Racialized Examples Of "I Like Coffee I Like Tea" Rhymes That Include The Words "I Like A Colored Boy And He Likes Me "

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest revision - March 19, 2026

This is Part I of a three part pancocojams series on examples of contemporary (1970s and later)  "I Like Coffee I Like Tea" children's recreational rhymes that include racial referents. These children's recreational rhymes are also known as "I Love Coffee I Love Teat" or "Down Down Baby".

Part I of this pancocojams series presents all of the examples of  "I Like Coffee, I Like Tea"  rhymes that I have come across that have contributor added demographic information (geographic location and year or decade first remembered) and that include the words "I like a Colored boy" (or "Color boy" and he likes me". 

The example given in the Addendum to this post contains no demographic information from the contributor besides her [?] screen name "GUEST, A 70's Child". 

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/03/racialized-examples-of-i-like-coffee-i_19.html for Part II of this pancocojams series. That post presents a representative sample of the versions of  "I Like Coffee, I Like Tea" that I have come across mostly online which include the words "I like a Black boy and he likes me". One example of these rhymes is presented under the date that I directly collected it. The other examples are presented in chronological order based on their online publishing dates. My editorial notes and/or contributors are included with some of these examples.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/03/racialized-examples-of-i-like-coffee-i_49.html for Part III of this pancocojams series. That post presents some examples of "I Like Coffee, I Like Tea"  ("I Love Coffee I Love Tea") rhymes that I have come across with the racial referent "White" or other racial/ethnic referents besides "Black" or "Colored" ("Color"). These examples are presented in chronological order and are given with or without demographic information such as the contributor's geographic location and the year/decade the contributor's is first chanted or heard this rhyme. 

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The content of this post is presented for folkloric, socio-cultural, and recreational purposes. 

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who contributed examples of rhymes to this compilation.

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DISCLAIMER
This compilation doesn’t mean to imply that these examples are the only versions of this rhyme that were known in those geographic locations during the dates that are given. Instead, these are the only examples of this particular sub-set of this rhyme that I’ve come across. Almost all of these examples are from online sources.

Please add to the folkloric record by sharing any examples in the discussion thread below of any confrontational racialized “I Like Coffee I Like Tea” rhymes that you know. Remember to include  demographic information (where- the city/state or country if outside of the United States where you lived when you first chanted or became aware of these rhymes), when (the year or decade when you first chanted or became aware of these rhymes) and who (your gender/race or ethnicity and/or the genders, race and/or ethnicity of those who chanted that example.

 I’m also interested in how those rhymes where performed (such as single jump rope, Double Dutch jump rope, partner hand clap rhymes etc.  Thanks in advance!  

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GENERAL OVERVIEW OF RACIALIZED EXAMPLES OF "I LIKE COFFEE I LIKE TEA" RHYMES
"I Like Coffee I Like Tea" (also given as "I Love Coffee I Love Tea",  or "Down Down Baby") are  children's confrontational racialized recreational rhymes that have similar words that fit a standard structural pattern.  

"Racialized rhymes" is my term for rhymes that include one or more referents for race or ethnicity in contrast to most early examples of these rhymes that don't include any racial/ethnic referents.

Racial confrontation is a key feature of the late 20th century and 21st century) examples that are compiled in these pancocojams post includes a person of one race (or ethnicity/nationality) threatening to get a person of their race/ethnicity to fight (beat the butt of) a person of another race (or ethnicity/nationality).

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THE EARLIEST DATE THAT I HAVE FOUND FOR A CONFRONTATIONAL RACIALIZED EXAMPLE OF "I LIKE COFFEE I LIKE TEA"
The earliest documented date for a confrontational racial example  of "I Like Coffee I Like Tea" ("I Love Coffee I Love Tea"; "Down Down Baby" rhymes that I have come across are from the 1970s in the United States. As of March 2026 I haven't found any examples of these rhymes outside of the United States..

A commenter from Virginia wrote in 2010 on a Mudcat folk music discussion thread that [she?] remembers these confrontational racialized versions of "I Like Coffee I Like Tea" rhymes from the early or mid 1970s and quotes my description of the standard pattern of these rhymes (I added italics to my description in that comment):

"Thank you so much for posting this!!! I went to an all black elementary school in Norfolk, VA in the early to mid 70's and we used the variation you described (shown below).

The confrontational action in these verses follows a consistent pattern. First, these rhymes are almost always given from a female perspective {which makes sense since the person or persons reciting these rhymes are usually girls}. Secondly, in the rhyme, a Black {or "Colored"} girl rejects the advances of a White boy. Thirdly, the girl tells the White boy that she "likes a Black boy and he likes me". And fourthly {if there is such a word}, the girl threatens to get a Black {or "Colored"} boy to "beat his {the White boy's} behind".

I have also found or received an example of this rhyme in which a {presumably} Black girl tells another girl "Step back white girl you don't shine/I'll get a black girl to beat your behind". However, I have never found or received any version of this rhyme in which a White girl or White boy initiate this confrontational encounter."
-GUEST, 09 Oct 10, Down Down Baby-Race in Children's Rhymes https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=100653
-snip-
I started that discussion thread in April 2007. That discussion thread is still open for comments as of the date of this 2026 pancocojams post. 

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WHAT THE RACIAL REFERENT "COLORED" MEANT IN THE UNITED STATES
"Colored" was a racial referent in the United States that was used until around 1960s for the population that is now (in the 2020s) referred to as "Black", "Black American"  or "African American"* .In the United States the racial referent "Colored" was often colloquially given as "Colored people".

* "African American" is a subset (a smaller population) of "Black American" as some Black people in the United States have other lineages than African Americans.  

"Colored people" didn't/doesn't have the same meaning as "people of Color". Since at least the late 20th century in the United States "People of Color" is an umbrella term that replaces the terms non-White or "minorities" and means "all races and ethnicities who aren't White."    

Some examples of the "I Like Coffee I Like tea" use the word "color" instead "colored" i.e. "I like a color boy and he likes me". 
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/03/the-history-and-uses-of-referent.html for information about "The History And Uses Of The Referent "Colored" In The United States In The 19th Century - 21th Century)"

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LIST OF CONFRONTATIONAL RACIALIZED EXAMPLES OF "I LIKE COFFEE I LIKE TEA" THAT INCLUDE THE WORDS "I LIKE  A COLORED BOY" (or "COLOR BOY"   
(with demographic information and some contributor's notes and/or some Pancocojams Editor's notes)

These examples are presented under the first letter of the state where the contributor lived when they first chanted or heard this rhyme.

These examples don't represent all of the versions of this rhyme that I've come across that include the racial referent "colored" (or the mistaken-folk processed- term "color" as I've come across other examples of these confrontational racialized rhymes (mostly online) that don't include any demographic information. 

A. B.

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C. D.

California

"I was born in the very early 80's in the San Gabriel Valley and yes a lot of Black people lived there when I was growing up. From me reading the examples I always thoughts theses were separate rhymes because for each section different movements were made.

For me the "I like coffee, I like tee" went like this

I like coffee, I like tea.
I like a Colored boy and he likes me.
So white, white boy, you don't shine.
Turn around the corner and I’ll beat your behind.

 

Then after that rhyme we did maybe this

I’m cool, I’m cool all day from number 9
Give it to me another time.
Mhmm oh/or all my babby.
Mhmm oh/or all my babby.
Mhmm Mhmm Mhmm.

 

Also, Mama mama, let's get the rhythm, down down baby were all separate and we did separate movements. I just wanted to add my version of I like coffee and I'm cool(i can't find a reference for that).

