pdq, I agree with everything you said in your 04:04 PM post except that "Black" is an informal referent, the formal one being African American. Both are appropriate. Also, the group referent "Negro" is has been retired, and sometimes is used in race as a slur to refer to a Black American {a Black "UnitedStater"} who acts or thinks in subservient, "Uncle Tom" or "Aunt Jemima" ways.

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It seems that folks here may have misunderstood what I was trying to say-that words such as 'black' and 'white' sometimes have hidden cultural connotations and that these color references can sometimes have negative consequences.

If you're interested in this subject, there are plenty of print resources out there.

And if it does nothing else, this side bar conversation can serve as an example that Mudcatters can have discussions without hostility.