As a lawyer, my grandfather Morris represented both White and Black clients. I must admit, I had to do some research to find out if White and Black should both be capitalized in that sentence. Unsurprisingly, there doesn’t seem to be much agreement on the matter. Neither gets capitalized if they are just being used as adjectives as in, “The black car sped past the white bicycle.” When talking about race, however, capitalizing Black, as well as Indigenous, etc., has become expected. Capitalizing White, however, seems to be open to debate. The argument that to me anyway, resonates and makes the most sense is that not capitalizing White gives it the power of normalcy – whiteness that way is assumed to be the norm, and all the rest are “other.” Therefore, capitalizing it takes that power away from it. So, until somebody presents me with a different more compelling argument, White and Black it is.
Stories about my Father 40
Stories about my Father 40
Stories about my Father 40
As a lawyer, my grandfather Morris represented both White and Black clients. I must admit, I had to do some research to find out if White and Black should both be capitalized in that sentence. Unsurprisingly, there doesn’t seem to be much agreement on the matter. Neither gets capitalized if they are just being used as adjectives as in, “The black car sped past the white bicycle.” When talking about race, however, capitalizing Black, as well as Indigenous, etc., has become expected. Capitalizing White, however, seems to be open to debate. The argument that to me anyway, resonates and makes the most sense is that not capitalizing White gives it the power of normalcy – whiteness that way is assumed to be the norm, and all the rest are “other.” Therefore, capitalizing it takes that power away from it. So, until somebody presents me with a different more compelling argument, White and Black it is.