The Census Bureau recently announced that they would be doing away with their use of the word “Negro” as an option to describe Black Americans in their surveys. Instead, the forms will now use the terms “Black” or “African-American,” reports the Associated Press.

The adjustment will be made next year when the bureau conducts its American Community Survey. According to Census Bureau chief, Nicholas Jones research conducted by the organization’s racial statistics branch discovered that many Black Americans find the term to be “offensive and outdated.”

“This is a reflection of changing times, changing vocabularies and changing understandings of what race means in this country. For younger African-Americans, the term `Negro’ harkens back to the era when African-Americans were second-class citizens in this country,” said Matthew Sipp, sociology professor at Stanford University.

The bureau began using “Negro” to describe Black Americans in 1900, prior to that the term “Colored” was used to describe Blacks in the surveys. Back in 2010, the Census Bureau contemplated ending their use of the dated term on their forms, but decided against it, which turned out to be a big mistake, as many organizations began protesting once the forms were mailed out. The Census Bureau’s director, Robert Grove issued a public apology and expressed that the term would be removed from future surveys following those protests.

While it’s great that they are finally getting rid of the outdated term, one can’t help but wonder why it took them so long to realize that the word was dated and offensive.

What are your thoughts on the survey using “Negro” to describe Blacks? Do you find that you are unable to identify with any of the terms that the Census uses to describe Black Americans ?

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From Essence

The term “Negro” may be removed from Census forms by 2020, reports the Associated Press.

The U.S. Census Bureau says it’s considering the change based on cultural trends and criticism they received after including the term in the 2010 Census. So why did they include a term that seems outdated to most of us in the first place? Apparently a significant amount of people still check “Negro” as their race, according to a Census study conducted in 2000. As it stands, “Negro” is listed alongside “Black” and “African-American” on the questionnaire.

Read more on Essence.com.

Image: Hemera

-So maybe the economy is doing as poorly as we thought? It’s an emotional roller coaster! Now The Washington Post is saying there are indications that things are moving in a lasting, positive direction. New homes are being built and sold at a higher clip. Those jobs numbers improved with yesterday’s Labor Department numbers showing 361,000 fewer people filing for unemployment insurance. And U.S. exports were up. Experts question whether this will make a difference in the Presidential election.

-We talked about some of the trends in retail in this story yesterday. Today we have a story from The New York Times outlining the ways in which personalized shopping is heading to the supermarket as well. Grocers, using data collected on loyalty cards and apps, are reaching out to customers in a variety of ways with personalized coupons and offers.

-The Census Bureau has proposed an end of the use of the term Negro, leaving black and African American. The suggestion is one of a few that the Bureau has made following research it conducted during the 2010 census in which some questions, when worded differently, got better response rates. The other suggestions include a separate category for “Hispanic” and different ways of identifying Arab-Americans. Hispanics are concerned that changes will short-change the count. But other groups, including the National Urban League, are in support of the rewording.

-Couldn’t get an invite to join Pinterest? Now you don’t need one. And here’s our story with a few pointers for using Pinterest to grow your business and your personal brand.

-And in the final Olympics update of this year’s Games, Usain Bolt won gold in the 200-meter race, becoming the first to ever defend both the 100-meter and 200-meter titles in back-to-back Games. For many, the win earns him the title of “best sprinter in history.” He’s also competing in the 4X100 relay competition. Separately, Bolt took issues with comments US Olympian Carl Lewis has made, suggesting that Jamaica’s drug testing program needs to be strengthened.

Ashton Eaton became “the best athlete in the world” with his gold-medal win in the decathalon. Another American Trey Hardee took silver, the first time the U.S. took the top two spots since 1956.

And the U.S. women’s soccer team took gold for the third straight time, beating Japan. The game was a rematch of the 2011 World Cup in which Japan was the victor.

Source: Shadowandact.com

Webseries have become the holy grail for black people in the film industry who are tired of sitting around waiting for opportunities to tell their stories, and we’re increasingly seeing even established actors and film producers jump on the trend. Aasha Davis of the critically acclaimed film “Pariah” has recently gotten into the game as the star of a new series on the drama that unfolds in the workplace, “The Unwritten Rules.”

The series was created by Kim Williams and is based on her book, 40 Hours and an Unwritten Rule: The Diary of a N***er, Negro, Colored, Black, African-American Woman. She says the webseries

“examines the comedic realities of being an African-American in a predominantly white workplace.”

