There are some words we use and hear all the time without questioning where they came from. All too often, these words are code for something racist. Here are three that might not have occurred to you.
#1: Tipping Point
It was the 1950s, and with the end of legal segregation came “white flight”: white people fleeing neighborhoods because “too many” Black people had moved in for their liking. The term tipping point was used to describe the point at which white people “had enough” and moved away.
#2: Articulate
“You’re so articulate.” Why wouldn’t we be? To refer to a Black person as articulate implies that this is rare, reinforcing the myth that Black vernacular or intelligence is inferior to other cultures.
#3: Urban
For centuries, the term referred to people living in cities. In the late 20th century, it meant Black people. The 1949 Housing Act Urban Renewal Program targeted “urban” neighborhoods. The residents were forced out, and the land was used for redevelopment.
In the words of Desmond Tutu: “Language is very powerful. Language does not just describe reality. Language creates the reality it describes.” How can we use our words to create the liberated reality we want?