Negroes
Prejudices and Antipathies, Berman, p. 43-45.How do we handle catalogue relevance for blacks? how do we assign subject headings to black material? Do we follow the library of Congress and put it all under Negroes? This violates the thinking of blacks in this area and might be construed as just another example of white racism at work (Doherty, 1970, p. 384).
Being a complex matter, it demands systematic unraveling:
(a) Mr. Fafunwa, a Nigerian, states unequivocally that Africans prefer "to be called 'African,' not 'Negro' or 'coloured.'"
(b) Among Black Americans, "Negro" has increasingly become an object of derision, stigmatized as "Whitey's" language, an instrument of de-identification.
(c) Its employment by LC as a wholly "special" and inconsistent vis-a-vis the two other major 'racial' categories, Caucasian and Oriental. No comparable forms, like CAUCASIAN LIBRARIANS or ORIENTALS AS FARMERS appear anywhere in the list. And the "Oriental" entry by means of an sa note, seems to prefer forms for "individual peoples" (e.g. "Chinese, East Indians, Mongols").
(d) In the sphere of sheer practicality, monumental confusion arises over the delimitation imposed by the scope note under NEGROES: that the unqualified term applies solely to "Negroes" in the United States. African (and other) readers, not to mention overseas librarians themselves, thus find it difficult to "discriminate" between "Negroes" who dwell in America and Black Americans ("Negroes" again) who may reside, for example, in Liberia. Does NEGROES IN LIBERIA refer to Black Americans there or to black Liberians? Or perhaps, to Black Americo-Liberians? The scheme fails to resolve this dilemma. If nothing else, such a master guide should promote clarity. Instead, it encourages intellectual anarchy and much frustration.
The remedy must discard the manifestly offensive and racially mired current term, replacing it with forms chosen on an essentially ethnic or national basis:
(a) For material on Black Americans, substitute AFRO AMERICANS for NEGROES and institute AFRO-AMERICAN as the adjectival form (e.g. AFRO AMERICAN ART; AFRO-AMERICAN AUTHORS, LUTHERANS, AFRO-AMERICAN, etc.). Similarly: replace NEGROS IN LITERATURE with AFRO-AMERICANS IN LITERATURE, etc.
(b) As a corollary, abolish altogether phrases beginning NEGROES IN....If a work treats with Black people in Canada or Brazil, as examples, it would be assigned AFRO-CANADIANS or AFRO-BRAZILIANS. Together with the recommendations advanced earlier regarding e.g. JAPANESE-AMERICANS and MEXICAN-AMERICANS, this should achieve both fairness and consistency.
(c) Completely delete such monstrosities as NEGROES IN AFRICA and NEGROES IN LIBERIA. Material on Black Africans, Liberians, Nigerians, etc., since they constitute majorities on that continent and in nearly all of its lands, can be adequately handled by a number of already available heads (e.g. LIBERIA-SOCIAL CONDITIONS; AFRICA-POPULATION) or the proposed subdivisions -PEOPLES.
(d) If necessary to specify Black Americans, Africans (in general), or Liberians et al., who are temporarily outside of their home continent or country, use forms like AFRO-AMERICANS IN SWEDEN, LIBERIANS IN THE U.S., or AFRICAN STUDENTS IN RUSSIA.
(e) The much greater sophistication among library users today, plus overwhelming hostility to the antiquated word "colored" among people of African descent, compellingly dictate that the nine "Colored" See be deleted. Why pamper the troglodytes? (f) FOLKLORE, NEGRO, should be split into two new heads: FOLKLORE, AFRICAN and FOLKLORE, AFRO-AMERICAN.
(g) Consistent application of the "Afro-" principle will alter forms like NEGRO POETRY (AMERICAN), NEGRO POETRY (FRENCH), NEGRO POETRY (PORTUGUESE), and NEGRO POETRY (SPANISH-AMERICAN) TO AFRO-AMERICAN POETRY, AFRO-FRENCH POETRY, AFRO-PORTUGUESE POETRY, AFRO-SPANISH POETRY, with glosses added as necessary to indicate location; e.g. AFRO-SPANISH POETRY (LATIN AMERICA), AFRO-SPANISH POETRY (EQUATORIAL GUINEA).
(h) The heading and note for FREEMASONS, NEGRO may be revamped as:
FREEMASONS, AFRO-AMERICAN
Only general words are entered here. Works related to individual Afro-American lodges, as well as the literature of Afro-American freemasonry in any given locality, are entered under Freemasons [Local Subdivision], e.g. Freemasons. US Scottish Rite. National Supreme Council (Afro American).
xx Afro-American.
