Thread Drift-but in my opinion, this is important as a background info:

Happy post Mardi-Gras to you, PoppaGator!

You said:
".. I have often been amused and confused when the need for political correctness causes people to use the term "African-American" rather than "Black" when referring to people of color who are *not American. "

If I understand you correctly-and I'm not sure I do-I agree with you that "African American" should not used as a generic term for everyone of African descent who is born or lives outside of the United States.

As an African American, I can share some currently acceptable referents:

As PoppaGator mentions, in the USA the term 'Black' is used informally to refer to ALL persons who have any Black ancestry no matter if most of their ancestry is non-Black...

The formally accepted term for Black Americans is 'African American' [and not 'Afro-American']

The term "coloured" used in South Africa never had the same meaning in the United States as it has in South Africa. "Colored people" was a group referents that was used in the USA by Black Americans and others around the same time as Negro [pre 1960s]. "Colored people and Negro meant anyone of any African descent. However,it's not appropriate to use either of those terms now.

Although there is a movement to differentiate first generational "mixed racial" people ['bi-racial; 'multi-racial'] people of some African descent/non-African descent from Black Americans that have two Black birth parents, since so many Black Americans are mixed racial, I don't see these referents replacing the [admittedly racist] generic definition for Black Unitedstaters.

Also:

The referent for all Black people wherever who have at least one African ancestor: "people of African descent."

The referent for all people [Asians, Latinos, Native Americans, indigenous Australians, Polynesians, Micronesians, etc] who are non-Anglo: "people of color"

This is the way I use the admittedly complicated racial reference practices for African Americans & others who are non-Anglo.

Does anyone have any additions and corrections to this info??