Updating Our Language - Day 13
“Call a spade a spade”
Though the origins of this phrase are not racist, over time it evolved into having racist tones. In the late 1920s, during the Harlem Renaissance, "spade" became code for a Black person.
Because the phrase contains a racial slur, it’s best to retire it completely.
Throughout July we will be making posts about updating our language.
We live in a society that has normalized using many words and phrases with racist origins.
Part of the anti-racist work involves acknowledging you have used them, beginning the process of eliminating them from your vocabulary, and gently correcting others when you hear them used.
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