Black people
People of Africa
Black people refers to people of African descent, with the capital B increasingly preferred in journalism and formal writing to acknowledge Black as a distinct cultural and ethnic identity rather than merely a skin color descriptor: Black people in America have a unique historical experience shaped by slavery and its aftermath.
The capitalization parallels other ethnic designations like Asian or Latino.
Some style guides mandate this form; others leave it to writer preference. (Lowercase black people is the traditional generic form.)
Improvisational American music genre
- bluesMournful American music genre
- gospelSacred choral tradition
- hip-hopRhythmic spoken-word music
- soulInnermost animating essence
R&B · funk · spoken word · Harlem Renaissance · Negro spirituals · step dance · barbershop · HBCU
Natural coloring compound
- AfrocentricEmphasizing African cultural viewpoint
- colorismBias based on complexion
- double consciousnessAwareness of conflicting identities
- one-drop ruleAny ancestry means full classification
passing · biracial · mixed race · code-switching · representation · visibility · solidarity · kinship
Forced separation by group
- integrationCombining into a whole
- Jim CrowRacial separation laws
- voting rightsEntitlement to elect officials
- NAACPCivil rights advocacy organization
sit-ins · boycott · affirmative action · civil disobedience · emancipation · March on Washington · redlining · desegregation
Family line of descent
- African diasporaGlobal spread from one continent
- lineageDescent from progenitors
- rootsUnderground nutrient absorbers
- genealogyStudy of family descent
legacy · Middle Passage · oral history · freedmen · Great Migration · transatlantic · motherland · repatriation
jazz
Improvisational American music genre
soul · R&B · funk · spoken word · Harlem Renaissance · Negro spirituals · step dance · barbershop · HBCU · call and response
melanin
Natural coloring compound
- AfrocentricEmphasizing African cultural viewpoint
- colorismBias based on complexion
- double consciousnessAwareness of conflicting identities
one-drop rule · passing · biracial · mixed race · code-switching · representation · visibility · solidarity · kinship · community
segregation
Forced separation by group
- integrationCombining into a whole
- Jim CrowRacial separation laws
- voting rightsEntitlement to elect officials
NAACP · sit-ins · boycott · affirmative action · civil disobedience · emancipation · March on Washington · redlining · desegregation · busing
ancestry
Family line of descent
- African diasporaGlobal spread from one continent
- lineageDescent from progenitors
- rootsUnderground nutrient absorbers
genealogy · legacy · Middle Passage · oral history · freedmen · Great Migration · transatlantic · motherland · repatriation · Pan-Africanism
Black peoplewhite people
European-descent racial category
Caucasians · whites · white · European Americans · Asian people