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Friends of ours (a husband and wife) called recently after they noticed Associated Press stories in The Maui News started capitalizing the "b" in Black but not the "w" in white. They asked why the "b" was capitalized, but not the "w."
Good question. We are sure others have had similar thoughts. In June and July of 2020, the AP, Columbia Journalism Review, the New York Times and others changed their stylebooks. The Maui News' newsroom follows the AP stylebook.
The Associated Press wrote on June 19, 2020, "The Associated Press changed its writing style guide Friday to capitalize the "b" in the term Black when referring to people in a racial, ethnic or cultural context, weighing in on a hotly debated issue."
"The change conveys 'an essential and shared sense of history, identity and community among people who identify as Black, including those in the African diaspora and within Africa,' John Daniszewski, AP's vice president of standards, said in a blog post. 'The lowercase black is a color, not a person.' "
"Daniszewski said the revisions aligned with long-standing identifiers such as Latino, Asian Americans and Native Americans. He said the decision followed more than two years of research and debate among AP journalists and outside groups and thinkers."
In a mid-year memo to New York Times staff, Dean Baquet, executive editor, and Phil Corbett, associate managing editor for standards, said, "We believe this style best conveys elements of shared history and identity, and reflects our goal to be respectful of all people and communities we cover."
In July of last year the AP wrote that they would not be capitalizing the "w" in white. "We agree that white people's skin color plays into systemic inequalities and injustices, and we want our journalism to robustly explore those problems," wrote Daniszewski. "But capitalizing the term white, as is done by white supremacists, risks subtly conveying legitimacy to such beliefs."
Having been born and raised in Hawaii, we were blessed to be part of a melting pot of cultures while growing up. What we learned from such a rich diversity is that the bottom line is to show consideration for your neighbors no matter what color they are, as we are all human beings. Be respectful and be kind. Whether you agree or not, at the end of the day we are all related.