he/she is from clapton thats where they're from STFU and not ask any deeper about where they originate from. You whitey asking them this originated from the caucus caves..we don't ask about your 'original' heritage..so dont ask about mine.

 

if the black person tells you they originate from Timbuktu..then that's what THEY disclosed to you and that's what they identify with. There is no right or wrong way of identifying with your heritage, but there is a very wrong way of how white people interprete non white's heritage in their default daemon ignorant way. 

[james00]

would rather say London/England because their ideas of society line up with western culture more than some of the archaic beliefs in countries like Jamaica, Nigeria, Ghana, middle east etc. 

[Grafter]

i see brem and Rina's points and understand their viewpoints.

my opinion is that your heritage should be appreciated and celebrated. The annoying part is that if you're not white then somehow you get singled out more in the "where are you originally from" question, even though a white person could be Italian or Russian and never asked this question.

british history lessons teach non white people that they are 1st or second generation immigrants, when the fact is that there have been black people on these isles for 2000 years. do these people not have descendants? ive read books that show there were up to 30,000 black and mixed race people in bristol alone during a census in the late 1700's.

but today black people are made to feel like they all just arrived after the 2nd world war on the Windrush...therefore negating any legitimate claim to having really being able to lay claim to the land.

not every black person can trace their heritage for sure to the carribean or Africa and they can only state this heritage by default based on the colour of their skin.

Since these people are clearly in their many thousands i do not see why this cannot be respected, so if a black person tells you he/she is from clapton thats where they're from STFU and not ask any deeper about where they originate from. You whitey asking them this originated from the caucus caves..we don't ask about your 'original' heritage..so dont ask about mine.

if the black person tells you they originate from Timbuktu..then that's what THEY disclosed to you and that's what they identify with. There is no right or wrong way of identifying with your heritage, but there is a very wrong way of how white people interprete non white's heritage in their default daemon ignorant way.

Didnt queen victoria send them back?

Have you ever met an African whos family have been here for centuries?

I think i see one somali on tv whose family were here since the 1920s. Thats it for me

[ag.]

i say im from london beacuse i am 

 

i was not born in Ghana I was born here 

 

I say my parent are from xxx but i was born here 

 

stacks unless you were born in nigeria, you are not nigerian 

 

you have nigerian orgins but if born here you are definielty not nigerian and if you were to go to nigeria today some would call u oyinbo because you are from london even if your surname is adekunle

one time at the barbers in a conversation i musta said something like "im british" lol

not even anything extra

but the way the barber lectured me kmt lol some old burundi guy 

he was right tho when i look back

[i5_PRODUCER]

i say im from london beacuse i am 

 

i was not born in Ghana I was born here 

 

I say my parent are from xxx but i was born here 

 

stacks unless you were born in nigeria, you are not nigerian 

 

you have nigerian orgins but if born here you are definielty not nigerian and if you were to go to nigeria today some would call u oyinbo because you are from london even if your surname is adekunle

 

 

[ag.]

fgjlbfbgvofbv. lool

[i5_PRODUCER]

I wish I knew more though.

 

Born over here , so was my mum , Grandma born in Naija

 

I've never even been.

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>WHEN YOU MEET ELDERS FOR THE FIRST TIME AND YOU CAN'T EVEN COMMUNICATE

 

The look of disgust

[Wavant]

Lolololololololololol

[Guest babatundestacks]

i say im from london beacuse i am 

 

i was not born in Ghana I was born here 

 

I say my parent are from xxx but i was born here 

 

stacks unless you were born in nigeria, you are not nigerian 

 

you have nigerian orgins but if born here you are definielty not nigerian and if you were to go to nigeria today some would call u oyinbo because you are from london even if your surname is adekunle

 

 

 

 

Meh i lived in lagos until i was in year 2 is that nigerian enough for you pmsl.

The bit in bold is something that does not happen btw..

Nigerians are very accepting.

Especially if most of your family are back home and you visit regularly.

[Meticulous]

i say im from london beacuse i am 

 

i was not born in Ghana I was born here 

 

I say my parent are from xxx but i was born here 

 

stacks unless you were born in nigeria, you are not nigerian 

 

you have nigerian orgins but if born here you are definielty not nigerian and if you were to go to nigeria today some would call u oyinbo because you are from london even if your surname is adekunle

lol @ all this

 

when a child is born he comes automatically with history

[JOHN DOE]

 

i say im from london beacuse i am 

 

i was not born in Ghana I was born here 

 

I say my parent are from xxx but i was born here 

 

stacks unless you were born in nigeria, you are not nigerian 

 

you have nigerian orgins but if born here you are definielty not nigerian and if you were to go to nigeria today some would call u oyinbo because you are from london even if your surname is adekunle

 

 

 

 

Meh i lived in lagos until i was in year 2 is that nigerian enough for you pmsl.

The bit in bold is something that does not happen btw..

Nigerians are very accepting.

Especially if most of your family are back home and you visit regularly.

 

more than

[james00]

 

i say im from london beacuse i am 

 

i was not born in Ghana I was born here 

 

I say my parent are from xxx but i was born here 

 

stacks unless you were born in nigeria, you are not nigerian 

 

you have nigerian orgins but if born here you are definielty not nigerian and if you were to go to nigeria today some would call u oyinbo because you are from london even if your surname is adekunle

lol @ all this

 

when a child is born he comes automatically with history

 

 

Can you expand on this?

[Afroman]

I find it rude and nosey when people ask. I know sometimes it's just a genuine ice breaker for some people. But like smaddys said some have other motives.

It usually boils down to who is asking.

It's when they drop comments after like oh my insert person here is xxxxx.

Like I really care.

My government should be a giveaway. If they can't figure out from there then boy........

Sometimes I just respond with its irrelevant.

[Lieutenant]

It's mad how different people have different perceptions.

When I was in Egypt last year people kept coming up to me and trying to guess where I was from... Bangladesh, Pakistan and Ghana were the most popular guesses ?. I also heard Egyptian, Algerian and Emerati a lot.

I tell them London and they laugh like... "No really where?"

[Meticulous]

 

 

i say im from london beacuse i am 

 

i was not born in Ghana I was born here 

 

I say my parent are from xxx but i was born here 

 

stacks unless you were born in nigeria, you are not nigerian 

 

you have nigerian orgins but if born here you are definielty not nigerian and if you were to go to nigeria today some would call u oyinbo because you are from london even if your surname is adekunle

lol @ all this

 

when a child is born he comes automatically with history

 

 

Can you expand on this?

 

you are born with heritage, it shouldnt just start from your memory or your birth place tbh

[james00]

 

 

 

i say im from london beacuse i am 

 

i was not born in Ghana I was born here 

 

I say my parent are from xxx but i was born here 

 

stacks unless you were born in nigeria, you are not nigerian 

 

you have nigerian orgins but if born here you are definielty not nigerian and if you were to go to nigeria today some would call u oyinbo because you are from london even if your surname is adekunle

lol @ all this

 

when a child is born he comes automatically with history

 

 

Can you expand on this?

 

you are born with heritage, it shouldnt just start from your memory or your birth place tbh

 

Agreed but not all heritage should be celebrated.

 

Some probably most should be rejected.