Last week, I was chatting with a white gentleman who is 80 years old. We were discussing racism and his experiences growing up in the south. Aside from sharing the incredible life experiences he had, he explained how racism was sometimes subtly introduced and ingrained from childhood. The example he provided was the well-known “eeny meeny miney mo” counting song. The original did not say “tiger.” It was another word that also ends in -ger. And, I learned that the last two lines were “if he hollers make him pay/ fifty dollars every day.” I was shocked.
I started thinking about other words that have racist histories but are used in everyday language. Here is a select list that I think we should all endeavor to stop using:
- Pow-wow/Tribe/Spirit Animal/Lowest or Bottom of the Totem Pole: Is the misappropriation of sacred cultural symbols of Indigenous communities. Flippant use of these words further marginalizes these communities. Instead, use “get-together,” “my crew/group/people,” “idol,” and “not important.”
- Brown Bag (lunch): Refers to colorism dating back to slavery through the Civil Rights era. If someone was “lighter” than a brown bag, they were allowed to participate, and those who weren’t could not. Instead, use “Lunch & Learn.”
- Grandfathered in/Grandfather clause: Refers to the disenfranchisement of freed slaves. Anyone eligible to vote before 1867 was exempt from eligibility tests, and thus, were grandfathered in. But, enslaved Black people could not vote until 1870, so they had to take these impossible-to-pass tests. Instead, use “exempted.”
- Gypped/jipped: Stems from a derogatory term used to refer to the Roma who have historically traveled from place to place. Instead, use “cheated/swindled/defrauded.”
- Master Bedroom/Bathroom: Refers to the times of slavery when the slave owner slept in the largest bedroom. Instead, use “primary bedroom/bathroom.”
- Blacklist/Whitelist: Gives the impression that black = bad and white = good. Instead, use “blocklist” and “allowlist.”
- Cakewalk: Refers to dances slave owners forced their slaves to do to compete for a cake. Instead use “easy” or “a breeze.”
- Sold down the river: Refers to slaves who were literally sold down the Mississippi River in the 1800s to southern plantations. Instead, use “betrayed.”
- Sitting Indian-Style: Refers to a stereotypical portrayal of Indigenous people. Instead, use “criss-cross applesauce.”
- Redline: Refers to the discriminatory practices of the Jim Crow era where governments purposely would not provide funding to the areas outlined in red. Instead use “edits” or “revisions.”
- “Long time no see” or “no can do:” Refers to the broken English of non-native speakers, specifically East Asian communities. Instead, use “It’s been a while!” or “Sorry, I can’t.”
Google can help you find many other every-day sayings that actually have racist connotations. I encourage each of us to consciously try to be actively anti-racist in the language we use.