Published September 15, 2024

A self-described “open-minded” person from my journalism past asked, “Why does everything have to be about race?” Increasingly, my answer is, “Because everything is about race.”

“Cakewalk” is a word I still see often in journalism and places where it would be easy to use an alternative. I have found that when people become aware of the racist origins of words and phrases, after an initial defensive pushback it’s hard for them to generate enthusiasm for continuing to use them. And if they double down, that can be useful information for me.

My world changed when I went from using words simply because everyone else used them to finding out more about the words and their origins. If I used a word and didn’t actually know why I did, that was a problem. Words are the primary tools of my profession.

This antiracist language guide from the University of Arizona is one of several references I use while I am editing and writing. It turned up in a search I did for “cakewalk.”

I say all of this as someone who rejects the notion that there is such a thing as “reverse racism” — a term that benefits from a fundamental misunderstanding of the systemic nature of structural racism.

A version of this post first appeared on LinkedIn. Editing tips here are mine unless noted.

Image by mr Pliskin via iStock.