To the editor:

In my country, the United States of America, concerning the matter of race, in most cases one is either black or white.

My parents were born in North Carolina, and I was born in Nansemond County, Va., in 1938. During the 20^th century, we black folks were officially identified as “Colored,” “Negro” and “Black.” At a press conference at the Hyatt Hotel in Chicago in 1988, Jesse Jackson declared that black people should embrace the term “African American,”

However, if one looks at the matter from a reasonable perspective, it becomes obvious that if someone is black and is a native of the United States, he or she cannot have been born in Africa.

White people born in the U.S. are not specifically identified by their ethnic background, whether it be French, German, Italian or Irish. Our news media should, therefore, stop using the term African American when identifying black people.

I am not proud to be labeled as an African American, because it enhances the perception that I’m an immigrant.

Furthermore, I do not believe there is a pure white or black race in this country at this point in time.

I am a U.S. Army veteran and proud of my military service. And I will not lose my confidence in the Constitution or in the American people, because we are “one out of many.”

William H. Goodman

Suffolk