Delta Air Lines has been the topic of heated discussions on social media, as some have taken issue with the carrier’s decision to capitalize Black and Brown, but not white.
The ordeal began after an alleged page from the airline’s style guide surfaced on Twitter. Under the heading of Race and Ethnicity a style note reads, “Capitalize ‘Black’ and ‘Brown’ in Delta communications. Unlike Black or Brown, ‘white’ should be lowercase.”
The news sparked debates surrounding the use of inclusive text, and what the difference in capitalization means. Delta received backlash for the style note, with many individuals expressing anger and disappointment. Some even went as far as to accuse the airline of being racist.
Others stated that the capitalization differences are a matter of grammar, with white being lowercase because it is a descriptive term rather than a race.
The Associated Press Argument
In 2020, The Associated Press announced that it would begin to capitalize Black when used in a “racial, ethnic or cultural sense” similar to how terms like Asian and Latino are capitalized.
John Daniszewski, the organization’s Vice President for Standards, explained the reasoning behind the decision in an announcement:
“People who are Black have strong historical and cultural commonalities, even if they are from different parts of the world and even if they now live in different parts of the world,” he said. “That includes the shared experience of discrimination due solely to the color of one’s skin.”
The global news agency style guide is the most widely used among journalists and media organizations. The Associated Press also stated that it would continue to lowercase white when used in these ways.
“White people generally do not share the same history and culture, or the experience of being discriminated against because of skin color,” Daniszewski said in a separate announcement released to explain this decision. “We agree that white people’s skin color plays into systemic inequalities and injustices, and we want our journalism to robustly explore those problems. But capitalizing the term white, as is done by white supremacists, risks subtly conveying legitimacy to such beliefs.”
Delta Air Lines has not yet released a statement regarding the situation. However, the ongoing discussion continues to highlight the complex discussions surrounding language and race.