How was the decision made to capitalize the "b" in "Black?"

[LAS14]

It's relatively recent. When/how was it begun?

[John Shaft]

1. I made that decision

as a Black Man. I even capitalized the M for ya too.

It's called self-determination.

[hlthe2b]

3. I have to wonder if you've ever capitalized the W in woman--whether black, white, or other.

sigh... (and no, I know the answer).

[Irish_Dem]

5. If women started capitalizing the W in woman, men would totally freak out.

[hlthe2b]

10. Exactly...

If they are going to capitalize the "M" in man then they may as well add the "P" for PRIVILEGED

[Irish_Dem]

15. They do not need to capitalize the M.

Males have controlled the world since time began.
They have the power and they know it.

[Bettie]

23. Now I'm going to have to start doing that

Women. Yes, that seems right.

[Irish_Dem]

24. Yep it looks mighty fine.

Women, Women, Women.

[brush]

27. IMO that's apples and oranges. The shift to capitalizing Black men or women came about because...

African-American men or African-American women is several, additional keystrokes to input, especially on small cellphone/Black Berry keyboards, etc.

The long and short of it is, we Americans love our short cuts.

[Prairie Gates]

29. ROFL

Perfect response!

[Polybius]

2. It's not universally followed

And I don't see white being capitalized in the media, even if it's in the same sentence as black.

[dalton99a]

4. .

https://www.cjr.org/analysis/capital-b-black-styleguide.php
Why we capitalize ‘Black’ (and not ‘white’)
June 16, 2020 By Mike Laws

https://www.ap.org/the-definitive-source/announcements/the-decision-to-capitalize-black/
The decision to capitalize Black
We are today making an important change to AP style that stems from a long and fruitful conversation among news leaders, editors and diverse members of our staff and external groups and organizations.
By Nicole Meir, The Associated Press
JUNE 19, 2020

[LAS14]

7. Thanks. nt

[misanthrope]

30. When AP did that, the response from Mobile, Alabama's most beloved locally owned newspaper

was to insist that "white" be capitalized as well.

[Dennis Donovan]

6. I dunno... he started it

[LAS14]

8. Sorry, but who's he? nt

[Dennis Donovan]

13. Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black

Hugo Lafayette Black (February 27, 1886 – September 25, 1971) was an American lawyer, politician, and jurist who served as a U.S. Senator from Alabama from 1927 to 1937 and as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1937 to 1971. A member of the Democratic Party and a devoted New Dealer, Black endorsed Franklin D. Roosevelt in both the 1932 and 1936 presidential elections.

Before he became a senator, Black espoused anti-Catholic views and was a member of the Ku Klux Klan in Alabama. An article from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that he temporarily resigned from the Klan in 1925 to bolster his senatorial campaign, before quietly rejoining the Klan in 1926.[5] In 1937, upon being appointed to the Supreme Court, Black said: "Before becoming a Senator I dropped the Klan. I have had nothing to do with it since that time. I abandoned it. I completely discontinued any association with the organization." Black served as the secretary of the Senate Democratic Conference and the chair of the Senate Education Committee during his decade in the Senate. Having gained a reputation in the Senate as a reformer, Black was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Roosevelt and confirmed by the Senate by a vote of 63 to 16 (six Democratic Senators and 10 Republican Senators voted against him). He was the first of nine Roosevelt appointees to the court, and he outlasted all except for William O. Douglas.

The fifth longest-serving justice in Supreme Court history, Black was one of the most influential Supreme Court justices in the 20th century. He is noted for using historical evidence to support textualist arguments, his position that the liberties guaranteed in the Bill of Rights were imposed on the states ("incorporated" ) by the Fourteenth Amendment, and his absolutist stance on the First Amendment, often declaring "No law [abridging the freedom of speech] means no law." Black expanded individual rights in his opinions in cases such as Gideon v. Wainwright, Engel v. Vitale, and Wesberry v. Sanders.

Black's views were not uniformly liberal. During World War II, he wrote the majority opinion in Korematsu v. United States (1944), which upheld the internment of Japanese Americans ordered by the president Franklin Roosevelt. During the mid-1960s, Black became slightly more conservative. Black opposed the doctrine of substantive due process (the pre-1937 Supreme Court's interpretation of this concept made it impossible for the government to enact legislation that conservatives claimed interfered with the freedom of business owners), and believed that there was no basis in the words of the Constitution for a right to privacy, voting against finding one in Griswold v. Connecticut (1965).  He also took conservative positions in cases such as Shapiro v. Thompson, Goldberg v. Kelly, Tinker v. Des Moines, and Cohen v. California where he distinguished between "pure speech" and "expressive conduct".

