The “B” word is not used officially to describe the Indigenous peoples of Guyana. The “C” word is not used officially to describe the East Indian people in Guyana. These words are offensive and rightfully should not be used. Yet here we are in 2024 and the “N” word “negro” is still being used officially to describe African Guyanese by the Guyana Police Force and I would imagine others parading in the shadows.
The word negro to describe people of African descent around the world has its roots in subjugation. This word did not originate from Africans as a way of describing who we were and are. From Europeans setting their feet in Africa, to the transatlantic slave trade, to revolutions and emancipation, the term negro to describe people of African descent carries the ghosts of a painful past, subservience and is an unacceptable and offensive way of describing African Guyanese.
