Black v. African American?

I am not a color, I'm a person. But when asked by my Chinese roommate what I'd prefer to be called I told her "Black". I added that being referred to as African-American in this country has a different implication that yesteryear. Today it can be used to describe those who were born in Africa or whose parents were born in Africa then chose to move to America. This is not my or my parents experience, so I choose Black. Nevermind the fact that the title of Black Americans has changed so significantly over that last 50 years that my mom, sister, and I, although all the same race, are described as Colored, Black, and African-American on our birth certificates, respectively.

Maybe my response to my inquisitive roommate was abrupt. Sometimes the simplest questions about race and identity can spawn a heated debate and to save her from that, and to save myself from over-explaining I offered to her a comparison. I asked if she'd rather be called a Chinese American or just Chinese. Although her Chinese identity in America and my Black identity are different issues because of our varying histories, the heart of the answer in my opinion goes back to personal preference.

I choose Black because James Brown said "Say it loud, I'm Black and I'm proud" and because Huey P. Newton was a member of the "Black Panther Party", not the African American one. Also attempts to call Black people African American usually come off very awkward, like whoever is saying it is overly politically correct. People who feel the need to be that right scare me...as if they're not really saying the words that are in their heads.

I'm bringing this up to my Black/African-American/People of African descent blog followers and friends, What do you call yourself?...please post your response.