Pretty much all of us have been there at some point or another so it shouldn’t be too hard to find a situation we can identify with. Aasha Davis, who plays the lead role of Racey Jones, says the series is both entertaining and expository, opening up a dialogue on issues we all know exists but only talk about amongst ourselves.

“The series immediately made me laugh because, it reminded me of stories that my sister would tell me about working in corporate offices and in the same turn it made me nervous because it was exposing those type of stories I only felt comfortable enough to discuss with someone like my sister. I’m really attracted to stories like the Unwritten Rules’ because they inspire interesting and sometimes difficult conversations.”

When I watch the trailer I can’t help but think of Awkward Black Girl because of Aasha’s sarcasm, although she has a slightly different style of delivery. So far, four episodes have aired, and a new one comes out every Wednesday. Check out a couple episodes here and tell us what you think.

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By Charlotte Young

The former name of Texas governor Rick Perry’s hunting camp was certainly an alarming discovery, but it’s far from the only shockingly racist name of places across the US. Take for instance Negro Mountain in western Maryland, or Runaway Negro Creek in a state park right outside Savannah, GA. Park Rangers in the area do their best to keep from using the name.

America must have forgotten its history. Names such as these and “Niggerhead” in Texas were once so common that they were brand names for soap and tobacco, among other everyday products. But with Perry’s camp grounds in the spotlight, the New York Times reports that people are beginning to wonder just why these names are still around.

The federal government had the n-word replaced with “Negro” in all geographic names in 1963. Back then the word was an appropriate term for African Americans. But now there are those who wonder whether or not it’s even appropriate to continue to use the name “Negro.”

The United States Board on Geographic Names is the federal agency responsible for the collection of the over 2.5 million official names of streams, mountains, cities and civic buildings. There are 757 of them with ”Negro” or some variation of the word in the title, according to executive secretary of the board Lou Yost.

While there have been various attempts to remove these racially offensive names, the process of changing official government names of places is not always easy.  Yost discloses that it’s not something his agency does lightly.

Official federal name changes are requested by a petitioner who must then convince a state board and the federal government that a new name is more suitable, using both historical significance and local acceptance to support the case.

Not all local residents in areas with the names want the names to be removed. Negro Creek Road located near Columbia, Tennessee was named in honor of three young black boys who drowned in the mouth of the creek in the early 1800s.

“Every three to five years somebody will rise up and say, ‘Oh, my! Why do you call it that?’ ” Bob Duncan, the county historian said to the NY Times. “We tell them and they say, ‘Oh, O.K.’ ”

Negrohead Mountain near Malibu, California however, was one of those places where the people wanted the name changed. In 2009, petitioners were successful and it was officially changed to Ballard Mountain, after the black homesteader who lived there.

“A lot of people feel the names should not be changed because they reflect a historical reality,” history professor Patricia Colman, who fought for the Negrohead Mountain name change, told the NY Times. “I would argue that there are better ways to teach that history.”

By Charlotte Young

Almost 60 years ago, 36 concrete gravestones were moved from a Gold Rush-era hamlet known as Negro Hill in the 1950s to make way for a reservoir in El Dorado Country, Calif. What did not change, however, are the markers that the gravestones are still identified by: “Unknown. Moved from N-Word Hill Cemetery by U.S. Government – 1954.”

The Associated Press reports that a group of activists are attempting to have the markers replaced so that the gravestones can bear the original name, “Negro Hill.” Though the Army Corps of Engineers was responsible for the relocation, the group says control of the gravesite belongs to El Dorado Country.

Lt. Col. Andrew B. Kiger, the commander of the Corps’ Sacramento District, told the AP that “we are deeply ashamed and regretful to find this word in our records, and for having perpetuated a racist, hateful word that has no place in public discourse.”

The county’s board has been holding meetings to determine who will amend the markers and how it will be done. Activist Michael Harris, who has been one of those pushing the removal, was invited to offer a suggestion, but the board made no promises.

The Corps were also asked to come up with a proposal. A group that organizes state prison inmate work projects volunteered Thursday to fix them, but they do not yet have the approval of the county.

Ralph White, president of the Stockton Black Leadership Council, also made a presentation to the country board at a meeting. White declared that regardless of how it’s done, the racial slur will be removed.