Martin Luther King Jr. proclaimed, “Black is BEAUTIFUL!” So then how can democracy die in darkness? The metaphorical use of “dark” and “black” in language is not inclusive. Google recently announced that it is no longer using “blacklist” and “whitelist”—instead urging programmers to write “racially neutral” code. We should look at all examples where blackness is devalued. When the Washington Post prints the words “Dies in Darkness” every day at the top of their masthead, no matter that they mean "democracy," this phrase perpetuates the bias that darkness is bad. Our nation is struggling with racism. This is the time to leave these tired clichés behind. No more “blackmail” when you can use “extortion.” (“Blackmail” is a homophone with “black male”—no wonder we have problems.) We forget that the word “fair” references fair skin—the word “fair” is not equitable. We changed language for women. Secretaries are now “admins"; “chairmen” are now “chairs”; “stewardesses” are now “flight attendants.” Since these changes, the number of women in power has greatly increased. The association of "dark" with "bad" is steadfast in our language as well as other languages. It is time to break this cycle. The visual spectrum does not confer morality. It is time we stop making it do so. #ChangeLanguageChangeMinds