# Capitalizing "black" for African Americans **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 8, 2005, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capitalizing-black-for-african-americans/307443 "2005-06-08T13:02:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capitalizing-black-for-african-americans/307443/1 "2005-06-08T13:02:19Z")
I don’t capitalize “black” when referring to African Americans in print. I know some do, but it just doesn’t look right to me, and seems to unduly emphasize race when, as a society, I hope (but often doubt) that we are becoming increasingly color-blind. For that matter, I don’t capitalize “white” when referring to Caucasians. Simply for the sake of balance, too, I think it’s best to write both lower-cased. Agree or disagree? And why? ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capitalizing-black-for-african-americans/307443/2 "2005-06-08T13:22:55Z")
I agree. I’m not sure why we capitalize Black for any reason at all, since no other “color” is capitalized. Seriously, what am I going to go around doing? Black? Then White? Then Light Brown? Dark Brown? Medium Brown? Coffee? It’s silly. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capitalizing-black-for-african-americans/307443/3 "2005-06-08T13:31:41Z")
I alternate. That way I’m sure to offend somebody, be they black, White, or just a stickler for consistency. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capitalizing-black-for-african-americans/307443/4 "2005-06-08T14:11:58Z")
The argument for capitalising “Black” is that it’s the name of an ethnic group. If you do, then you might capitalise “Colo(u)red” and “White”, as equally names of ethnic groups. However, with due deference to **Anaamika** , “Light Brown”, “Dark Brown”, “Medium Brown” and “Coffee” may be skin colours, but they don’t identify ethicity. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capitalizing-black-for-african-americans/307443/5 "2005-06-08T16:06:01Z")
I’m not sure that this is a debate so much as a poll, so I’m probably going to send it to **IMHO** , but while I’m here: When the discussions regarding identification ranged through the black comunity in the late 1960s, several new styles were put forth to replace Negro. The word that won out in that discussion was (lowercase) black with the argument that whites were not identified as “Caucasian” in newspapers and magazines–they were identified as (lowercase) “white.” The choice was to identify the black community by a word that demonstrated an equal emphasis, neither greater nor less. (There was some discussion of using “colored” following the same basic argument, but the strong association of “colored” with Jim Crow laws eliminated it.) In the nearly 40 years since that discussion and decision, the original arguments have been forgotten (or never learned) and people who go to use the word today may bring a different perspective to their decision whether to capitalize it or not. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capitalizing-black-for-african-americans/307443/6 "2005-06-08T16:10:54Z")
Compromise: When you say, “My radio was stolen by a Black,” capitalize it. When you say, “My radio was stolen by a black man,” lower case. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capitalizing-black-for-african-americans/307443/7 "2005-06-08T16:16:33Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > The argument for capitalising “Black” is that it’s the name of an ethnic group. If you do, then you might capitalise “Colo(u)red” and “White”, as equally names of ethnic groups. However, with due deference to **Anaamika** , “Light Brown”, “Dark Brown”, “Medium Brown” and “Coffee” may be skin colours, but they don’t identify ethicity. Eh, I’m not offended, I just don’t really think “black” or “white” do, either. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capitalizing-black-for-african-americans/307443/8 "2005-06-08T18:59:20Z")
I think that had history happened differently, and there was less connotation in the terms, the word “colored”, uncapitalized, would be the best way to differentiate between white skinned people and non-white skinned people. As a less emotionally loaded alternative “black”, also lowercase, would be my word of choice. While I conceed its a less than ideal choice, to **Anaamika’s** point. I use it lowercase when speaking descriptively. If discussion involves “the Black Community” I’ll use it with caps to inidacte a proper group. That said, I prefer “black” to “African-American” when speaking generally. I see no reason to label a black man as being from Africa anymore than I see a reason to call myself a European-American. I’m a white guy. For those anamoured with semantics, “colored” would be the best description IMHO, but that got all screwed up. All said, I’m just a plain ole white guy, my opinion don’t matter. ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capitalizing-black-for-african-americans/307443/9 "2005-06-08T20:03:07Z")