Down, down baby down down the roller coaster
sweet sweet baby I’ll never let u go
shimmy shimmy cocoa puff
shimmy shimmy pow
shimmy shimmy cocoa puff
shimmy shimmy wow"
-Anonymous, October 25, 2018 at 6:49 PM, https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/01/racialized-versions-of-i-like-coffee-i.html

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E. F.

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G. H.

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I. J.

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K. L

Louisiana

"I'm young but in New Orleans 1990s-2000s I always heard:

Oh gosh he's crazy, oh gosh he's crazy
Take a piece take a plum take a piece of bubblegum
No piece no plum, no piece of bubblegum
I like coffee, I like tea
I like the colored and he likes me.
So smack that white boy, he don't shine.

(it could be step back white boy, I think I heard both)

I'll throw him round the corner and i'll beat his behind
Last night and the night before.
I met my boyfriend at the candy store.
He bought me ice cream he bought me cake.
He brought me home with a stomach ache.
I said Mama, mama, I feel sick
Call the doctor, quick, quick, quick
Doctor, doctor, if I die
I'll close my eyes and count to five
I said 1-2-3-4-5
I'm Alive!
See that house on top of that hill
That's where me and my boyfriend live.
Cook that chicken
Burn that rice
Come on baby let's shoot some DICE!
~T, August 25, 2013 at 2:46 PM https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/01/racialized-versions-of-i-like-coffee-i.html

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"I like coffee
I like tea
I like the colored boy
And he likes me.
So stop that white boy
Me don't shine
I'm going to give that boy
A kick in the behind.
Last night, the night before
I met my boyfriend at the candy store.
He brought me ice cream
He bought me tea
He brought me home [Hesitates, looks at me through lowered eyes.]
And he try my gate.
I said "Mama Mama I feel sick.
Call the doctor quick quick quick/
Doctor Doctor, will I die?
Close your eyes and count to five.
1-2-3-4-5.
See that house on top of the hill?

That's where me and my boyfriend live.

Cook that chicken. Eat that rice.

Come on baby, let's shoot some ...

Let's shoot...wait. Let's shoot some dice."
--fifth & six grade African American girls at John Dibert Elementary School in New Orleans, Louisiana, collected by Jeanne Pitre Soileau & included in her book Yo' Mama, Mary Mack, and Boudreaux and Thibodeaux: Louisiana Children's Folklore and Play (October 2018)
-snip-
I believe that the words in brackets refers to the action of a girl or the girls who shared this version with the author. The girl/girls hesitated and lowered her/their head because this part of the rhyme was risque.
 
The author (who is White) wrote that her mother remembered chanting this much shorter version of that rhyme in the 1920s (New Orleans, Louisiana)

"I love coffee
I love tea.
I love the boys
And they love me."
-snip-
Soileau also wrote that in the early 1950s she and her White friends jumped rope and chanted that same version her mother chanted.

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M. N.

Michigan

"Hello! I was singing this song and I wanted to learn where exactly it came from and I didn't know that it had so much history! I grew up in Detroit and was born in the year 2000 and the version I grew up with seem to have some mixtures of the examples you provided. The version I grew up with:

I like coffee, I like tea
I like the colored boy and he likes me.
So step back white boy you don't shine,
Cause I'll get the colored boy to beat yo behind.
Last night, and the night before
I met my boyfriend at the candy store.
He bought me ice cream he bought me cake,
He brought me home with a belly-ache.
I said "Mama, Mama I feel sick
Call the doctor quick,quick,quick".
Doctor Doctor shall I die?
Just close your eyes and count to 5.
I said a 1-2-3-4-5, I'm alive.
See that house n top of that hill?
That's where me and my baby gonna live.
Scoop the ice cream cut the cake,
Come on baby let's celebrate!

And sometimes, there'll be a weird ending at the end (which to me doesn't seem to match the flow of the rhyme) that goes:

That's not all, that's not all
My baby drinking alcohol.

 

Overall, this was a very interesting post, got to learn something new today. :)
-Anonymous, January 26, 2019 at 5:36 PM ,https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/01/racialized-versions-of-i-like-coffee-i.html, 

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New York

"Down, down baby
Down, down the roller coaster
Sweet, sweet baby
I'll never let you go
Chimey chimey cocoa pop
Chimey, chimey pow
Chimey, chimey cocoa pop
Chimey, chimey pop
I like coffee, I like tea
I like a colored boy and he likes me
So lets here the rhythm of the hands, (clap, clap) 2x
Let hear the rhythm of the feet (stomp, stomp) 2x
Let's hear the rhythm of the head (ding dong) 2x
Let's hear the rhythm of the hot dog
Let's hear the rhythm of the hot dog
Put em all together and what do you get
(Clap clap, stomp stomp), ding dong, hot Dog!"
-Yasmin Hernadez; 2004; memories of New York City {Latino/ African American neighborhood in the 1980s; www.cocojams.com [This was the name of my multi-page cultural website that was online from 2001-2014.]

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O. P.

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Q. R.

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S. T

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U. V.

Virginia

"I learned Version of Down Down Baby in virginia in the 90's

Down down baby, down by the rollercoaster
Sweet sweet baby, mama never let you go
Shimmy shimmy coca pop, shimmy shimmy pow!

I like coffee, I like tea,
I like a color boy and he likes me
So step back white boy, you don't shine
I'll get the color boy to beat yo' behind

Let get the rhythm of the hands (clap, clap)
We've got the rhythm of the hands (clap, clap)
Let's get the rhythm of the feet (stomp,stomp)
We've got the rhythm of the feet (stomp, stomp

Lets get the rhythm of the head DING-DONG
(move head side to side)
We've got the rhythm of the head DING-DONG (move head side to side)

Let's get the rhythm of the HOT-DOG
(move body around)
We've got the of the HOT-DOG
(move body around)

Put all together and and what do you get....
clap, clap, stomp, stomp, ding-dong, hot-dog
Say them all backwards and what do you get....
hot-dog, ding-dong, stomp, stomp, clap, clap!"
-GUEST,Down Down baby, 30 May 07, Folklore: Do kids still do clapping rhymes?https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=63097&threadid=63097

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W. X

Washington  (state)

"Down down baby / colored boy version was sang on the school yard at my elementary school in 1977 during double dutch at recess. I never understood the colored reference (iknew what it meant but not how it came to be, bc no one had ever used that term), I was only in 3rd grade, but it seems that it was taught to the younger generation. Oaklake elementary, Seattle"
-Anonymous, March 12, 2013 at 8:59 AM, pancocojams

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".I learned a version of Down down baby that went like this:

own down baby, down by the roller coasters
Sweet sweet baby, I'll never let you go
Shimmy shimmy coco pop
Shimmy shimmy rye
Shimmy shimmy coco pop
Don't make me cry
I like coffee, I like tea
I like the ??? boys, and they like me.

 

Now as I sang this to my daughter, I could not for the life of me remember what the adjective on "boys" was. Having read a bit about the rhyme on your site and on Mudcat, I am now pretty sure that the missing word was "colored". Now, I am white and the little girls who taught me the rhyme were mostly white, and this being the late 80s, in liberal Seattle, I don't think we had any idea what "colored" meant. My guess is that when I grew up and learned about the term and our country's history of racism, I mentally blocked out the "racist" term from my memory of the rhyme. Interesting.

