The New York Times Stylebook, that respected arbiter of English usage, now specifies that “Black” rather than “black” is the correct term for referring to people of African American ancestry, both as an adjective and as a noun. On the other hand, many writers insist on using the orthographic oddity of “Black and brown people.” We should call them Colored people — just like French people or Vietnamese people — with no derogatory implications.
Consider the evolution of Black. The early slaves were referred to as ”negroes.” Eventually, ”negro” evolved into “Negro”, then into “black”, “African-American”, and “Black.” White supremacists call themselves “Whites.” So “Coloreds” should have no more negative connotations than “Asians,” a term that includes Chinese, Japanese, and Mongolians.
We still have the United Negro College Fund and the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). I’ve not heard of any effort to rename those organizations.
Paul Abrahams
Deerfield