Words matter.
Saturday night I learned that a blog post I wrote won a Colorado Authors League award. When I heard the news, I felt happy and embarrassed at the same time. Let me explain.
The post is titled “Lame History Classes, Meeting O.J. and My Reckoning with Racism.”
I wrote it in June 2020, three weeks after the tragic death of George Floyd. Along with sharing excerpts from my journal about exploring my own background with racism, I affirmed my hope to be a better advocate for racial equality.
Fast forward to June of 2021. I read an article by Thesaurus.com entitled “7 Words to Stop Using in 2021” and realized with a sick feeling that one of the words appears in my blog post headline: Lame. I had used the word in its contemporary context to describe my whitewashed junior high history classes.
But now I know that “lame” is a word that can feel hurtful, much like the word “retarded.”
In retrospect, “biased,” “one-sided,” or even “lousy” would have been more precise, kinder word choices to describe my history classes.
I apologize, and cringe knowing that I chose a word that’s considered ableist (language that marginalizes the disabled community).
The past year has brought so many opportunities to broaden my perspectives.
Words matter, more than ever, and I’m still learning.
Thank you for your grace,
P.S. The other finalists for this year’s Colorado Authors League blog award wrote such wonderful posts, with no offending words. I know you’ll enjoy reading “Mudlarking” by Sheri Cobb South and “An Elegant Haunt” by Buffy Gilfoil.
Eliza Cross is an author and food blogger who enjoys helping busy people with easy recipes and tips for gardening, holidays, and home. She is the founder of BENSA Bacon Lovers Society and Happy Simple Living, and the award-winning author of 17 cookbooks.