-Emma M; (Greenlake Elementary School; Seattle Washington, late 1980s) ; May 10, 2010; Cocojams.com handclap rhymes[cocojams.com was the name of my multipage cultural website. That website was online from 2001-2014.]
-snip-
Pancocojams Editor Note:

I exchanged several emails with Emma M. She confirmed that the version of this rhyme she remembers stopped after the last line given above. As part of my response to Emma's email, I wrote that the referent "Colored boy" isn't inherently racist. I also wrote that since "Colored" hasn't been used since the 1960s as a referent for African Americans, if any young African American (or if anyone else) used that phrase now, it's very likely that they don't know what it means. That goes double for the phrase "I like a color boy". Children who chant those lines may have been doing so from rote memory, vocalizing the rhythmic utterances without thinking about what the words they are saying really mean.

Emma responded to that email by writing "I agree with you that the term "colored" isn't inherently racist, but as soon as I learned about it, I certainly I would have perceived its use in the modern era by a bunch of little white girls as, at the very least, very embarrassing, if not outright racist."
-snip-
Emma also shared with me that she had talked with another (White) female friend of hers who went to another Seattle school at the same time as she did, and who also remembered saying the line "I like a colored boy" with the "Down Down Baby" rhyme. Emma also wrote that "the 1980s there was bussing and [Seattle] schools were fairly well integrated."

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Y. Z

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ADDENDUM
"The version I grew up on was a little more sexual than violent....

I like coffee,
I like tea,
I like the colored boy and he likes me,
So step back white boy you don't shine,
I'll get the colored boy to beat yo behind,
Last night, the night before,
I met my boyfriend at the candy store,
He bought me ice cream, he bought me cake,
He brought me home with a stomach ache,
Mama, mama, I feel sick,
Call the dictor quiick, quick, quick!
Doctor, doctor will I die?
Close your eyes and count to five,
1,2,3,4,5
See that house on top of the hill,
That's where me and my boyfriend live,
Take some chicken, fry the bread,
Come on baby let's get in the bed,
Come on baby let's do it again ahhh.."
-GUEST, A 70's Child, 13 Oct 07, https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=4300 ,  Children's Street Songs

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This concludes Part I of this three part pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Examples Of Some Cultural Uses Of The Referent "Colored" In The United States (from 1960s to the 2020s)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part III of a three part pancocojams series on the referent "Colored" in the United States. 

This post lists and presents information about some African American cultural examples that include the racial referent "Colored" in the United States in the 1960s to date (2026). 

This post lists and presents information about some cultural uses of the racial referent "Colored" in the United States from the mid 20th century to 2026.  

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/03/the-history-and-uses-of-referent.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. That post presents a complete reprint of the Wikipedia page and an AI Overview about the referent "Colored" in the United States (retrieved March 16, 2026).

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/03/examples-of-official-or-cultural-uses.html for Part II of this pancocojams series. That post lists and provides information about some official United States examples and some African American cultural examples that include the racial referent "colored" from the 19th century through the 1950s.

The content of this post is presented for historical, socio-cultural, and educational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are showcased in this post and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/03/is-coloured-race-or-culture-in-southern.html for a 2026 pancocojams post entitled Is "Coloured" A Race or A Culture In Southern Africa? (YouTube Discussion Thread Comments From A 2025 The Pensuel Show Podcast)

Links to two other pancocojams posts about the history and uses of the referent "Coloured" in the nation of South Africa and in some other southern African nations are found in that post.. 

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EXAMPLES OF SOME CULTURAL USES OF THE REFERENT "COLORED" IN THE UNITED STATES (from the 1960S TO THE 2020s)

These examples are given in chronological order. Additions and corrections are welcome.

1960s

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1974-for colored girls who have considered suicide /when the rainbow is enuf"
from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_Colored_Girls_Who_Have_Considered_Suicide_/_When_the_Rainbow_Is_Enuf

"for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf is a 1976 work by Ntozake Shange. It consists of a series of poetic monologues to be accompanied by dance movements and music, a form which Shange coined the word choreopoem to describe.[5] It tells the stories of seven women who have suffered oppression in a racist and sexist society.[6]

As a choreopoem, the piece is a series of 20 separate poems choreographed to music that weaves interconnected stories of love, empowerment, struggle and loss into a complex representation of sisterhood. The cast consists of seven nameless African-American women only identified by the colors they are assigned. They are the lady in red, lady in orange, lady in yellow, lady in green, lady in blue, lady in brown, and lady in purple. Subjects including rape, abandonment, abortion and domestic violence are tackled.[6] Shange originally wrote the monologues as separate poems in 1974. Her writing style is idiosyncratic and she often uses vernacular language, unique structure, and unorthodox punctuation to emphasize syncopation. Shange wanted to write for colored girls... in a way that mimicked how real women speak so she could draw her readers' focus to the experience of reading and listening.[7]

[...]

Title

for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf is inspired by events in Shange's life. Shange admitted publicly to having attempted suicide on four occasions, at different times in her life, as early as her undergraduate years. In a phone interview conducted with CNN, she explained how she came to the title of her choreopoem: "I was driving the No. 1 Highway in northern California and I was overcome by the appearance of two parallel rainbows. I had a feeling of near death or near catastrophe. Then I drove through the rainbow and I went away. Then I put that together to form the title."[10] The colors of the rainbow then became the essence of the women in the choreopoem, named only their color pseudonyms.

Shange also explains that she chose to use the word "colored" in the title of her choreopoem so that her grandmother would be able to understand it.[7]"...

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1970s-1990s- Racialized examples of  "I Like Coffee I Like Tea" ("Down Down Baby" Children's recreation rhymes

Here are two examples of those hand clap rhymes and my editor's notes:
1. Down, down baby
Down, down the roller coaster
Sweet, sweet baby
I'll never let you go
Chimey chimey cocoa pop
Chimey, chimey pow
Chimey, chimey cocoa pop
Chimey, chimey pop
I like coffee, I like tea
I like a colored boy and he likes me
So lets here the rhythm of the hands, (clap, clap) 2x
Let hear the rhythm of the feet (stomp, stomp) 2x
Let's hear the rhythm of the head (ding dong) 2x
Let's hear the rhythm of the hot dog
Let's hear the rhythm of the hot dog
Put em all together and what do you get
(Clap clap, stomp stomp), ding dong, hot Dog!
-Yasmin Hernadez; 2004; memories of New York City (Latinx/ African American neighborhood in the 1980s; cocojams.com [cocojams was the name of my cultural website that was active from 2001 to 2014).

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2.  "I learned Version of Down Down Baby in virginia in the 90's

Down down baby, down by the rollercoaster
Sweet sweet baby, mama never let you go
Shimmy shimmy coca pop, shimmy shimmy pow!

I like coffee, I like tea,
I like a color boy and he likes me
So step back white boy, you don't shine
I'll get the color boy to beat yo' behind

Let get the rhythm of the hands (clap, clap)
We've got the rhythm of the hands (clap, clap)

Let's get the rhythm of the feet (stomp,stomp)
We've got the rhythm of the feet (stomp, stomp

Lets get the rhythm of the head DING-DONG

(move head side to side)

We've got the rhythm of the head DING-DONG (move head side to side)

Let's get the rhythm of the HOT-DOG

(move body around)

We've got the of the HOT-DOG

(move body around)

Put all together and and what do you get....
clap, clap, stomp, stomp, ding-dong, hot-dog

Say them all backwards and what do you get....

hot-dog, ding-dong, stomp, stomp, clap, clap!
-GUEST,Down Down baby, 30May 07,  https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=63097 , Folklore: Do kids still do clapping rhymes?
-snip-
"Color" is a folk processed form of the racial referent "Colored"

Notes About The Racialized "I Like Coffee I Like Tea" Hand Clap Rhymes
by Azizi Powell, 2007
"Racialized rhymes" is my term for children's recreational rhymes that include racial referents when earlier versions of those rhymes didn't include any racial referents.

