The ‘B’ Word

I find it odd that no one questions the usage of the word Black until a Black person is involved. Nobody has a problem with naming things “Black” whatever in the world of white folks, but when a Black person puts Black in the title, white people yell, “That’s racist. It’s reverse racism.”

Nobody questioned Johnnie Walker when they came to the conclusion that their whiskey had several different qualities, and should be bottled differently, aged differently and labeled differently; red label is the unaged, commonly used blended scotch. Black Label is a more robust 12 year, and Double Black Label is aged the same amount of time but has a deeper smoky note that is awesome. A gentleman should have cocktails with red label, but Black and Double Black are intended to be enjoyed alone. I won’t tell you about the Blue label, ’cause then I’m going to want some, but good isn’t quite a big enough word. It stands in a class all by itself, simply because from the first time you taste it, your palate is changed forever.

But I digress.

Not a single person questioned four young lads from the U.K. when they named their musical collective “Black Sabbath.” Maybe it was because they were too busy feeling the raw energy of their combined white boy funk. From songs like “War Pigs” to “Iron Man,” Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and Geezer Butler created a sound that inspired people of every race. OK, so there was one person who questioned it. A Black roadie at an American show once asked Osbourne, “Hey, you guys Black Sabbath?” To which Ozzy replied, “Yeah mate, that’s us.” The roadie looked confused and said, “Y’all ain’t black.” If you want to hear what I’m talking about when it comes to their inspiration, pull up YouTube and check out “T-Pain War Pigs” and watch what happens when a Black artist pays tribute to someone who was an icon to him.

When American Express introduced its “Black Card” in 1999, it became an immediate status symbol for the wealthy around the world. The program offered exclusive benefits to those who qualified, but also had a very high bar of entry, with an 800 credit score, a 10k fee, and annual spending at 100k, being just the minimum. Having a Black Card gave the holder an unlimited spending allowance and was designed to be the only card one needed to carry at any time. American Express faced no repercussions for introducing its Black Card. I imagine that no one protested or wrote letters to the company, no one boycotted or complained that there was no “white card,” and the company did not lose any business for using the word Black.

However, when Dana James, the founder and publisher of Black Iowa News, sat in her little office one day, came up with an idea to give local Black artists, politicians, and businesses a voice in their community and across the state, no one really cared. She worked out every detail, meeting with people and discussing the how-to, what-to, and where-to’s of her genius little idea until one day in 2020, She founded “Black Iowa News” and the first Black female-owned Icon of Black media representation in Iowa was born. And while it gained notoriety locally and recognition nationally in Black, Brown and People of Color communities, her beautiful Black child — like a lot of Black children — went unnoticed for a time by local mainstream media circles.

Then on Oct. 7, 2025, a conservative media outlet posted the cover of Black Iowa News’ August 2025 edition to its Facebook page because James’ August edition featured three Black superintendents of local Iowa school districts. One of those people included Ian Roberts, the former Des Moines superintendent who is currently facing questionable legal action due to his immigration status. Personally, I think it was his resistance to allowing ICE officers in public schools and suggested curriculum changes that spawned his situation but that’s another story for another time.

In the comments section of the post, Iowans came out in mass showing the whitest of the white has somehow gotten even whiter, with nearly every comment being about one of two things:

A: How Roberts “obviously lied” about his credentials and was a DEI hire.

Clearly stated by the same kind of people who supported a conservative who was recently executed by a conservative.

B: How the name “Black Iowa News” is racist.

Yes, the tried yet extremely untrue narrative of racist reverse racism exposes not only the colonial misunderstanding of what racism actually is, but also the ignorance of oxymoronic linguistic abilities

A third thing was also common, stating incorrectly the publishing date of the paper was “August 2026,” which was used as either a way to say it was fake, or the publishers were ignorant.

Let me be perfectly clear when I state the following:

We here at BLACK IOWA NEWS do not give a single solitary golden-winged four-letter word starting with a capital F and ending with a capital K about what those people have to say about our work. It is not for them. We are unbothered. We are unmoved. We are unfazed. As grandmama used to say: 

“Ain’t nobody studdin’ yo lil a**.” 

Our mission will remain as always to provide an outlet for talented Black, Brown and People Of Color to express themselves, in communities around the state. We were always Black, going forward we will be Black Black Blackity Blackity Black Black Black. We love you all. Thank you for your time and thank you for your continued support.