PC For You, But Not For Me

Here's a good illustration of how ridiculous the label "African-American" is:

[Cynthia McKinney] had previously insisted she had done nothing wrong, and accused police of "racial profiling." She is African-American and the police officer is white.

How come we aren't told the ethnic origins of the police officer? Were his ancestors Irish? Or Italian? Or German? Or Scandinavian? Furthermore, is he American? We can't know these things from the quoted the article. We are only given the teaser that the officer is "white." Is this journalism? I want to know more!