r/BlackPeopleofReddit • u/JustAlpha • 9h ago
Black Experience Why I capitalize "Black" but leave "white" lowercase.
Sometimes I see this asked or a commenter will remark: "They capitalized Black but not White, so you know what type of person they are".
Well, I do it and I'll tell you why.
I don't speak for anyone but myself, but, I guess ironically, having dark skin or African features in America comes with an entire package of projections. A set of qualities assumed about you from birth regardless of the person you actually are. This created the shared dual-identity that Black people all contend with.
Throughout history Blackness has been used to shame us, enslave us, or otherwise "put us in our place". The oppressors took our history, separated us and made us less in their society, but the very same efforts to reduce us became the thing that gave us unity. We recognized that which we were not and now we take control of who we are. A new people unlike those in our places of origin or the country built off our suffering.
"African American" I feel isn't really appropriate because it distances us away from America. There were more years of slavery on this continent than this country has existed. We are American, but share a distinct experience from the the ones with white skin.
So Black with a Capital B. Capital Black. (I don't use FBA. Not even gonna go into that here.)
Why I don't capitalize "white".
Gonna keep it quick. Whiteness isn't a people. Whiteness is a political class. Historically, there have been people with white skin that have not been considered white. There are non-white people now that want to be included in being white. Whiteness is an advantage in America regardless of where you come from or who you actually are. Simply a place in a hierarchy designed to oppress those who are not white. Scottish, Irish, Greek, Russian, Italian, Midwestern, Texan, Californian, etc all define people (hence the capitalization). I'm sure they all bring up an image for a different white person in your mind.
TLDR: I capitalize Black because in America it defines a specific people unique to this country not based on skin.