"Colored" is a referent for Black Americans that was retired at least by the 1970s and replaced by "Black" and/or "African American".The referent "Negro" was also retired for that same population and the referent "Afro-American" was used for a short time before it was replaced with "African American".

It's interesting that the no longer used referent "Colored" lives on in some examples of these  racialized recreational rhymes from the 1980s and 1990s (and later?).

The early 1970s or mid 1970s" are the earliest dates that I've come across for these types of racialized "I Like Coffee I Like Tea" rhymes. That date come from an anonymous Guest who posted on Oct. 9. 2010 to a 2007 Mudcat discussion thread that I started entitled Down Down Baby-Race in Children's Rhymes: https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=100653

That commenter wrote "Thank you so much for posting this!!! I went to an all black elementary school in Norfolk, VA in the early to mid 70's and we used the variation you described (shown below).

[quoting me] "The confrontational action in these verses follows a consistent pattern. First, these rhymes are almost always given from a female perspective {which makes sense since the person or persons reciting these rhymes are usually girls}. Secondly, in the rhyme, a Black {or "Colored"} girl rejects the advances of a White boy. Thirdly, the girl tells the White boy that she "likes a Black boy and he likes me". And fourthly {if there is such a word}, the girl threatens to get a Black {or "Colored"} boy to "beat his {the White boy's} behind"...
-snip-
That Guest also quotes me as saying that I hadn't come across any examples of this rhyme in which White people begin the confrontation (i.e "I like a White boy and he likes me, so step back Black boy etc.). However, since I wrote that comment in 2010 I have come across some examples like that (as given in #2 and #5 immediately below and as featured in this pancocojams post: https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2021/03/racialized-versions-of-i-like-coffee-i.html

That said, the "I like a black boy and he likes me" examples that I've come across appear to be much more widely chanted than any other "I like a [racial referent] boy and he likes me" version of these rhymes.

....Perhaps the changes in these rhymes [ i.e. the addition of racial referents] came about when schools were just being integrated. As such, the aggression and reference to race in these rhymes reflect the difficulties associated with those particular times. Perhaps times have changed and the interracial relations between students of different races have improved. Maybe the words to these rhymes have become so familiar and so ingrained that no changes have been made, or any changes that were suggested did not 'stick'."...

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1987-1990 - "Art, Untitled: A Close Look at "Untitled (Colored People Grid)" by Carrie Mae Weems 

Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum,   Mar 18, 2021

...In this video Student Educator Lingran Zhang explores how the title of "Untitled (Colored People Grid)" by Carrie Mae Weems relates to the meaning of the artwork.

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1995- "Colored People: A Memoir"  – by Henry Louis Gates Jr. (Author), published April 11, 1995
https://www.amazon.com/Colored-People-Henry-Louis-Gates/dp/067973919X

"In a coming-of-age story as enchantingly vivid and ribald as anything Mark Twain or Zora Neale Hurston, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., recounts his childhood in the mill town of Piedmont, West Virginia, in the 1950s and 1960s and ushers readers into a gossip, of lye-and-mashed-potato “processes,” and of slyly stubborn resistance to the indignities of segregation.

A winner of the Chicago Tribune’s Heartland Award and the Lillian Smith Prize, Colored People is a pungent and poignant masterpiece of recollection, a work that extends and deepens our sense of African American history even as it entrances us with its bravura storytelling"

****
2022 - for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf | 2022 Tony Award Nominee

The Tony Awards, May 28, 2022

Black girl magic is reborn on Broadway in this fearlessly new, fiercely now reinvention of Ntozake Shange's iconic work. In this celebration of the power of Black womanhood, seven women share their stories and find strength in each other's humor and passion through a fusion of poetry, dance, music, and song that explodes off the stage and resonates with all.

****
This concludes Part III of this pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Examples Of Official Or Cultural Uses Of The Referent "Colored" In The United States (from the 19th Century to the 1950s)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a three part pancocojams series on the referent "Colored" in the United States. 

This post lists and provides information about some official United States examples and some African American cultural examples that include the racial referent "colored" from the 19th century through the 1950s.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/03/the-history-and-uses-of-referent.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. That post presents a complete reprint of the Wikipedia page and an AI Overview about the referent "Colored" in the United States (retrieved March 16, 2026).

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/03/examples-of-some-cultural-uses-of.html for Part III of this pancocojams series. That post lists and presents information about some African American cultural examples that include the racial referent "Colored" in the United States in the 1960s to date (2026). 

The content of this post is presented for historical, socio-cultural, and educational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are showcased in this post and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/03/is-coloured-race-or-culture-in-southern.html for a 2026 pancocojams post entitled Is "Coloured" A Race or A Culture In Southern Africa? (YouTube Discussion Thread Comments From A 2025 The Pensuel Show Podcast)

Links to two other pancocojams posts about the history and uses of the referent "Coloured" in the nation of South Africa and in some other southern African nations are found in that post.. 

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EXAMPLES OF OFFICIAL OR CULTURAL USES OF THE REFERENT "COLORED" IN THE UNITED STATES (from the 19th century to rhe 1950s)

These examples are given in chronological order. Additions and corrections are welcome.

1858 - "The Colored Aristocracy of St. Louis" by Cyprian Clamorgan, book originally published in 1858)

From http://press.umsystem.edu/(S(hv5mgvi403quknfhxrggcqyr))/catalog/productinfo.aspx?id=446&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
"About the Book "The Colored Aristocracy of St. Louis" by Cyprian Clamorgan, Edited with an Introduction by Julie Winch (University of Missouri Press, 1999, originally published in 1858)

In 1858, Cyprian Clamorgan wrote a brief but immensely readable book entitled The Colored Aristocracy of St. Louis. The grandson of a white voyageur and a mulatto woman, he was himself a member of the "colored aristocracy." In a setting where the vast majority of African Americans were slaves, and where those who were free generally lived in abject poverty, Clamorgan's "aristocrats" were exceptional people. Wealthy, educated, and articulate, these men and women occupied a "middle ground." Their material advantages removed them from the mass of African Americans, but their race barred them from membership in white society.

"The Colored Aristocracy of St. Louis" is both a serious analysis of the social and legal disabilities under which African Americans of all classes labored and a settling of old scores. Somewhat malicious, Clamorgan enjoyed pointing out the foibles of his friends and enemies, but his book had a serious message as well. "He endeavored to convince white Americans that race was not an absolute, that the black community was not a monolith, that class, education, and especially wealth, should count for something."

Despite its fascinating insights into antebellum St. Louis, Clamorgan's book has been virtually ignored since its initial publication"...

**
1863- The United States Colored Troops
from AI Overview
"The United States Colored Troops (USCT) were Union Army regiments primarily composed of African American soldiers during the American Civil War (1863–1865), with over 185,000 serving in infantry, cavalry, and artillery. Despite facing discrimination, including lower pay and being led by white officers, they were crucial to the Union victory.

[...]

Key details about the colored soldiers:

Establishment & Service: Founded in 1863, the USCT saw over 185,000 Black men, including formerly enslaved individuals, join the Union Army, with roughly 135 regiments of infantry and several cavalry/artillery units.

