Diversity Style Guide, Conscious Style Guide, capitalize Black | Abundant Content
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Since when do you capitalize Black?

I had a client request some grammatical “edits” to some content I wrote for their blog. They* wanted me to remove the capital B from the word “Black”, and asked that I perhaps keep “politics” out of my commercial work. Nope. I capitalize Black for a reason.

Luckily, I had some resources to back me up, and my client (who is very cool), took a moment to check in. After some time reading and discussing, we agreed to leave it as is, understanding that it has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with diversity, inclusion, consciousness and new paradigm thinking.

For this, I’m extraordinarily grateful. I’m not here to argue with people, and I really, really appreciate working with those who want to adopt this kind of consideration (side note: I also really enjoy the fact that academically, I get to discuss this, too – school’s going swimmingly, by the way).

Here are my two favorite resources for writing and editing to make sure my content, and my clients’, are as up-to-date as possible.

The Diversity Styleguide – the Diversity Styleguide is aimed toward helping journalists and media professionals write with “accuracy and authority.” It’s online for free or, if you’re the type that likes hard copies, order one from Amazon. Not only will you find informative information on current topics but also how to spell, punctuate and source them correctly. The website also provides links to several other style guides on more specific topics like age, disability, and gender.

The Conscious Style Guide – while the Diversity Styleguide is focused on media professionals, the Conscious Style Guide leans more toward the creative and academic and is as much a “style guide” as it is an ongoing conversation about diversity, empowerment, and inclusion. It offers articles and resources for media professionals, creative writers and graphics artists, including links to resources on how to “sell diversity” in your projects, how to spot stereotypes (and avoid them), and this incredible tool for making analogies to explain technology.

Make them yours!

And also… why you should capitalize Black? Here’s what the Diversity Styleguide and the Conscious Style Guide have to say about it. And that being said, if you’re a writing and grammar nut like me, you’ll also enjoy Grammar Girl on Twitter. Peep her podcast if you’d rather listen in.

Want more writing resources? Here’s a list of free resources for your blog – if you’re like me, and you’re constantly having to come up with new ideas for a variety of clients, this is a good place to start when you hit a wall.

*They – we’ll talk about that shortly. 


Why You Should Capitalize Black

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