“I was born in 1973, when ‘black’ was beautiful and the people around me took that seriously. It is difficult for me to think of myself in any other terms,” said Conseula Francis, director of the College of Charleston’s African-American studies program. “Also, I prefer the term black because it more accurately captures the diversity of the black diaspora than the term ‘African-American.’ “
Patricia Williams Lessane, executive director of C of C’s Avery Research Center, said; “I grew up with hip-hop and reading writers like Toni Morrison and Alice Walker, who definitely see/use Africa and African retentions in African-American culture, … I see myself as an African American, at the same time recognizing/celebrating/embracing my blackness …. I do use the terms interchangeably.”
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2012/feb/14/black-history-month-name-stirs-debate/