Discrimination & Equality Struggle: USCT soldiers were initially paid $10 per month (with $3 deducted for clothing) compared to $13 for white soldiers. They were barred from being officers, and if captured, faced higher risks of being returned to slavery or killed.

Combat Impact: Despite these challenges, they fought with distinction in major battles, including the Battle of Olustee and in Virginia, where 16 soldiers earned the Medal of Honor.

"The Colored Soldiers" Poem: Written in 1895 by Paul Laurence Dunbar, this poem honors the bravery of these men, highlighting their service to "Uncle Sam" and their role in cleaning the "blot of Slavery's shame".

[...]

The service of the USCT was instrumental in securing freedom, with President Lincoln noting that the war could not have been won without them."
-snip-
Here's more information about the United States Colored Troops from 
https://www.battlefields.org/learn/topics/united-states-colored-troops
"United States Colored Troops

The Role of African Americans in the U.S. Army [no publishing date given, retrieved March 16, 2026]

“United States Colored Troops (USCT) were the embodiment of Frederick Douglass’s belief that “he who would be free must himself strike the blow."  179,000 men – many who were former slaves – volunteered to fight in the Union army; nearly 37,000 gave their lives for the cause. With every engagement they fought in, the USCT time and again proved their mettle.   At Port Hudson in Louisiana, Fort Wagner in South Carolina, Spotsylvania, New Market Heights and Wilson's Wharf in Virginia, and elsewhere, USCT units displayed courage under fire and won glory on the field of battle.  By the end of the war, African-Americans accounted for 10 percent of the Union army. The USCT were a watershed in American history, and one of the first major strides toward equal civil rights.”…

**
1895- Paul Laurence Dunbar, "The Colored Soldiers" (poem)

If the muse were mine to tempt it

And my feeble voice were strong,

If my tongue were trained to measures,

I would sing a stirring song.

I would sing a song heroic

Of those noble sons of Ham,

Of the gallant colored soldiers

Who fought for Uncle Sam!

 

In the early days you scorned them,

And with many a flip and flout,

Said "these battles are the white man's

And the whites will fight them out."

Up the hills you fought and faltered,

In the vales you strove and bled,

While your ears still heard the thunder

Of the foes' increasing tread.

 

Then distress fell on the nation

And the flag was drooping low;

Should the dust pollute your banner?

No! the nation shouted, No!

So when war, in savage triumph,

Spread abroad his funeral pall--

Then you called the colored soldiers,

And they answered to your call.

 

And like hounds unleashed and eager

For the life blood of the prey,

Sprung they forth and bore them bravely

In the thickest of the fray.

And where'er the fight was hottest,--

Where the bullets fastest fell,

 

There they pressed unblanched and fearless

At the very mouth of hell.

Ah, they rallied to the standard

To uphold it by their might,

None were stronger in the labors,

None were braver in the fight.

At Forts Donelson and Henry

On the plains of Olustee,

They were foremost in the fight

Of the battles of the free.

 

And at Pillow! God have mercy

On the deeds committed there,

And the souls of those poor victims

Sent to Thee without a prayer.

Let the fulness of thy pity

O'er the hot wrought spirits sway,

Of the gallant colored soldier

Who fell fighting on that day!

Yes, the Blacks enjoy their freedom,

And they won it dearly, too;

For the life blood of their thousands

Did the southern fields bedew.

In the darkness of their bondage,

In the depths of slavery's night;

Their muskets flashed the dawning

And they fought their way to light.

 

They were comrades then and brothers,

Are they more or less to-day?

They were good to stop a bullet

And to front the fearful fray.

They were citizens and soldiers,

When rebellion raised its head;

And the traits that made them worthy,--

Ah! those virtues are not dead.

They have shared your nightly vigils,

They have shared your daily toil;

And their blood with yours commingling

Has made rich the Southern soil.

They have slept and marched and suffered

'Neath the same dark skies as you,

They have met as fierce a foeman,

And have been as brave and true.

 

And their deeds shall find a record,

In the registry of Fame;

For their blood has cleansed completely

Every blot of Slavery's shame.

So all honor and all glory

To those noble Sons of Ham--

The gallant colored soldiers,

Who fought for Uncle Sam!

 

Published in Majors and Minors, 1895

An excerpt of this poem (just the first four stanzas) was also published in Colored American Magazine, December 1906.

An excerpt of this poem was also published in Colored American Magazine, August 1909"

**
late 19th century/1900- "Colored Aristocracy" old time music  tune

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/08/colored-aristocracy-old-time-music-tune.html "Colored Aristocracy": The Old Time Music Tune & How It Got Its Name

Here's an excerpt from that 2014 pancocojams post:
This excerpt quotes content that is no longer available on  https://www.fiddlehangout.com/archive/43906 :
"This late 19th century or c. 1900 tune is more correctly categorized as a cakewalk (which suggests ragtime from its syncopated rhythms) rather than a fiddle tune ...

"The origin of the title remained obscure, although it was speculated that it derived from Reconstruction sentiments (or resentments) about the perceived attitude (either within or without the black community) of some African-Americans (i.e. that "Colored Aristocracy" was a gentrification of "Uppity N....r"). However, Peter Shenkin tracked the title to a piece of sheet music from a 1902 revue entitled "In Dahomey," which starred the famous African-American vaudeville duo Williams and Walker. The music (entitled "Leader of the Colored Aristocracy") is credited to Will Marion Cook, words by James Weldon Johnson (later of Harlem Renaissance fame), published by Tin-Pan-Alley composer Harry Von Tilzer.

Another "Colored Aristocracy" dates from 1899 credited to one Gus W. Bernard (published by the Groene Co.); it is listed as a "Cake-walk" on the cover. Neither the Bernard tune or the one published by Tilzer is the "Colored Aristocracy" played by modern fiddlers, however. Bob Buckingham reports that a fiddling preacher of his acquaintance named Buck Rife (originally from the Beckley WV area) calls the tune "Young Man Who Wouldn't Hoe Corn (The)" and gave that he had it as a youngster learning clawhammer banjo from an uncle."...

-snip-
This excerpt is reformatted to enhance its readability.

**
1900- The Colored American Magazine
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Colored_American_Magazine
"The Colored American Magazine was the first monthly publication in the United States that covered African-American culture. It ran from May 1900 to November 1909 and had a peak circulation of 17,000.[1][2] The magazine was initially published out of Boston by the Colored Co-Operative Publishing Company, and from 1904 forward, by Moore Publishing and Printing Company in New York. The editorial staff included novelist Pauline Hopkins who was also the main writer.[1] In a 1904 hostile takeover involving Booker T. Washington, Fred Randolph Moore purchased the magazine and replaced Hopkins as editor.[3]"...

**
From https://coloredamerican.org/ "The Digital Colored American Magazine *
"From 1900 to 1909, during a period of intensifying racial violence and Black disfranchisement in the United States, the Colored American Magazine served a vital role in promoting the development of African American literature, protesting injustice, and contesting dominant representations of African American culture and history. Especially in its early years, the periodical—whose contributors included Pauline Hopkins, W. E. B. Du Bois, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Albreta Moore Smith, Ella Wheeler Wilcox, T. Thomas Fortune, J. Alexandre Skeete, William Stanley Braithwaite, Angelina Grimké, and Booker T. Washington—was committed to the development of Black literary culture through the publication of poetry, fiction, and book reviews. The Colored American also countered negative stereotypes through a rich body of Black portraiture as well as race biographies, news about successful middle-class African Americans, and accounts of overlooked episodes in Black history. Significantly, the magazine also foregrounded Black women’s issues in its early years. The advertising pages at the front and back of each issue furthered, in their own way, this project of reflecting and constructing an aspirational Black middle-class identity. The magazine crucially paved the way for more well-known magazines like the NAACP’s Crisis (founded 1910) and Ebony (founded 1945)."...

