Language matters. The way we use language and tell stories, associates white with good and black with bad. A snippet from Languston Hughe's 'That Word Black':
"Now as I were saying, the word black, white folks have done used that word to mean something bad so often until now
when the N.A.A.C.P. asks for civil rights for the black man, they think they must be bad. Looking back into
history, I reckon it all started with a black cat meaning bad luck. Don't let one cross your path!
"Next, somebody got up a blacklist on which you get if you don't vote right. Then when lodges come into being,
the folks they didn't want in them got blackballed. If you kept a skeleton in your closet, you might get
blackmailed. And everything bad was black. When it came down to the unlucky ball on the pool table, the
eight-rock, they made it the black ball. So no wonder there ain't no equal rights for the black man."
Sure, it's a small change. And yes, it takes time away from doing something else productive with your day. But it is valuable to reflect on our usage of these terms in everyday life, and how it might affect others, even in subtle ways.
"Now as I were saying, the word black, white folks have done used that word to mean something bad so often until now when the N.A.A.C.P. asks for civil rights for the black man, they think they must be bad. Looking back into history, I reckon it all started with a black cat meaning bad luck. Don't let one cross your path!
"Next, somebody got up a blacklist on which you get if you don't vote right. Then when lodges come into being, the folks they didn't want in them got blackballed. If you kept a skeleton in your closet, you might get blackmailed. And everything bad was black. When it came down to the unlucky ball on the pool table, the eight-rock, they made it the black ball. So no wonder there ain't no equal rights for the black man."
Sure, it's a small change. And yes, it takes time away from doing something else productive with your day. But it is valuable to reflect on our usage of these terms in everyday life, and how it might affect others, even in subtle ways.