Thank you for this. I am all for finding new terms that are more specific for discussing these nuanced ideas. Do you propose an alternate vernacular by which people who have thus identified as “White” or “Black” or any other race may identify? Should we just identify with our nation of citizenship? What temporary challenges might a “paradigm shift” in vernacular create given that our society currently mandates the use of these labels, and how do we navigate those challenges in a way that still allows us to track data for discrimination against melanated people?

Also, do you propose an alternate vernacular for describing subconscious behaviors that are rooted in racist conditioning and ignorance, but not consciously discriminatory to the same degree as David Duke and his ilk? I feel “prejudice” is too lacking in specificity, for this type of anti-Black conditioned prejudice has greater, more harmful implications for Black people due to the power structure calibrated against us than does prejudice toward White people.