Obama Signs Bill Removing ‘Negro,’ ‘Oriental’ from Federal Laws
President Obama today signed into law a bill that aimed to address the use of racially dicey language in federal laws.
Remember, laws have been written in America with certain language that we look at today and cringe, like “Oriental” and “negro.”
Congresswoman Grace Meng pushed the bill through Congress, which reads, in part:
Section 211(f)(1) of the Department of Energy Organization Act (42 U.S.C. 7141(f)(1)) is amended by striking “a Negro, Puerto Rican, American Indian, Eskimo, Oriental, or Aleut or is a Spanish speaking individual of Spanish descent” and inserting “Asian American, Native Hawaiian, a Pacific Islander, African American, Hispanic, Puerto Rican, Native American, or an Alaska Native”.