[...]

The Digital Colored American Magazine makes freely available full-color reproductions of unbound or bound but unstripped issues of this important periodical, with scholarly commentary on selected issues

**
1909- NAACP (National Association For The Advancement Of Colored People
from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NAACP
"The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans...Its name, retained in accordance with tradition, uses the once common term colored people, referring to those with some African ancestry."

**
From AI Overview 
"The NAACP has retained its name primarily to honor its1909 founding history, legacy, and established brand recognition. While "colored" is now considered outdated, the organization maintains the name to respect its roots and because the acronym "NAACP" is globally recognized. It is viewed as a historical, rather than contemporary, term.

Key reasons for retaining the name include:

Historical Legacy: The NAACP was founded in 1909; the name reflects a crucial era in American civil rights history.

Brand Recognition: The NAACP is a globally recognized, established brand.

Respect for Founders: Retaining the name is seen as a way to honor the legacy of its founders, including W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida Bell Wells-Barnett, and Mary White O..

"Colored" meant something else: At the time of founding, "colored" was considered appropriate and polite, with some arguing the historical context makes it less offensive in this specific context.

While some critics argue that the term "colored" is outdated, as mentioned by a writer in the Tyler Morning Telegraph, others maintain that the name is a proud symbol of the organization's fight against discrimination, which started in a very different social context."
-snip-
This AI Overview writeup is a result of my March 16, 2026 Google question "Why hasn't the NAACP changed its name?

****
1914- Colored People's Time (CP Time0 Saying
From AI Overview
"Colored People’s Time (CPT or CP Time) is a1900s-originated American expression, sometimes used as a light-hearted, self-deprecating joke within Black culture or as a stereotype by others, referring to the notion that African Americans frequently arrive late to events. It is often used to describe a relaxed or flexible approach to punctuality.

Usage Examples and Contexts

Humorous/Social Usage: It is often used jokingly to explain a later-than-scheduled arrival at a social gathering (e.g., "I'm running on CPT, I'll be there in 30 minutes" for a 7 PM party).

Cultural Reclamation: Some individuals use it to reclaim the narrative, turning a stereotype about being "clock-challenged" or lazy into a form of rebellion against strict, rigid scheduling or societal pressures.

Cultural Commentary: The term is sometimes invoked to describe a perceived, shared cultural relaxed attitude toward time.

Synonyms and Related Terms

CPT (abbreviation)

CP Time (abbreviation)

African Time (a related, wider term used in various African and diaspora cultures)

Black Time (a similar term)

Origins and Connotations

Origins: The phrase is believed to have first appeared around 1914 in The Chicago Defender, a prominent African American newspaper.

Stereotype: Historically, it has been used as a derogatory stereotype to label Black people as unreliable or lazy, rooted in narratives from the Antebellum South.

Cultural Interpretation: While sometimes considered offensive, it is also frequently used within Black culture to humorously describe their own social pacing"
-snip-
This write up is the result of my March 16, 2026 Google request for information about the saying "Colored people's time".  My experience is that this saying was used long after the referent "Colored" was changed in after the 1960s to "Black" and/or "African American", but I'm not sure if it is still used in the 2020s.

****

1950- A general overview of the use of the referent "Colored" and"Colored People" in the United States during the 1950s 

AI Overview

"In the United States during the 1950s, the racial referent "colored" was extensively used, particularly in the South, to enforce segregation and mark social status under Jim Crow laws. It was a period where "colored" was transitioning from a semi-polite term used by white society to an increasingly overt marker of racial inferiority and separation.

Examples of the cultural use of "colored" in the 1950s include:

Segregation Signage: Physical signs displaying "Colored" or "Colored Only" were common, designating separate public facilities such as water fountains, restrooms, waiting rooms (bus, train, and doctor's offices), and service entrances.

Public Transportation: Segregated seating on buses and trains was strictly enforced, often marked with signs like "For Colored Patrons Only," as seen in photograph evidence from Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955.

Institutional Names: The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), founded in 1909, was a prominent organization still using the term in its title during the 1950s.

Social & Legal Documents: It was commonly used in legal documents, birth certificates, and newspaper reports to categorize black citizens separately from white citizens.

Media and Advertising: Stereotypical illustrations in advertising and entertainment often portrayed Black people using the term, maintaining imagery linked to pre-Civil War, antebellum tropes.

Daily Language: The term was often used by white individuals as a formal, albeit restrictive, descriptor, such as "a colored gentleman," reflecting the paternalistic segregationist attitudes of the era.

By the late 1950s, particularly with the rise of the Civil Rights movement, the term began to be replaced by "Negro" and later "Black," as it was increasingly recognized as a derogatory reminder of institutionalized discrimination"
-snip-
This write- up is the result of my Google request for information about the use of the racial referent "Colored" in the United States during the 1950s.

****
This concludes Part II of this three part pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

"People Of Color" Doesn't Mean The Same Thing As "Colored People"

Edited by Azizi Powell

As an African American who was born in 1947, I remember when Black Americans preferred to be called "Colored" and/or "Colored People".

The term "Colored" can still be found in the name for the United States' largest civil rights organization "The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People" (NAACP). However, along with the racial referent "Negro", "Colored" and "Colored people" were retired in the 1960s and replaced with the referents "black" (or "Black" with an upper case "b") and "Afro-American". And by at least the 1980s, "Afro-American" was replaced by the referent "African American". To be clear, the terms "Negro", "Colored people", and Afro-American" are no longer acceptable formal or informal referents for Black Americans.

"Black" (or "black") and "African American" are sometimes used interchangeably. However, in my opinion, "African American" is the more formal term. That said, "Black American" is actually a much larger referent than "African American" because "Black American" includes people of some African descent living in the United States who aren't African American (such as people of some African descent from the Caribbean, South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa).

Note: I know that "America" means more than "United States". However, I'm limiting "American" to a person from the United States for the purpose of these comments.

The referent "People of Color" may have been used prior to the early 2000s, but I first became aware of it about four years ago. "People of Color" doesn't mean the same thing as "Colored People". "People of Color" means all those races and ethnicities (with "ethnicity" here meaning Latino/Hispanic) who are not White.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Person_of_color
"Person of color (plural: people of color, persons of color) is a term used primarily in the United States to describe any person who is not white. The term encompasses all non-white groups, emphasizing common experiences of racism. The term is not equivalent in use to "colored", previously used in the US as a term for African Americans only.

People of color was introduced as a preferable replacement to both non-white and minority, which are also inclusive, because it frames the subject positively; non-white defines people in terms of what they are not (white), and minority frequently carries a subordinate connotation.[1] Style guides for writing from American Heritage,[2] the Stanford Graduate School of Business,[3] Mount Holyoke College,[4] recommend the term over these alternatives. It may also be used with other collective categories of people such as students of color, men of color and women of color. Person of color typically refers to individuals of non-European heritage.[5]"
-snip-
The South African racial referent "Coloured" has a different meaning than the term "Colored" did in the United States.
From http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/126829/Coloured
"Coloured, formerly Cape Coloured, a person of mixed European (“white”) and African (“black”) or Asian ancestry, as officially defined by the South African government from 1950 to 1991...

In early 20th-century South Africa, the word “Coloured” was a social category rather than a legal designation and typically indicated a status intermediate between those who were identified as “white” and those who were identified as “black.” The classification was largely arbitrary, based on family background and cultural practices as well as physical features...

