# Black or African American **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 3, 2021, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-or-african-american/945610 "2021-07-03T17:22:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ynnad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4491bb/32.png) [@Ynnad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ynnad)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2021, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-or-african-american/945610/1 "2021-07-03T17:22:01Z")
The English language, like any other language, is constantly changing. Which is the **current** preferred term in the United States, Black or African American? I am particularly interested in knowing what is the preferred term in very formal writing such as a legal pleading or a formal report. Also, which is preferred, African American with no hyphen or African-American with a hyphen? References to accepted style guides would be greatly appreciated. Does the answer vary from place to place in the United States. Is there some other term that is preferred? I am only looking for a factual answer. Please do not derail this thread with your opinion on what you think **should** be the answer. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2021, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-or-african-american/945610/2 "2021-07-03T18:05:55Z")
For formal writing, there is usually a particular style guide or manual of style that they want submissions to follow (AP, MLA, APA, Chicago Manual, etc.). Get the most recent edition and see what they say on the matter. For example, the Associated Press Stylebook has a section called [race-related coverage](https://www.apstylebook.com/race-related-coverage). Some of their relatively recent changes include dropping the hyphen in African American and capitalizing Black when it is used as a racial, ethnic, or cultural identifier. Oddly, white is still not capitalized. Both Black and African American are acceptable under current AP style depending on the context, but they don’t mean exactly the same thing. An individual person can be described as “an African American” but should not be described as “a Black.” And of course, non-Americans can’t be African Americans. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2021, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-or-african-american/945610/3 "2021-07-03T18:10:00Z")
_The Grammarist_ says [How to Use African-American vs. black Correctly – Grammarist](https://grammarist.com/usage/african-american-black/#:~:text=In%20informal%20speech%20and%20writing%2C%20black%20is%20often,fallen%20out%20of%20favor%20among%20younger%20black%20Americans.) "The term _ **African-American** _ was advanced in the 1980s to give Americans of African descent an equivalent of _German-American_ , _Italian-American_ , and so on. The term peaked in popularity during the 1990s and 2000s, but today it is often perceived as carrying a self-conscious political correctness that is unnecessary in informal contexts. In informal speech and writing, _ **black** _ is often preferred and is rarely considered offensive. _Colored_ , an old term for African American people, is now considered offensive, and _negro_ has fallen out of favor among younger black Americans. When using the term _African-American_ as a phrasal adjective preceding the noun it modifies (e.g., _an African-American woman_ ), be sure to include a hyphen. When the phrase functions as a noun or an adjective phrase following what it modifies, no hyphen is needed." It seems that there is no one factual answer to your question. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2021, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-or-african-american/945610/4 "2021-07-03T18:12:57Z")
> [@Ynnad](#): > > I am only looking for a factual answer. Please do not derail this thread with your opinion on what you think **should** be the answer. Then you may be stuck with people’s opinions as to which authority to believe. ---
**Author:** ![Ynnad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4491bb/32.png) [@Ynnad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ynnad)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2021, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-or-african-american/945610/5 "2021-07-03T18:13:02Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > … It seems that there is no one factual answer to your question. Exactly! That’s why I was seeking input from you all. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2021, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-or-african-american/945610/6 "2021-07-03T18:16:13Z")
> [@Ynnad](#): > > Exactly! That’s why I was seeking input from you all. You say you want a factual answer, I reply that there may be no one factual answer, and you reply “Exactly! That is why I was seeking input from you all.” You have acknowledged that we cannot give you what you want, so what input are you searching for in this thread? ---
**Author:** ![Ynnad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4491bb/32.png) [@Ynnad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ynnad)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2021, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-or-african-american/945610/7 "2021-07-03T18:30:23Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > You have acknowledged that we cannot give you what you want, so what input are you searching for in this thread? I am looking for references to the various recognized authorities, e.g. style guides, that address this. There are probably many that I have overlooked. Also of interest is which entities prefer which style guide or authority. Other informative data might include research into which term is used more often in a very specific type of recent writings. For example, which is the most used term in federal civil complaints and answers in the last year? (Example only!) I am particularly interested in knowing what the most recent standards are. Any information about an authority that has recently switched from one term to another would be interesting. (Perhaps I should have said I am looking for “factual answers” instead of “a factual answer” in the OP.) ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2021, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-or-african-american/945610/8 "2021-07-03T18:44:41Z")
One important aspect is that the two words have different meanings. Black includes non-Americans. This may seem obvious, but there are instances were people substitute African American to be more formal, when the meaning intended requires using Black. ---
