Interview with Naomi Tesema

Meet Naomi Tesema, a 12th grader and Mrs. Tadesse's niece! I really enjoyed this interview because a lot of my focus here was not her pressure from Caucasian culture, but from African American culture. A lot of Naomi's friends are black and she is quick to make an important distinction that we don't really think about. She finds that the term African American isn't really applicable to her friends because they have no idea where their ancestry comes from. By contrast, she knows she is Ethiopian and can identify with her African culture. She explains that most of her friends should be referred to as Black Americans. No doubt such a contrast is interesting to think about. For example, Caucasians do not refer to themselves as European American since many have no idea where their ancestors are from anyway. I wonder how many African Americans prefer that term. Something interesting to find out!