backBY: Aura_Jenell
Excerpts from J.A. Roger's book 100 Amazing Facts About the Negro: With Complete Proof, published by Helga M. Rogers, St. Petersburg, FL, 1957, pp. 14, 40"The most ancient names for so-called black people are Nehesu, or Nubian; Ethiopian, and Moor from Ancient Eqypt, and Negro or Nigrita from West Africa. All the above are native African words. "Negro" is probably the oldest as the Negritos are the oldes known branch of the human race. "Negro" comes from the River Niger. "Niger" found its way into Latin and since the people from that region were dark-skinned, Niger, nigra, nigrum came to mean black. Negro, Negrito, Negrita, means "the people of the great river." Black and colored, like white, are, on the other hand, European words. Ethiopian and Moor were probably used to describe the so-called black until 1500. Shakespeare uses "Negro" only once and uses it synonymously with Moor. Africa comes from the ancient Egyptian "Af-rui-ka," or Kafrica, the land of the Kaffir."
from Proof, Miscellaneous:
"For the history of the word, "Niger" and "Nigrita" from which "Negro" comes, see Sir William Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography, Vol. II, p, 429, as well as pp.296-7. Also Journal Royal Soc., Vol. II, pp. 1-28 (1832) by W.M. Leake, who says with regard to the African origin of "Niger," "More than one celebrated writer have fallen into the errror of supposing 'Niger,' a Latine word." Also Sir Rufus Donkine, "The Niger,"pp. 16, 144; and Gerald Massey, "A Book of the Beginnings," Vol. III, p. 610. For the origin of "Ethiopia," see Vol. I, p.36 of the latter work.
"Black" and "colored" on the other hand, have no historic meaning whatever for African peoples. Black, from the Anglo-Saxon, blaec, has most horrible meanings. See any large dictionary. "Colored" is related to the Latin, celare, to conceal, to color up, to paint a thing other than in its true light. Thus the tendency to decry "Negro" on the ground that it means "slavery" is sheer ignorance. For instance, a Negro newspaper took a poll of its readers some years ago and they chose "colored." But the jim-crow car, that greatest degrader of American citizenship is usually marked "colored." the majority of this paper's circulation is in the South. Did they choose "colored" so as to be in line with the jim-crow policy? Still another paper used "race-man," which makes the uninitiated think of the race track. Another very racial group, chooses "black" which, as was said, is positively a white man's word.
Of course, there is only one race--the human race. But of all the names used by the stronger group in America to set the dark-skinned citizen apart, Negro is the least objectionable. Not only is it very ancient but it has a record in America of four centuries of fortitude, endurance, and survival power, rate in the annals of mankind. "Negro" is making a splendid progress towards prestige in such terms as Negro spirituals, Negro boxer, Negro music, Negro athlete, Negro soldier, Negro loyalty.
There is not a single noted name that was not once used in contempt or is still even so used in parts of the world. Christain, Anglo-Saxon, Scotch, Irish, Englis, American, Yankee, all were once very much looked down on.
Shakespeare's use of Negro deals with miscegnation. merchant of Venice,III, v. 42.
I have dealt more at length on this subject in an article called, "What shall We Call Ourselves?" "
EDIT:
Please hold off a bit on publishing above text– in my haste to post that stuff on "race," I did not adequately reference some other sources – and I don’t want to take credit for someone else’s work. Let me go back and footnote accordingly – it may take me a while, because I’m in the middle of a move and have lots of stuff in boxes – but I will get back to you – I promise.
Colored or Not?
A black man walks into a cafe one early morning and noticed that he was the only black man there. As he sat down, he noticed a white man behind him.
The white man said, "Colored people are not allowed here."
The black man turned around and stood up. He then said:
"When I was born I was black,"
"When I grew up I was black,"
"When I'm sick I'm black,"
"When I go in the sun I'm black,"
"When I'm cold I'm black,"
"When I die I'll be black."
"But you sir..."
"When you're born you're pink,"
"When you grow up you're white,"
"When you're sick, you're green,"
"When you go in the sun you turn red,"
"When you're cold you turn blue,"
"And when you die you turn purple."
"And you have the nerve to call me colored"
The black man then sat back down and the white man walked away...
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