The Letter in Question • Finding the Words
About This Episode
Earlier this month, I gathered with colleagues to review updates to a brand guide. We were deep in the language preferences section of the guide when the team came upon a point of tension. All agreed to capitalize racial, ethnic, and cultural identities such as Black, Asian, Latino, and Navajo. Still, there was disagreement among those who wished to capitalize White and those who wanted to lowercase white.
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Earlier this month, I gathered with colleagues to review updates to a brand guide. We were deep in the language preferences section of the guide when the team came upon a point of tension. All agreed to capitalize racial, ethnic, and cultural identities such as Black, Asian, Latino, and Navajo. Still, there was disagreement among those who wished to capitalize White and those who wanted to lowercase white.
A matter of capitalization and so much more. In between the words of the conversation was an apparent unease about what a capital W or lowercase w might (or might not) convey to key audiences and what it might (or might not) convey about the organization’s values.
As with life, there is no simple answer to this question. But examining and understanding our language choices matter, as we convey different messages based on our choices.
As I sat and reflected on my preference, I wondered if I could adequately stand behind my recommendation, which has been aligned with the Associated Press Style Guide since 2020.
So, I got to reading.
Nearly every grammar style manual has its own take on the issue. Unsurprisingly, confusion—and, in some cases, contention—over the issue exists. On the one hand, some say that white doesn’t represent a shared culture and history like Black culture does. Conversely, some say that lowercasing white is an anti-Black act, perpetuating the idea that white people are the default race.
To help inform your point of view on this issue (as it helped to inform mine), here’s a brief roundup of insights and perspectives on the W/w in question:
* The Seattle Times notes Black as “belonging to people who are part of the African diaspora.” They capitalize Black because it reflects shared cultures and experiences. They note white as a term belonging to people with light-colored skin, especially those of European descent. “Unlike Black, it is lowercase, as its use is a physical description of people whose backgrounds may spring from many different cultures.”
* Columbia Journalism Review suggests a similar approach: Capitalize Black and not white when referring to groups in racial, ethnic, or cultural terms. “For many people, the word Black reflects a shared sense of identity and community. The word white carries a different set of meanings; capitalizing the word in this context risks following the lead of white supremacists.”
* CBS News capitalizes White, though not when referring to white supremacists, white nationalists, or white privilege.
* The National Association of Black Journalists also recommends capitalizing White when describing race.
* The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS), which previously used lowercase for black and white to refer to a person’s race or ethnicity, rewrote its policy in 2020 to “write Black with a capital B; and White with a capital W (and similar terms to maintain consistency like Brown).”
* American Psychological Association (APA) also capitalizes Black and White, citing that racial and ethnic groups should be designated by proper nouns and capitalized.
* Associated Press rewrote its policy in 2020 (as noted above), from its previous guidance to lowercase both black and white to now “capitalize Black in a racial, ethnic or cultural sense, conveying a shared sense of history, identity, and community among people who identify as Black, including those in the African diaspora and within Africa. Lowercase the term white in racial, ethnic, and cultural instances, noting that white people generally do not share the same history and culture or the experience of being discriminated against because of skin color.”
* The Center for the Study of Social Policy capitalizes White “…when referring to people who are racialized as White in the United States, including those who identify with ethnicities and nationalities that can be traced back to Europe. We believe it is important to call attention to White as a race to understand and give voice to how Whiteness functions in our social and political institutions and communities. Moreover, the detachment of “White” as a proper noun allows White people to sit out of conversations about race and removes accountability from White people’s and White institutions’ involvement in racism.” Their statement is one of the most poignant and worth reading.
* And finally, for now, the Diversity Style Guide, which assembles definitions and information from several style guides, also suggests the capitalization of Black and White.
So, big W or little w? Ultimately it depends on the author’s preference and organizational values. Choose the style that works for your organization and stick with it. But be open and ready to re-examine your choice and back it up with a reason. Whether your peers do the same or not is unimportant.
Bottom Line: Style guides are designed to be just that—guides. Use them to help inform what you’re trying to convey. And then, set the letters aside and have your actions do the real talking.
