The Seattle Times is putting itself in formation by capitalizing the B in Black.

The paper announced it will capitalize the B in Black via a letter to its readers on December 19.

“The Times regularly reviews its style guide and makes adjustments as language and society change,” the letter read.

“New guidance on usage of 'Black' arose from discussions in the broader culture about what constitutes a people, and the historical use of various words to describe the people and descendants of the African diaspora," it continued.

Times managing editor Ray Rivera believes the move is a way for the publication to put some respect on the community’s name.

“The time was overdue for this kind of reassessment,” Rivera said. “We felt this was an important move. It is increasingly clear this is the preferred term among many Black publications and presses. It seems appropriate and respectful for us to follow suit.”

The Times also stated its position on capitalizing the W in white: it ain’t happening.

White will not be capitalized due to a difference in definition compared to Black and its use among white supremacist groups.

“Unlike Black, it is lowercase, as its use is a physical description of people whose backgrounds may spring from many different cultures,” the letter stated. “Capitalized white is often used by the white nationalist/white supremacist movement.”

The paper also revealed it refuses to use white or Black as nouns. The changes were compiled by The Seattle Times’ copy desk and Diversity & Inclusion task force.

Descriptions of racial groups in the media have evolved as society evolved. Years after the Civil Rights Movement ended, "Afro-American" was added to the 1977 Associated Press Stylebook. "Black" was also accepted while "colored" was discouraged.

In April, the Associated Press dropped the hyphen in "African American" and several other groups, according to The Columbia Journalism Review.

"People of color" and "racial minority" were added and defined as terms used to “describe people of races other than white in the United States.”

Paula Froke, lead editor of the AP Stylebook, consulted the National Association of Black Journalists and other journalism diversity organizations about the changes.

“We got good feedback,” Froke told ACES. “But it’s safe to say even within certain organizations there’s no consensus about some style issues.”

Like The Seattle Times, the AP advises against using Black or white as a noun, but Froke admitted this was a point of contention.

“No one could answer why it isn’t OK to say ‘blacks,’ but it’s OK to say Jews or mothers, etc.,” Froke said. “But the idea is that it reduces people to a color.”

As of press time, the AP Stylebook does not capitalize the B in Black.

The-Seattle-Times

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