 In gaining more of a sense of a cultural identity, blacks demanded that whites no longer refer to them as "Negroes" but as "Afro-Americans," similar to other ethnic groups, such as Irish Americans and Italian Americans.Until the mid-1960s, blacks had dressed similarly to whites and often straightened their hair.As a part of affirming their identity, blacks started to wear African-based dashikis and grow their hair out as a natural afro.