‘Blacklist’ & ‘Whitelist’

…how racially charged terminology and colour connotations transmit structural racism

Language does not only describe meaning, but it also creates meaning. When we use words to communicate with others, these words are shaped by the things we see and believe to be true. They include values, intentions, and notions of what is considered reality at a given time and context. Language categorises what is believed to belong together, and attributes connotations to phenomena and processes which are considered desirable or undesirable. Over time, these words become seemingly objective, however, their origin always accompanies them. Thereby, the terms we use to communicate with others are anything but neutral. They often contain values and ideologies from the past, while at the same time shaping the present.

A topic that received increased attention in recent years is racially charged terminology. Language is one of many factors that contribute to the structural reproduction and transmission of racism, ranging from obvious and intentional racist terms to more subtle ways of racially charged language.

The plague of racism is insidious, entering into our minds as smoothly and quietly and invisibly as floating airborne microbes enter into our bodies to find lifelong purchase in our bloodstreams.
(Maya Angelou)

One way how today’s terminology legitimises and perpetuates anti-Black racism is the opposed connotation of colour terms that simultaneously label skin colours. Whereas the colour black usually refers to darkness, white symbolises light, brightness and purity. Ossie Davis pointed out that out of 120 synonyms for the term black 60 terms have strong negative connotations, but not a single word has a slightly positive meaning. White, on the other hand, has barely any negatively connoted synonyms, whereas it is associated with many positive meanings. Using the same terms to refer to skin colours as a demarcation between the good and the bad contributes to upholding systematic racist stigma and reinforces anti-Black stereotypes.

Next to connotation, the Afro-American psychologist Watts-Jones analyses how multiple inherently negative terms reference Blackness: „Our color is related to extortion (blackmail), disrepute (black mark), rejection (blackball), banishment (blacklist), impurity (not the driven snow), illicitness (black market), and death“. This list seems to continue endlessly, and it is no surprise that terms like „blacklist“ originate in times of mass enslavement and forced deportation of African people. Moreover, the antonym of „blacklist“ is „whitelist“, which again clearly emphasises a division between rejected and welcomed. All in all, these terms polarise the desirable and the unwanted while referencing expressions for skin colours.

Even though many people use racially charged expressions unaware of their origin and without intending consequences, these terms reflect and transmit a racist culture. Everyday language negatively targets Black people, or, in other words, contains racial micro-aggressions. „Words can injure, even if the wound isn’t immediately evident “, states Watts-Jones. The pervasive power of language thus contributes to uphold polarising categories and is one of the countless ways how structural racism prevails. Changing expressions that negatively refer to Blackness is thus a necessary step to reduce everyday racism.