Source
NABJ
NABJ Style Guide
Access posture
About
The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) is a 501(c)(3) professional organization of African American journalists, students, and media professionals, founded in 1975 in Washington, D.C., by 44 journalists. Its NABJ Style Guide (2022, last revised 2025) offers recommendations on terminology for covering Black communities and race.
In the commons it is a source for the Race & Ethnicity chapter.
Access
Host posture is private-mirror-link-out, but the live stylebook is members-gated on nabj.org — readers without a login cannot reach it. The commons therefore keeps a private preservation copy for citation verification and links to the (gated) original. Quotes are held within fair-use limits and attributed to NABJ.
Publication details
Version history
- 2020 edition Current canonical
June 2020 NABJ statement on capitalizing Black (and related racial identifiers) — republished within the 2022 style guide; several term entries cite the statement's original year.
Terms citing this source
- Black Use
“The organization believes it is important to capitalize "Black" when referring to (and out of respect for) the Black diaspora. … NABJ also recommends that whenever a color is used to appropriately describe race then it should be capitalized, including White and Brown.”
— NABJ Statement on Capitalizing Black and Other Racial Identifiers (June 2020)
- Brown Use
“NABJ also recommends that whenever a color is used to appropriately describe race then it should be capitalized, including White and Brown.”
— NABJ Statement on Capitalizing Black and Other Racial Identifiers (June 2020)
- Colored Avoid
“colored: An archaic term for black. In some African countries, colored denotes those of mixed racial ancestry. Do not use unless referring to official names, historical events or in quotes.”
— Glossary entry: colored
- Diversity Use
“Catchall term to describe a condition or environment that is multiracial and multicultural; being representative or reflective of the multiethnic society. Diversity is not synonymous with affirmative action, is not limited to race and is not government-mandated.”
— Glossary, "diversity" entry
- Ethnicity Use with care
“The mention of a persons race should not be used unless relevant. This also applies to references to ethnicity, sexual orientation and religion. … Race and ethnicity may be relevant in some stories…”
— Glossary entry: ethnicity, race
- Ghetto Avoid
“ghetto, inner city: Terms used as synonyms for sections of cities inhabited by poor people or minorities. Avoid these descriptions because of their negative connotations. Often the name of the neighborhood is the best choice. Section, district or quarter may also be used.”
— Style guide, "G" entries, "ghetto, inner city"
- Islam Use
“Islam: Youngest of the world's three major monotheistic religions. … Although Arabic is the language of the Koran, not all Arabs are Muslim and not all Muslims are Arabs.”
— "Islam" entry
- Muslim Use
“Black Muslim: Archaic term to describe members of the American Muslim Mission. Muslim is sufficient.”
— "Black Muslim" entry
- Nation of Islam Use
“Religious movement established during the Great Depression in Detroit in 1930 by Wallace D. Fard, a salesman. … The Nation of Islam's teachings are of Black Nationalism and separatism. Many of its beliefs and practices differ from the Orthodox Islam Church.”
— "Nation of Islam" entry, A–Z terms table
- white Use
“NABJ also recommends that whenever a color is used to appropriately describe race then it should be capitalized, including White and Brown.”
— NABJ Statement on Capitalizing Black and Other Racial Identifiers (June 2020)