Rashaad Lambert of Forbes writes about the business magazine’s decision to drop the word “minority” from editorial coverage.
Lambert writes, “This wasn’t a hard decision. First, non-whites are already a majority of the world’s population. Second, in my lifetime, people of color will compose a majority in America. Finally, as any Black or Brown person will tell you (and as echoed in the words of Prince), there is nothing minor about us.
“There is an old proverb that talks about tying an elephant to a stake as a baby so that it cannot run away. As the elephant grows, the stake does not, yet the elephant still believes it cannot remove itself from the stake. The elephant believes it is too weak or unable to explore beyond its immediate surroundings. It never tries because it’s already convinced that it cannot.
“Words matter, especially when they’re inaccurate. The use of the word minority—and the comparative mentality that’s formed as a result—is often introduced to Black and Brown people at the most malleable point of life: childhood. That mindset festers throughout childhood, prompting an inferiority complex that makes these children feel they cannot excel due to systemic oppression.”
Read more here.
