[Cyber Liberty]

Maybe “colored” was the offensive term. But one never knows what is the non-offensive term. Sometimes it’s “black,” sometimes “African American,” sometimes who knows what it is. Colored was actually a polite term in its day.

Maybe we can ring up the NAACP and ask?

[arasina]

livius: Maybe “colored” was the offensive term. But one never knows what is the non-offensive term. Sometimes it’s “black,” sometimes “African American,” sometimes who knows what it is. Colored was actually a polite term in its day.

Cyber Liberty: Maybe we can ring up the NAACP and ask?

I believe it was Jesse Jackson who PUSHed the idea of using the term "African-American" into usage, replacing "Afro American" which had earlier replaced "colored". It was added to the lexicon of PC journalists in the early '80s (I think) and eventually went mainstream.

I don't know why they didn't change the NAACP's name accordingly. Perhaps because it would be NAAAA. ;-)

The "United Negro College Fund" is an anachronism today but I actually saw a television ad for it only a few months ago.