[mahatmakanejeeves]

14. Kids today. SMH. And good afternoon. NT

[Sympthsical]

16. Supreme Court justice Hugo Black

Interesting guy. Dixiecrat who was associated with the KKK early in his career but also strongly supported the New Deal as a senator. Evolved into a highly influential justice who advocated for total incorporation - a legal doctrine that argues the federal Bill of Rights also applies to the states.

A lot of cases that liberals and progressives of the era fought and won had Black supporting them. Like public defenders being required for criminals, separation of church and state, anti-segregation, etc.

Not perfect (upheld Japanese internment), but pretty solidly liberal for the the era.

[Sneederbunk]

26. Louis carried on the tradition.

[EarlG]

9. It's not a universal standard, so it's not like a decision was made that everyone should do this

But if you're interested in why it is often done, here's the Columbia Journalism Review's take...

https://www.cjr.org/analysis/capital-b-black-styleguide.php

[LAS14]

11. Thanks. nt

[ismnotwasm]

12. The answer from chat CBT

The capitalization of the “B” in “Black” when referring to race acknowledges the term as a proper noun, signifying a cultural and social identity rather than merely a color. This practice gained prominence in recent years, particularly as part of broader discussions about racial equity and respect for identity.

Here are a few reasons for this capitalization:
1. Recognition of Identity and Culture: Capitalizing “Black” highlights the shared history, culture, and experiences of Black communities, particularly in the African diaspora. It emphasizes that “Black” refers to a collective identity, not just a descriptor of skin color.
2. Parallels with Other Ethnic and Racial Groups: Just as we capitalize terms like “Asian,” “Latino,” and “Native American,” capitalizing “Black” aligns with this standard for naming groups based on ethnicity or race.
3. Respect and Affirmation: Many people and organizations see capitalization as a way to show respect and affirm the significance of Black identity in social and historical contexts. It helps distinguish between racial identity and other uses of the word “black.”
4. Historical Context: Historically, Black communities have faced marginalization and erasure of their cultural identities. The practice of capitalization has been adopted as part of efforts to reclaim identity and assert dignity.

This shift became particularly widespread in journalism and other formal writing following events like the Black Lives Matter movement, with organizations like The Associated Press and The New York Times officially adopting the change in 2020.

[DeepWinter]

18. I guess I do

when it refers to any group. Asian, Black, White, Hispanic, etc... Not making any group special, just noting status.

[ProfessorGAC]

19. I'm Guessing It's Driven By...

...a desire to consider it an ethnicity.
We write "Italian" or "Irish", not "italian" or "irish". And so on.
Though is can't remember if capitalizing the "L" in Latino is standard or not. I see the "A" in "Asian" routinely capitalized.
I know others have cites for the reason, but I'm speculating on the motivation.
Also, capitalizing may connote that the writer is talking about a person not an object, like a black car.
It's ok by me. I see no reason not to, however, I'm not sure I'd remember to do it even I I meant to.

[Igel]

22. But that's because they inherited their capitalization.

From Italy, Ireland, Latin, Asia. Like American, African, or African-American.

[ProfessorGAC]

25. That's Reasonable

When someone uses African-American, we capitalize. But, that's inherited capitalization, too.
Good point.

[yardwork]

20. I'm a white woman who always capitalizes Black but not white.

It delights me to do this because I know it bugs racists.

As posted here in this thread, there are good reasons to capitalize Black, along with Latino, Asian, Native American, but not white.

Nonetheless, many writers also capitalize White.

[XanaDUer2]

21. I capatilize both

Vaguely remember something in a grammar book yrs ago...

[TlalocW]

28. I capitalize Black and also White

My slight OCD tendencies (ie I'm just anal) won't let me do one without the other.

[haele]

31. When it's used as a classification Noun.

Black as opposed to a generic black person.
There's Proper Nouns, like names, locations. And then there's Classification Common Nouns that point out specified subjects, like the difference between "when I went to university" and "when I went to the University".
Or "I want a attorney" as opposed to "I want my Attorney".
Black, White, Native American, Latino/Hispanic, Asian are all classifiers, as is Citizen or Immigrant.
To capitalize or not isn't really interchangable; because there's a lot of context brought to the reader in the written word that isn't necessary in verbal or physical interaction.

Haele

[XanaDUer2]

32. Thank you nt

[LAS14]

33. The arguments of the AP and Columbia Journalism School are cogent, but...

... does anyone know how the question became one that needed addressing? I never heard of the idea until major newspapers, etc., started using it. The evolution of Negro to black seemed much more of a groundswell. Am I just misremembering?