2.10: Let's Talk Language: Black or African-American?

First Name Basis Podcast

Jasmine Bradshaw

How To, Parenting, Education, Kids & Family

5 • 629 Ratings

🗓️ 23 April 2020

⏱️ 20 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This episode answers the number one question I’ve been asked since starting First Name Basis: How do I know whether to say ”Black” or “African-American”?

I went straight to the source and asked a number of my friends and family how they prefer to identify and why. Listen to hear from:

Mielle Harmon
Ken Clarke
Ramiah Jackson
Antony Deshay
Nina Clarke-Telfer
Laura Schnell

Articles, Studies, & Podcasts Referenced in the Episode

“A Complete History of the Census Race Boxes”

“The Changing Categories the U.S. Census has Used to Measure Race”

Song Credit: “Away” by Geographer and “Beach Disco” by Dougie Wood

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to the First Name Basis podcast, Season 2, Episode 10. Let's Talk Language, Black or African American.
0:15.0	Welcome to First Name Basis, a community of parents committed to making the transformation from good intentions to
0:22.4	confident action. Join us each week as we cover critical topics and answer the questions
0:27.4	you've never felt comfortable asking. We'll use the lessons we learned to teach our children
0:31.7	about race, religion, and culture. I'm your host, Jasmine Bradshaw.
0:36.1	Music and culture. I'm your host, Jasmine Bradshaw.
0:56.2	Hello, First NameBasis, fam. I am so glad you are here. I can't wait to share today's episode with you because this has got to be the most commonly asked question I have ever had since
1:04.0	starting first name basis. People are always wanting to know how do I know whether or not
1:10.3	to say that someone is black or that they
1:13.3	are African American? We started this let's talk language series during season one because we want
1:20.7	you to feel confident and comfortable when you're talking about the people in your life and talking
1:25.3	to people who are different from you.
1:33.9	So what I've noticed, and you've probably noticed it too, that if you say to someone, oh,
1:39.7	could you please not say that it's offensive to me or that's not really respectful to say anymore, you usually get a response like, I just can't say anything anymore.
1:45.8	But the reality is there are a lot of things that you can say.
1:49.8	You just have to figure out what they are.
1:52.4	Language is always evolving.
1:54.8	And we change our language to show respect and love for the people around us.
1:59.4	So people who have been silenced in the past are now
2:02.2	telling us how they want us to talk about them. So it's really important for us to listen.
2:08.2	If you're struggling to know whether to say black or African American, it's for good reason
2:14.2	because what our community has been called has changed so much over time.
	...

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