This open letter from Richard B. Moore challenges Bayard Rustin’s defense of the term “Negro,” arguing that language is central to dignity and self-determination. Moore critiques Rustin’s dismissal of evolving identity terms, framing the debate as a deeper ideological divide over culture, psychology, and liberation. The exchange captures a pivotal moment of internal tension within the movement over the meaning of identity and the direction of the struggle.
What's In A Name? Rustin on the Politics of Nomenclature
This 1971 column finds Bayard Rustin weighing in on the debate over “Negro,” “Black,” and “Afro-American,” offering a pointed critique of what he saw as an overemphasis on symbolic change. He argues that shifting terminology cannot substitute for the material struggle against poverty and inequality, and warns that such debates risk distracting from the movement’s economic goals. Rustin ultimately defends the term “Negro” as part of a broader strategy focused on coalition-building, full employment, and structural change.