The designation “Coloured” and all restrictions based upon it were abolished in the 1990s as the apartheid system was dismantled and the legal classification system was abandoned."
-snip-
These comments about "Colored" and "People Of Color" are prompted by White British actor Benedict Cumberbatch's use of "colored" as a referent for Black actors during "The Tavis Smiley Show", a PBS (Public Broadcasting Station) television show which aired on January 26, 2015. Tavis Smiley is an African American male. After that show, Cumberbatch apologized for his use of the outdated term "colored".
From http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/benedict-cumberbatch-tavis-smiley-apology
By Tracy Walsh, Published, January 27, 2015, 1:23 PM EST
"British actor Benedict Cumberbatch apologized Monday for using the term "colored" on the "Tavis Smiley" show last week during a discussion about diversity in the film industry, CNN reported.

The star of "The Imitation Game" and "Sherlock" was discussing the barriers that black actors face when seeking roles in the United Kingdom versus the United States when he used the term.

“I think as far as colored actors go, it gets really different in the UK," he said, adding: "A lot of my friends have had more opportunities here [in America] than in the UK, and that’s something that needs to change.”

The British anti-racist organization Show Racism the Red Card criticized Cumberbatch for using the "outdated" term while applauding his overall comments on diversity, according to CNN.

The actor offered a contrite statement to People Monday:
I'm devastated to have caused offense by using this outmoded terminology. I offer my sincere apologies. I make no excuse for my being an idiot and know the damage is done. I can only hope this incident will highlight the need for correct usage of terminology that is accurate and inoffensive. The most shaming aspect of this for me is that I was talking about racial inequality in the performing arts in the U.K. and the need for rapid improvements in our industry when I used the term."...
-snip-
Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-ts=1422327029&v=lYt-K8h3gbw&x-yt-cl=84838260#t=1497 for a YouTube video of that segment. The conversation about race starts at 22:31.

****
I agree with a number of people who have complimented Benedict Cumberbatch for his comments in support of diversity and also for offering a real apology instead of one in which he didn't take ownership of his misspeak.

A few commenters who posted on a TBM online discussion about Cumberbatch's apology (http://forums.talkingpointsmemo.com/t/discussion-benedict-cumberbatch-apologizes-for-referring-to-black-actors-as-colored-im-devastated/16013 suggested that he may have meant to say "People of Color" instead of "Colored People", for example here's a comment from a blogger posting under the name theghostofeustacetilley
"This is the "polite" term my grandmother used to use for black folks. Not that it makes any difference, and what an awesome apology, but perhaps he meant to say people of color."
-snip-
It should be noted that Benedict Cumberbatch didn't offer the excuse that he meant "People Of Color" instead of "Colored People", although that would have been somewhat of an easy out for his misspeak. I think when that British actor said "Colored" he was using an outdated referent for
"Black".

Here are several additional comments from that discussion that I found interesting:
Bill​FromPA
"I'm a little surprised that a younger person used this outdated term. I was born in 1950 and 'colored' was the polite term to use if you needed to refer to an African American. Personally I've had to adjust my vocabulary a few times over the years. Carlin did a bit back in the 70s in which he said, 'Years ago a white person might have a black say, Who you callin' Black?' Now it's ,'Hey, who you callin' Colored?'."

**
NC​Steve
"FWIW, that word "colored" has a slightly different carload of baggage coming from someone who's British than it does coming from an American. Not less unsavory, but different."

**
sweetdee
"This is the first I'm actually hearing about this, but I agree. It would bother me if someone referred to me as "colored", but my grandfather until his death in 1997 referred to himself and his children and grand children as Negro or colored."

**
Plucky​InKY
"I have never been to the UK, but I had a British supervisor years ago who used the same term. I pointed out that using "colored" can get him in big trouble in the States. He was bewildered and very apologetic. I'm guessing "colored" is a term that is far more offensive in the US because of our history of racial struggles, particularly Jim Crow. "Colored" is a reminder of the pain of segregation and the struggle for equality. In any event, he sounds like a very good person who was caught up in a conversation and used an outdated term. He very sincerely apologized and that's all that matters."
-snip-
As to PluckyInKy's theory that "Colored" was retired because it is "a reminder of
the pain of segregation and the struggle for equality", I think that the real reason why "Colored" was retired in the United States was because we (African Americans) wanted a referent that was geographically based like most other referents (for instance, German, Italian, British, Asian etc.)

Be that as it may, as Cumberbatch wrote in his apology that was published in People magazine, his misspeak provided an opportunity to discuss racial terminologies.

Thanks, Benedict Cumberbatch!

****
RELATED LINK
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2011/09/why-we-call-ourselves-african-american.html "Why We Call Ourselves African American"

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

"Colored Aristocracy": The Old Time Music Tune & How It Got Its Name

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest revision - March 16, 2026

This pancocojams post showcases the Old Time Music tune entitled "Colored Aristocracy" and provides information about that tune, how it got its name, and what that name means.

The content of this post is provided for historical, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to those who composed this song and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post, and thanks to the performers in these videos and the publishers of these videos.

****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE TUNE ENTITLED "COLORED ARISTOCRACY"
From http://tunearch.org/wiki/Colored_Aristocracy traditional tune archive*

[Update: March 16, 2026:  Although this traditional tune archive link is still active, this content is no longer available on that page. However, that same quote can be found in a June 23, 2009 Mudcat discussion thread comment about that tune.https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=24017.]

"COLORED ARISTOCRACY. AKA and see "Southern Aristocracy." Old-Time, March. USA, West Virginia. G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (Silberberg): AA'BB' (Brody). This late 19th century or c. 1900 tune is more correctly categorized as a cakewalk (which suggests ragtime from its syncopated rhythms) rather than a fiddle tune though the popular version played by 'revival' fiddlers has been sourced to old-time fiddler Sanford Rich, a resident of Arthurdale, West Virginia, collected in August of 1936. Arthurdale, according to Kerry Blech and Gerald Milnes, was a resettlement camp for displaced persons during the depression, a project of Eleanor Roosevelt's, and it was there at a festival of folk heritage that musicologist Charles Seeger (father of New Lost City Ramblers member Mike Seeger) recorded the Rich Family for the Library of Congress (AFS 3306 B2). 

Gerald Milnes has located Sanford's son, Elmer Rich, an elderly man who still fiddles and who remembers the event. Mike Seegar learned the tune at a young age by playing the aluminum recordings in his parent's house. It became one of the first tunes recorded by his group the New Lost City Ramblers in the early 1960's, and introduced the song to "revival" era fiddlers.

The second chord in the accompaniment has been variously played as both an E minor and an E major..

HOW THE TUNE "COLORED ARISTOCRACY: GOT ITS NAME

[This is a continuation of the http://tunearch.org/wiki/Colored_Aristocracy excerpt that is quoted above.] *

"The origin of the title remained obscure, although it was speculated that it derived from Reconstruction sentiments (or resentments) about the perceived attitude (either within or without the black community) of some African-Americans (i.e. that "Colored Aristocracy" was a gentrification of "Uppity N....r"). However, Peter Shenkin tracked the title to a piece of sheet music from a 1902 revue entitled "In Dahomey," which starred the famous African-American vaudeville duo Williams and Walker. The music (entitled "Leader of the Colored Aristocracy") is credited to Will Marion Cook, words by James Weldon Johnson (later of Harlem Renaissance fame), published by Tin-Pan-Alley composer Harry Von Tilzer.

