Note on Terminology from Hidden Jamaica Plain – Rev. 12/19/25

Terminology is complicated, especially when describing race.  Hidden JP tries to apply the terms people used to describe themselves during the historical eras we write about.  When quoting historic documents, we present the original word in quotation marks. 

For example, in the 1600s and 1700s, Black people used the term “African” in founding institutions such as Boston's African Society and also used the term “Black” in court petitions.  Therefore, Hidden JP uses both terms for this period.  In documents from those centuries, White enslavers used the term “Negro” to describe Black people.  Enslavers often used the term "Mulatto/Molatto" to describe people they perceived to be of mixed race.  

In the 1800s, some Black people preferred the term Colored which was used through the early 1900s, for example, in the name of the National Association of Colored People (NAACP).  In the twentieth century, Negro was often a preferred term until the 1960s when Black, Afro-American and African American came into widespread usage.  Terms varied based on regional traditions, dialects and time periods.

Indigenous people in the 1600s and 1700s identified themselves by their local tribal and place names such as the Massachusett – People of the Great Hills; the Wampanoag – People of the First Light; the Nipmuc – People of the Fresh Water.  Where known, we use those names; where unknown, we use the term Indigenous.  In quoting original documents, we present the word “Indian” used by White colonists in quotation marks. 

In referring to people from Latin America, Hidden JP uses the term Latina for people identifying as female, Latino for male, Latine as a non-gendered term, and Latinos for a mixed group.  We also use the word Hispanic to describe people from Spanish-speaking countries where indigenous languages are also spoken.

East and South Asian people generally identified themselves by their country of origin or the country of origin of their ancestors.  Where known, we use those names; where unknown, we use the term Asian.

People of more than one race have identified themselves at various times as Mixed Race, Person of Color and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, Person of Color).  If known, we use the names that people use for themselves; if unknown, we used the term Mixed Race.

Hidden JP has also chosen to capitalize all terms referring to race.  We anticipate that preferred terminology may change in the years to come.