Tweet

Pacific Islander. Asian. Latino. African-American. Caucasian. Native American. black. There are many racial and ethnic identifiers, yet disparities exist. Should the word “black” be capitalized when used in the context of race, ethnicity or culture?

In June 2020, the Associated Press released a statement saying that its writing style guide would now “capitalize the “B” in the term “Black” when referring to people in a racial, ethnic or cultural context.”

Many news organizations such as The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and USA Today have also decided to make the change. While this change might appear insignificant, language has the power to validate or invalidate an individual’s perception of themselves as well as how society perceives them.

“How we speak validates the values that we have, our experiences, our upbringing, all of that,” said Bobbi Olson, an English professor at Grand View University with a background in linguistics.

Olson gave the example that we switch back and forth in our language, use frequently, whether we are talking to friends or using academic language in the classroom. This intentional switching occurs to portray a certain aspect of our identity. Our speech either affirms the perceptions or expectations of those around us or causes dissonance. Olson shared that language can be used for either building connections between people or separating them. Language is also constantly changing.

“Some groups in power use language to control others, to marginalize others; that causes a lot of language change,” Olson said.

While the power of language can be abused, changes in language can be positive and affirm our sense of identity as well. Whether good or bad, language continuously changes. For example, today no one speaks with the same verbiage that Shakespeare used, because the words have been modified over the many years since Shakespeare lived.

“Some groups in power use language to control others, to marginalize others; that causes a lot of language change.”

Bobbi Olson

“The terminology for ‘Black’ has changed over the years,” said A’ndrea Wilson, an English professor at GV. “It wasn’t even always ‘African-American.’ There was ‘Afro-American;’ at one time it was ‘Negro.’”

AP’s June 2020 statement shared about a sociologist named W.E.B. DuBois who nearly a century ago lobbied for newspapers to capitalize the word “Negro,” which was the term used at that time. AP writes that DuBois felt “a lowercase ‘n’ was a sign of disrespect and racism.” According to AP, The New York Times took his advice and implemented the change back in 1930. The article continues by explaining that the term fell entirely out of favor during the Black Power movement of the 1960s as it came to “symbolize subservience.” Still, DuBois’ work shows a historical effort similar to the current efforts for empowerment through the capitalization of a single letter.

While most linguistic changes occur over time, the decision to capitalize the letter ‘B’ in black is a deliberate and immediate change that is being made on a large scale. Organizations, not simply individuals, are involved in implementing the change which gives it more credibility.

“An official change like this, as opposed to the unofficial changes that happen over time, really calls attention to what is being valued here.”

Bobbi Olson

“An official change like this, as opposed to the unofficial changes that happen over time, really calls attention to what is being valued here,” Olson said.

In July 2020, AP released another decision. This statement explained that “white” would remain lowercase when referencing race, ethnicity or culture and cited that “white people generally do not share the same history and culture, or the experience of being discriminated against because of skin color.”

This decision came in response to the concerns raised that if “black” was to be capitalized then “white” and even “brown” should also be capitalized. The debate has some organizations choosing to capitalize both “white” and “black” and others choosing to make a statement by only capitalizing “black” and leaving “white” lowercase.

“The power has already been there without the capital letter, the attention has already been there without the capital letter,” Olson said. “(By) capitalizing “Black,” we’re valuing that group of people in ways that other groups have been valued in the past.”

Erin Olsen-Telles, a political science professor at GV, shared that from a political science perspective, the Black community has a stronger cultural and ethnic bond. For example, Olsen-Telles shared that, politically, white people do not have as cohesive of an identity in regard to voting patterns, whereas poll responses and voting patterns among Black Americans tend to be much more cohesive.

“Whiteness is not as cohesive of an identity as I would say the Black community have here in the U.S,” Olson said.

“(By) capitalizing “Black,” we’re valuing that group of people in ways that other groups have been valued in the past.”

Bobbi Olsen

Official recognition of this cohesive identity can be empowering, according to Wilson. Wilson said that Black people have been searching for an identity after being stripped of identity as a result of slavery and the ongoing issue of racism in the United States. Establishing the identity of being “Black” gives an opportunity for the Black community to speak out and name themselves instead of accepting the names given to them by other groups.

“(We are) trying to find a label that fits us, that is created by us, that we can stand behind, that we can feel good about, that we can all kind of rally behind,” Wilson said.

Wilson said that this is a way of re-establishing identity and that by adding “Black” as an option, more people are included.

“The word ‘Black’ is all-encompassing,” Wilson said. “It’s not just African-Americans; it could be somebody from the Caribbean.”

This encompassing nature is important because many Black people may not know what country their ancestors came from and may not feel a strong connection to Africa. For Wilson, this conversation is about treating Black people with respect and humanity. This includes the space to create their own identity and culture and name themselves.

Trevonte Diggs, a junior on the GV basketball team shared that he identifies with both the term “African- American” and “Black.” For him personally, the major

“All races are important. Whether it’s Black, white, Mexican or anything … it is cultural differences, but it doesn’t mean we can’t be together, you know what I’m saying? We’re all still made by the same God.”

Trevonte Diggs

implication of this change is “feeling important.” He feels that capitalizing the letter ‘B’ serves as a reminder that Black men and women can do good things. He is open to the capitalization of “white” as well.

“All races are important,” Diggs said. “Whether it’s Black, white, Mexican or anything … it is cultural differences, but it doesn’t mean we can’t be together, you know what I’m saying? We’re all still made by the same God.”

Some people in the Black community have already been capitalizing the term and this official change provides validation for that and eliminates second-guessing in their writing.

“As a minority, I’ve always made it a measure to capitalize the ‘B’ already myself,” said Parris Robinson, a GV senior and co-president of the Black Student Union.

Robinson has experienced losing points on assignments in school for capitalizing “Black,” and she has felt confused why the change to allow capitalization was not made sooner. Robinson would like to see this change implemented at GV because it shows greater inclusivity and care for Black students.

“It’s not going to be the end all, be all change, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction,” Diggs said.

Diggs suggested this change be used as a stepping-stone for furthering the education process for both sides. He said that it is important to put pride aside and get to know a person for who they really are and not simply based on skin color and stereotypes.

“Certainly, there will be people who resist change, but I think any moves we make to have language better value everyone’s identities and celebrate those identities is a good thing,” Olson said.

Based on the input of GV professors and students, Viewfinder’s editorial team has decided to update our stylebook to capitalize the word “Black” when it is used in reference to race, ethnicity or culture. This decision may appear to be a small step, but it is a way to use our voices to empower others.

As Diggs said, “The true change is our voice.”