> [@William V.](#): > > I don’t capitalize “black” when referring to African Americans in print. I know some do, but it just doesn’t look right to me, and seems to unduly emphasize race when, as a society, I hope (but often doubt) that we are becoming increasingly color-blind. For that matter, I don’t capitalize “white” when referring to Caucasians. Simply for the sake of balance, too, I think it’s best to write both lower-cased. > > Agree or disagree? And why? The Phoenix newspaper insists on uppercase White and Black, just PC run amok. Is Kermit the Frog a Green? ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capitalizing-black-for-african-americans/307443/10 "2005-06-08T21:04:09Z")
> [@KlondikeGeoff](#): > > The Phoenix newspaper insists on uppercase White and Black, just PC run amok. Given that most newspapers use “African American”, I don’t see how “Black” instead of “black” is “PC run amok”. Or even in the same ballpark. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capitalizing-black-for-african-americans/307443/11 "2005-06-08T21:19:07Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > I alternate. That way I’m sure to offend somebody, be they black, White, or just a stickler for consistency. Well, you’ll probably just annoy the stickler-americans. Me? I don’t even capitalize “god.” ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capitalizing-black-for-african-americans/307443/12 "2005-06-08T21:25:15Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > I use it lowercase when speaking descriptively. If discussion involves “the Black Community” I’ll use it with caps to inidacte a proper group. I’d certainly _not_ use it in this context - capitalisation here suggests a formal organisation, not a loosely-defined social grouping. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capitalizing-black-for-african-americans/307443/13 "2005-06-08T21:40:09Z")
Probably true…though who said it’s an exact science 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2005, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capitalizing-black-for-african-americans/307443/14 "2005-06-09T00:06:37Z")
Associated Press Style Book rules aren’t the only ones available, nor is Strunk and White the absolute authority. Johnson Publishing Company, the clearinghouse for all things African-American (by any name) has been capitalizing Black and White in its weekly and monthy periodicals for decades as standard on-house style for as long as I can remember. Ditto NAACP’s _The Crisis._ Other cultural magazines such as _Essence_, the defunct \*Emerge, The Source, VIBE, XXL \* and the trenydish _Savoy_ aren’t as clear-cut – smetimes it’s one way, sometimes I see it another, depending on the writer as opposed to editorial standards. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2005, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capitalizing-black-for-african-americans/307443/15 "2005-06-09T01:19:04Z")
In the mid-1960’s, I was an editorial assistant for a publishing house and the standard in the style manual at the time was to capitalize the B in _Blacks_ when referring to an ethnic group. The term _Afro-American_ had not caught on yet, nor had the term _African-American_. A few years ago I checked _Webster’s_ and it said that _black_ is “frequently capitalized” when used in this way. However, the word “white” is “often capitalized” when referring to a conservative or reactionary political group. That’s why I usually capitalize _Blacks_ and don’t capitalize _whites_. Only one friend has the power to change my ways at SDMB. Her wish is my command. (See you later, alligator! 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2005, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capitalizing-black-for-african-americans/307443/16 "2005-06-09T04:19:20Z")
Capitalization is often used to distinguish an identity from a characteristic. Thus, we might speak of people who are, for example, black, queer, or deaf, meaning that they have those traits; but Black politics, Queer culture, or the Deaf movement. I do this consistently for the word “Queer”; if it’s a matter of fact, I lowercase it (a child who is born queer); if it’s a matter of culture, I capitalize it (many straight allies are part of the Queer community). It’s not necessarily consistent from group to group (I’ve never seen “the Gay community,” “the Transgender movement,” “Blind culture,” or “Disabled pride,” for example), but it can be useful in certain contexts. Complete irrelevancy: in French, you capitalize an ethnicity/nationality depending on whether it’s a noun or an adjective: _une femme canadienne,_ but _une Canadienne_. If you say _elle est canadienne_ it can be either one, because either an adjective or a noun could go there. Religions are not capitalized, so you have the interesting result of _un Juif_ (an ethnic Jew) and _un juif_ (a member of the Jewish faith). I believe I’ve seen _un Noir_ from time to time, but I believe the lower case is still more common. There’s also _un Black_, which w.t.f.