Can someone actually define "African-American" for me. I've questioned this for a long time and never get a concrete answer. If my parents were from Italy-am I an Italian-American although I was born in the U.S.? If my parents were from Ireland-am I an Irish-American although I was born in the U.S.?-etc, etc. If I were born in the U.S. shouldn't I be American. Surely my parents who were born outside the country should be referred to as ----------/American----- but me???