Is ‘Colored’ an Important Distinction or Just Another Word for ‘Black’?

What makes someone “Black” or “colored” cannot be measured definitively on a color-coded scale because race is a social construct, not a genetic one. It was the 18th-century Swedish botanist <a href="https://www.linnean.org/learning/who-was-linnaeus/linnaeus-and-race" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Carl Linnaeus</a> who constructed and promoted the idea of race, portraying White people as superior. These categories included more than physical differences but also social and intellectual ones. For instance, Linnaeus described Black, or <a href="https://www.linnean.org/learning/who-was-linnaeus/linnaeus-and-race" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Africanus</a> people, as “sly, sluggish,” and “neglectful,” Asiatic, or <a href="https://www.linnean.org/learning/who-was-linnaeus/linnaeus-and-race" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Asiaticus</a> people as “stern, haughty,” and “greedy.” In comparison, <a href="https://www.linnean.org/learning/who-was-linnaeus/linnaeus-and-race" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Europaeus</a> people were described as “light, wise, inventor,” while <a href="https://www.linnean.org/learning/who-was-linnaeus/linnaeus-and-race" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Americanus</a> was considered “unyielding, cheerful,” and “free.” As a result, the concept of race is inseparable from white supremacy, the belief that White people are not just different but superior to other racial groups and, therefore, entitled to more access to resources and opportunities. <a href="https://allyfromnola.medium.com/is-colored-an-important-distinction-or-just-another-word-for-black-59f5ea613be5">Read More</a>