by Joyce Dinkins
More important than how many words we use, is how we use words; how we think about, say, and write words—why and their impact. Even a single word or a letter is meaningful. This is crucial in order to communicate well. We can use words for godly impact or we can use terms meant for evil, right? Take Black.
Black defined in one way is “operating in the black.” That’s a welcome word for anyone looking for a profit. Also, Black or Afro-American or African American History Month, describes a specific “celebration of milestones.” That’s wonderful!
But Black defined as “wicked,” should only apply in correct context—for example, satanic black magic is evil. That’s godly analysis.
When I say Negro History Day or Week, I am explaining the history of Black History Month. Yet I communicate distaste for others’ failed attempts to classify people for purposes of oppression when I say, “I was born a Negro in 1950 and resided where we were not supposed to be, except in set capacities.”
If we write or say, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), we communicate a cross-cultural organization inclusive of individuals of varied skin color. Birthed in 1909 to halt injustice and inhumanity, the NAACP and others fought successfully for civil rights and against evils rooted in US culture, as well as present abroad; for example, South African apartheid. But if someone says, “those colored people,” this reckless phrase denies people’s individuality, rejects their value, and becomes a blanket slur, based solely on how much melanin pigment shows on the surface of the skin.
In the true story documented in Skin, viewers journey with the “Black” child born to “White” Afrikaners unaware of their black ancestry. Many of us in the Americas are unaware of our diverse ancestry; some of us more than others. Those who know and understand lineage and who reflect diverse appearance understand that individuals don’t want to be labeled for wrong reasons.
The key to how we use words is intention; what does a heart desire, a mind determine, and why does a person speak in one way or another?
My dad and mom had to build a bridge past ill-conceived labels; past the abuse they experienced as a result. Despite the language and cultural gaps they lived through, and even ignorant intentions. A bridge for the truth—for my and future generations to exist and thrive. They expressed their hearts and minds intentions: “You can hate racism, but you must always see the individual for who he or she is as a person.”
This requires adding a g to race; this grace is defined primarily, “unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration . . . a virtue coming from God.”
Joyce Dinkins is the managing editor of New Hope Publishers.
