My post on the aftermath of the cuts at the AFL used the phrase “Black Tuesday.” In response, I got a note from a friend who is a great leader in the civil rights movement. He writes:

As a point of personal privilege, could I ask you the great favor of refraining from calling the AFL’s unfortunate lay-offs last week — “Black Tuesday”? Those of us who are African American are especially sensitive perhaps to the use of word “black” to describe negative events in politics and the economy. The over-reliance on the term in years past has helped in its own small way to create a legacy and a lexicon with truly negative implications for race relations. Is it possible that we could avoid giving yet another negative incident a label that carries with it a coded racial invective, albeit unintended? Thanks for thinking it over.

I appreciate the feedback and the education. He’s right. Won’t use it again.