And is saying "black" offensive?

For some reason, I always feel awkward (when describing a black person) as "S/he's black." because I don't know if it's offensive or not. My friends use to say African American, but that sounds weird... Especially in Canada.

I was at work and we had this one black person working that day. I was standing beside the cashier, and the cashier asked who helped them so she could process the sale under them. The customer did not want to say "the black guy", and so did the cashier. They just kept describing their clothing, etc... And after a good five minutes, the cashier said: "So............ was it the black guy?" And the customer was like "Yes!". It would have been easier if they said it earlier, since he was the only black person working that day.

Anyway, is it offensive to say "he's black", "oh yeah she's the black girl", "hey did you that black person that was here", etc? And if we shouldn't use black, what should we use?

Depends on the situation.

I use African-American more frequently. I don't think that using the word black to describe someone is offensive, per se, but I only use it when I'm around friends or people that I'm certain will not be offended by it. Solely for the sake of being respectful. This PC **** is getting old, but I'd rather say African-American than black to avoid arguments and quarrels.

I doubt Black people (in general) would really get offended if you call them black....

Also,I usually refer to Black people as Black,but,in a longer sense,I prefer saying AFRO-American as opposed to African American but that's just my taste.
(I'm not speaking for the whole population by the way)

I only say "African American" if it's a professional situation, such as school or work. I don't think that most black people mind the word "black"; atleast none that I know of.

I say black

The other word is too long for me to say

Wouldn't you have to be black AND American to be referred to as "African American"? Not all blacks are "African American."

I say black because It's offensive to call someone who isn't African-American (Haitian, West Indian, etc.), African-American.

People always forget about that. I've heard many people politely describe Rihanna as "African American".

mixture of both

black mostly in everyday situations

black does not always equal African American

African American sometimes in professional situations

If i am with my people i say the word that shall not be mentioned

Most of my black friends find the term African-American to be stupid and unnecessary. I suppose I use African-American when first meeting people or in professional situations only because not all people think that way.

I say black.

Exactly. But some people find "black" offensive. In my high school a lot of black people were referred to as "African Americans", and looking back it sounds really... weird

i think it's kinda like the word "Jew" .. it all depends on the context it is used in and the tone someone uses when saying it

American born Africans = African American

Black people = Black people