Called Black: Navigating the Terrain of Racial Labels
By Justine Goeke
The interviewer asked the job candidate a question about diversity. The panel, including myself, listened as the older gentleman talked about "Black people" in the neighborhood. Because of his age and role in local politics surely the candidate would have noticed as people of African heritage used different terms of self reference due to shifts in self identity.
After the candidate left, a member of the interview panel questioned his use of the word "Black" to describe African Americans. The panelist argued that his use of the word in describing the diversity in his community illustrated that he was "out of touch," and, as an African American, she was offended by it.
In response, I wanted to defend the candidate. I felt the candidate clearly knew something about diversity, and he had used a label accepted by some people. However, as a white woman, I felt out of place challenging an African American woman's views on diversity and racial labels.
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