AP style updates guidance on ‘Black’

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The Associated Press has announced it will be updating its stylebook to capitalize the word “Black” when referencing groups or a person.

“AP’s style is now to capitalize Black in a racial, ethnic or cultural sense, conveying an essential and shared sense of history, identity and community among people who identify as Black, including those in the African diaspora and within Africa. The lowercase black is a color, not a person,” reads the blog post announcing the decision.

AP style already capitalized terms such as “Hispanic,” “Latino,” “Asian America” and “Native American.”

Associated Press style is used by hundreds of news organizations in the U.S. and around the globe. It is perhaps most prominent in written journalism produced by organizations that use the style — whether it be in print, online or, where appropriate, in on screen graphics.

The move comes after increased calls from civil rights leaders, groups and others for news organizations to start capitalizing the use of the word “Black” in these references.

The guidelines are supplemented by an existing guide on race.