Systemic Racism 101

"Because of the prejudice and racism inherent in our environments when we were children, I assume that we cannot be blamed for learning what we were taught (intentionally or unintentionally). Yet as adults, we have a responsibility to try to identify and interrupt the cycle of oppression. When we recognize that we have been misinformed, we have a responsibility to seek out more accurate information and to adjust our behavior accordingly."

Beverly Daniel Tatum | Talking about Race, Learning about Racism (1992)

A Note About Language

Black in reference to racial or ethnic identity will only be used as an adjective. Black is capitalized to recognize that in this context, black isn't just an adjective used to describe skin tone. It represents a shared history and culture marked by having Black physical traits and/or ancestry. This practice is still debated due to worries that it will emphasize race over ethnicity, but prominent anti-racists support the change and it is fitting due to the Black Lives Matter movement.

The term African-American is acceptable as a noun or adjective, but will be used less often because at this point in history, it is most appropriately used for African immigrants or first-generation Americans (like Cuban-American/Latino or Japanese-American/Asian-American). Some leaders believe using African-American is a way to honor their heritage and unity with the African diaspora, though others believe it does not respect the heritage of those who came here from the Caribbean or Britain.

People of Color (POC) will be used to refer to the broader group of people who have a shared experience of "not being white" in America, including Black and Indigenous people. Some people use BIPOC instead, but "people of color" is the norm when speaking.

White will also only be used as an adjective, but it will not be capitalized unless it in the beginning of a sentence. As the dominant group in this country, people with white skin do have the shared privileges of whiteness, but only white supremacists claim whiteness as their identity. There are a lot of arguments for and against this practice and if you have time, read more. In the end, I have chosen to do what it seems to be most respectful and beneficial to Black people in this time and place. #BLM

Though POC come from just as or more diverse ethnicities within their continent (currently, Europe has 44 countries with 87 distinct ethnicities while Africa has 54 countries with thousands of ethnicities and languages,) in the U.S. those European and African distinctions were lost over generations of enslavement and assimilation of immigrants. In this country, because of a very specific history, it is these two groups who are lumped into the categories of Black or white.

Language matters because it has the power to shape how people think and perceive reality. This is not just a semantics debate or political correctness, it is about retraining my brain and communicating history in a less biased and more respectful way. I have chosen to adopt new terms that are not weighed down with the bias so ingrained in our culture that most white people don't even notice it.

For example, in Part 1 (1619-1877), I will use the following terms in my writing. However, I will not change the words of other people, either in primary or secondary sources unless they are offensive enough to warrant a [----]. It will also be necessary to use some of the terms in proper nouns (Ex. Atlantic Slave Trade, Fugitive Slave Act, etc.)

Instead of:

• Slave(s)...enslaved person/people, captives

• Slave trader...human trafficker, captor

• Slave owner/holder/master/driver...enslaver, captor

• Fugitive/runaway slave...escaped or broke free from enslavement

• Plantation...forced labor system

• Rebellion...uprising

Even as I was writing that list, I realized that I was putting equal signs between the old and new terms. That may be overthinking the matter, but it shows that I am starting to notice those kind of things because I am putting more effort into listening to BIPOC. If you have other suggestions or comments, please contact us.