To begin, the concept of referring to all black people as "African Americans" is in itself an immensely polarizing term, as it insinuates that all black people descend from only Africa and that from there their real history only begins once they were forced into slavery in America. It forces one to forget any of the rich history their culture once held and instead makes them remember only a history of submission and pain. As is the primary plot in Dutchman, the way in which Lula speaks to Clay is meant to keep his thoughts and actions rooted in his supposed slave ancestry, with no nod towards literally any other characteristic he holds. Race is a social construct whose definition is immensely different in each corner of the globe. but it is
