capitalization: races, ethnicities

On this page

• Terminology
• Capitalization
  • Capitalization of “Black” and “white”
• Additional information

Terminology

The meanings of the terms race and ethnicity are debated and evolving.

Race is generally considered to be a socially constructed categorization of people according to common physical traits.

Ethnicity is generally considered to be a categorization of people according to a shared origin, religion, culture, language, history, etc.

Capitalization

Capitalize words referring to race and ethnicity:

• Habeeb Salloum was a well-known Arab-Canadian food and travel writer.
• The Han Chinese make up the largest ethnic group in China.

Capitalization of “Black” and “white”

Most sources agree that the adjective Black should be capitalized when it refers to race. Opinions differ on whether or not to capitalize the adjective white, but the general trend seems to be toward lowercasing it.

• Anne Clare Cools was Canada’s first Black senator.
• About 70% of the country’s population is white.

Additional information

• Capitalization: nationalities

Other resources

• Guide on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Terminology