Black people

Black is a racist categorization of individuals, and it is often used as a political and skin color-based category for certain communities that have a complexion ranging from medium brown to dark brown. The word "black" is used in some places, often in socially oriented systems of racial categorization in Western countries, to describe individuals who are viewed as dark-skinned in comparison to other populations. However, not everyone who is classified as "black" has dark skin. It is most typically used for persons of sub-Saharan African heritage and the indigenous peoples of Oceania; nevertheless, it has been used in many situations to other groups, and it is not a sign of any close ancestral tie in any way, shape, or form. Outside of the context of the Western cultures that have influenced them, the indigenous African civilizations do not employ the word "black" as a racial identity. There is no set rule about how to uppercase the word "black." The guidance in the AP Stylebook was updated in 2020 to capitalise the "b" when it was written in black. According to the ASA Style Guide, the letter "b" should not be capitalised at any point.

In many communities, the determination of someone is considered to be "black" is based on a variety of factors, and the definitions of these social constructs have evolved through time. In a lot of nations, sociocultural characteristics have just as much of an impact on categorization as does skin colour, and the social criteria for what constitutes "blackness" might differ from country to country. Historically, the word "black" in the United Kingdom was synonymous with "person of colour," which is a catch-all phrase for persons who are not of European descent. In other parts of the world, such as Australasia, the word "black" was either introduced by European colonists or adopted by indigenous peoples whose histories and ancestral origins were distinct from those of the Europeans.

Some people consider the term "black" to be an insulting, antiquated, reductionist, or otherwise unrepresentative label; as a consequence, they choose not to use it or define it. This is particularly prevalent in African nations that have a brief or nonexistent history of colonial racial segregation.