‘Green, red, yellow, blue’? Beneath the surface, diaspora language is anything but Black and white
Originally published by Africa | The Guardian — Read the original article →
Black communities across the globe have large and complex vocabularies to describe race, shaped by their specific cultures and histories
Don’t get The Long Wave delivered to your inbox? Sign up here
One thing you might not know about this newsletter is how much it is shaped by behind-the-scenes chat. The Long Wave team, and its broader family at the Guardian, is a mini-diaspora in and of itself – one that is constantly in conversation. Often, during our meetings, someone will mention what was assumed to be a quirk of their specific background, only to discover that it is replicated almost entirely across the board. This week, we spoke about the fact that in many of our cultures, there is not just one word for “Black”.