ĭifferent societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified 'black', and these social constructs have changed over time.
The ASA Style Guide says that the 'b' should not be capitalized. The AP Stylebook changed its guide to capitalize the 'b' in black in 2020. The term 'black' may or may not be capitalized. Indigenous African societies do not use the term black as a racial identity outside of influences brought by Western cultures. It is mostly used for people of Sub-Saharan African descent and the indigenous peoples of Oceania. Not all people considered 'black' have dark skin in certain countries, often in socially based systems of racial classification in the Western world, the term 'black' is used to describe persons who are perceived as dark-skinned compared to other populations. Black people is a racialized classification of people, usually a political and skin color-based category for specific populations with a mid to dark brown complexion.
