No, this is not the 1960s, although the new U.S. Army policy may make you feel otherwise.
The October 22 update to command procedures has made “Negro” an acceptable term to use when describing African-American soldiers. The term, which holds prejudicial undertones and has been widely discontinued since the ’60s, can justifiably be used to classify “a person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa,” according to section 6-2 of the Army’s AR 600–20 regulations. The same clause, a part of the Army’s equal opportunity policy, also gives the OK to use “Haitian,” in addition to the more common “Black” or “African-American” labels.
The racial definitions in the regulation are outdated, said Lt. Col. Justin Platt, an Army spokesman, in a statement.
[Image: Spencer Platt/Getty Images]
The definitions are “currently under review and will be updated shortly,” he said. “The Army takes pride in sustaining a culture where all personnel are treated with dignity and respect and not discriminated against based on race, color, religion, gender and national origin.”
About 21 percent of active-duty members of the Army are Black, according to Defense Power Research.