**Author:** ![Ynnad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4491bb/32.png) [@Ynnad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ynnad)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2021, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-or-african-american/945610/9 "2021-07-03T18:47:07Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > - One important aspect is that the two words have different meanings. Black includes non-Americans. And this might make simple numeric comparisons of usage of the two terms inconclusive. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2021, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-or-african-american/945610/10 "2021-07-03T18:51:39Z")
Indeed. I remember a set of posters in a school hallway, with information about various “Famous African Americans”. One of them was Nelson Mandela. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2021, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-or-african-american/945610/11 "2021-07-03T18:52:33Z")
Oh, and [Moderating] “What do style guides and other recognized experts say” is sufficiently factual for General Questions. The thread can stay here. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2021, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-or-african-american/945610/12 "2021-07-03T19:02:15Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > Oddly, white is still not capitalized. [The Washington Post does capitalize “White”](https://www.washingtonpost.com/pr/2020/07/29/washington-post-announces-writing-style-changes-racial-ethnic-identifiers/); [the Associated Press does not](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/ap-says-it-will-capitalize-black-but-not-white/2020/07/20/78ade132-ca91-11ea-99b0-8426e26d203b_story.html) (unless my cites, which are from last year, are out of date; but I haven’t seen anything more recent that contradicts them). ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2021, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-or-african-american/945610/13 "2021-07-03T19:09:30Z")
> [@Ynnad](#): > > I am particularly interested in knowing what is the preferred term in very formal writing such as a legal pleading or a formal report. Here’s [one article on what various groups say](https://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2013/04/an-african-american-or-a-black-160773). Note that the groups do not agree with one another or even internally. They suggest looking for preferences. The only reason to use one guide over another is if you are writing for a publication that requires that particular style guide. If you are required to use a style guide, you will be told to do so. Otherwise, you do not have to follow any style guide. The law is no exception. There are many legal style guides, though to my knowledge they mostly deal with how to cite and format properly, and would not require either Black (or black) or African-American. I have no idea what you mean by a “formal report” either. That could be any of hundreds of things in any of hundreds of professions. If you have an extremely narrow usage in mind, then maybe we could find out what style guide is controlling. But you have to help. The lay public has no idea how many individual style guides exist or the gigantic number of exceptions individual firms or publications make to general style guides. Especially on terms that are in the process of varying and subject to urgent dispute. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2021, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-or-african-american/945610/14 "2021-07-03T19:12:32Z")
Seattle Times [Capital-B ‘Black’ becomes standard usage at The Seattle Times | The Seattle Times](https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/capital-b-black-becomes-standard-usage-at-the-seattle-times/) “Black” is capitalized, and “African American” is not hyphenated. Same rules for The LA Times: [Why The Los Angeles Times is capitalizing the ‘B’ in Black - Los Angeles Times (latimes.com)](https://www.latimes.com/about/readers-representative/story/2020-06-16/why-the-times-is-capitalizing-the-b-in-black) ---
**Author:** ![epbrown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47774/32.png) [@epbrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2021, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-or-african-american/945610/15 "2021-07-04T19:38:11Z")
I agree. My suggestion would be to use Black unless you are familiar with the ethnic origins of the subject. My job has Black employees from all over, and some have mentioned finding it annoying/offensive the way _everyone’s_ labeled African American, even when their accents and even names make it plain they ain’t from 'round here. One Brit is pretty vocal on the subject. ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2021, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-or-african-american/945610/16 "2021-07-04T19:53:07Z")
As a single data point, when iHeart Media recently started a new radio network, they decided to call it “Black Information News”. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2021, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-or-african-american/945610/17 "2021-07-04T20:04:41Z")
“Black” seems at present acceptable in both America and Britain, but I would not automatically assume everyone would be OK with that label, especially if they are not from either of those regions and you have no idea of the person’s ethnic identity. So my suggestion would be to avoid any unfortunate issues by not applying any ethnic labels to people except if one is sure it is appropriate. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2021, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-or-african-american/945610/18 "2021-07-04T20:08:10Z")
I get the sense that black is slowly on the way out. It may not be regarded as widespread offensive yet, but will incrementally more and more be so. So African-American is more polite. Oddly enough, people object to calling someone red, yellow, etc. but for some reason have no problem with white or black - even though they’re all references to skin color. I’ve never understood that. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2021, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-or-african-american/945610/19 "2021-07-04T20:14:28Z")
You’re assuming that people and how we use language are logical? If you look at it logically, the notion of racial slurs doesn’t even make sense at all. Why would one term for a group of people be fine, but another term for that exact same group be offensive? Surely, membership in that group isn’t in itself offensive. But, for whatever reason, people using one term have historically meant for it to be offensive, while people using a different term didn’t, or at least not as much. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2021, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-or-african-american/945610/20 "2021-07-04T20:23:27Z")
I cannot find an officially official guide on what to call groups of people; something like the style guides mentioned above may be the closest thing the OP can hope for. The literature is full of people from various communities disagreeing on what they want to be called and debating the implications. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-or-african-american/945610.md?page=2)