Another "Colored Aristocracy" dates from 1899 credited to one Gus W. Bernard (published by the Groene Co.); it is listed as a "Cake-walk" on the cover. Neither the Bernard tune or the one published by Tilzer is the "Colored Aristocracy" played by modern fiddlers, however. Bob Buckingham reports that a fiddling preacher of his acquaintance named Buck Rife (originally from the Beckley WV area) calls the tune "Young Man Who Wouldn't Hoe Corn (The)" and gave that he had it as a youngster learning clawhammer banjo from an uncle."...

-snip-
This excerpt is reformatted to enhance its readability.

I made minor spelling corrections for several names and for one word in this quote. However, "the n word" is given that way in this quote.

The word "uppity" means "to act bigger (better) than what you really are"

"to put on airs" means "to act (behave) like someone who is of a higher social class than you are".

While that Mudcat discussion thread makes for interesting reading, it also includes what I consider to be disturbing, cringe worthy comments alluding to or openly chuckling about the "uppity Ni--er" term that is still sometimes used to refer to upper class, affluent Black people instead of the referent "Colored aristocracy". For example, one commenter indicated that she refers to "Colored Aristocracy" tune as "the US president's song" - alluding to African American President Barack Obama being an "uppity Ni--er".

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE WORD "COLORED" IN THE NAME OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ORGANIZATION NAACP 
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NAACP
"The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans...Its name, retained in accordance with tradition, uses the once common term colored people, referring to those with some African ancestry."

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From AI Overview
"The NAACP has retained its name primarily to honor its1909 founding history, legacy, and established brand recognition. While "colored" is now considered outdated, the organization maintains the name to respect its roots and because the acronym "NAACP" is globally recognized. It is viewed as a historical, rather than contemporary, term.

Key reasons for retaining the name include:

Historical Legacy: The NAACP was founded in 1909; the name reflects a crucial era in American civil rights history.

Brand Recognition: The NAACP is a globally recognized, established brand.

Respect for Founders: Retaining the name is seen as a way to honor the legacy of its founders, including W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida Bell Wells-Barnett, and Mary White O..

"Colored" meant something else: At the time of founding, "colored" was considered appropriate and polite, with some arguing the historical context makes it less offensive in this specific context.

While some critics argue that the term "colored" is outdated, as mentioned by a writer in the Tyler Morning Telegraph, others maintain that the name is a proud symbol of the organization's fight against discrimination, which started in a very different social context."
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This AI Overview writeup is a result of my March 16, 2026 Google question "Why hasn't the NAACP changed its name?"

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE BOOK "COLORED ARISTOCRACY OF ST. LOUIS"
From http://press.umsystem.edu/(S(hv5mgvi403quknfhxrggcqyr))/catalog/productinfo.aspx?id=446&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
About the Book "The Colored Aristocracy of St. Louis" by Cyprian Clamorgan, Edited with an Introduction by Julie Winch (University of Missouri Press, 1999, originally published in 1858)
"In 1858, Cyprian Clamorgan wrote a brief but immensely readable book entitled The Colored Aristocracy of St. Louis. The grandson of a white voyageur and a mulatto woman, he was himself a member of the "colored aristocracy." In a setting where the vast majority of African Americans were slaves, and where those who were free generally lived in abject poverty, Clamorgan's "aristocrats" were exceptional people. Wealthy, educated, and articulate, these men and women occupied a "middle ground." Their material advantages removed them from the mass of African Americans, but their race barred them from membership in white society.

"The Colored Aristocracy of St. Louis" is both a serious analysis of the social and legal disabilities under which African Americans of all classes labored and a settling of old scores. Somewhat malicious, Clamorgan enjoyed pointing out the foibles of his friends and enemies, but his book had a serious message as well. "He endeavored to convince white Americans that race was not an absolute, that the black community was not a monolith, that class, education, and especially wealth, should count for something."

Despite its fascinating insights into antebellum St. Louis, Clamorgan's book has been virtually ignored since its initial publication"...

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From the book Slave Life in St. Louis
http://www.nps.gov/jeff/historyculture/african-american-life-in-saint-louis-1804-through-1865.htm
"Urban slaves [in St. Louis, Missouri] were not isolated. In 1835 an African American church was founded in St. Louis. Slaves and free blacks began to attend their own church, away from whites and white influences. Sundays were days of rest for the city’s slaves, and they gathered together not only to attend services but also to spread news, gossip, and even hear readings from the newspaper given by free persons of color. In addition, many of the city’s elite persons of color owned barber emporiums where important and wealthy white males gathered....

In addition to the over 1,000 free blacks in St. Louis who owned small businesses, were laborers or worked odd jobs, a certain elite group of African-American St. Louisans styled “the Colored Aristocracy” were large landowners and businesspersons, many descended from some of St. Louis’ earliest residents. Several owned the large barber emporiums, while others owned drayage businesses which moved goods from steamboat to steamboat on the levee. Still others, like Madame Pelagie Rutgers, owned huge tracts of land which they sold at great profit as the city expanded. The “Colored Aristocracy” of St. Louis had its own social season and debutante balls. A member of this social class, Cyprian Clamorgan, wrote a book in 1858 called the Colored Aristocracy of St. Louis, in which he profiled the group.”...

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Here's a comment from the discussion thread about the tune "Colored Aristocracy" from the  folk music forum Mudcat
http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=24017 Origin: Colored Aristocracy, posted by Q, Date: 24 Jun 09 - 01:58 PM
"Clamorgan, "Colored Aristocracy in St. Louis," further note. Publication date 1858.
This from the discussion of the University of Missouri reprint of 1999.
"When Cyprian Clamorgan wrote The Colored Aristocracy of St. Louis" in 1858, he described what it took to "make it" as an anomaly in that city. He recognized that, in St. Louis as in antebellum communities throughout the United States, to be free and of African descent meant that one did not fit into a society that assumed that black people were meant to be slaves and that only white people could know freedom. Yet Clamorgan observed that there existed in the Mound City "a certain circle: a peculiar class- the elite of the colored race" who attained their high status through "wealth, education or natural ability". And the greatest of these was wealth.

Julie Winch, who annotated the reprint of the Clamorgan book, [indicated that it] "makes a valuable contribution to the study of free blacks."

Clamorgan was a mulatto, a descendant of the voyageur and slave trader Jacques Clamorgan and one of his "Negro wives." A grandson of this man, Cyprian Clamorgan "sought to benefit financially from the sale of Jacque's land claims and the marketing of a literary challenge to the "white notion that black people were all alike because they were black.".

Colored Aristocracy [This title was given as a hyperlink to that book.]

St. Louis of the 1850s was a boom city, a gateway to the west and to the Mississippi, with industry and monied families.

As a side note, some years ago I was at an auction of American coin silver, in which I was interested at the time. Work of St. Louis silversmiths of the 1850s was a feature, and I remember several pieces- tableware, pitchers, candlesticks- marked with the initials of one of the black societies of the time. A dealer friend if [sic] mine bought most of the pieces, for resale in the States."
-end of quote-
Since at least the 1950s In the United States the term "mulatto" has been generally considered to be an outdated and offensive term for a Black American who is of first generation Black/White ancestry.

While that Mudcat discussion thread makes for interesting reading, it also includes what I consider to be disturbing, cringe worthy comments alluding to or openly chuckling about the "uppity Ni--er" term that is still sometimes negatively used by non-Black people] to refer to upper class, affluent Black people. (In contrast, to my knowledge, the referent "Colored aristocracy" is no longer ever used by non-Black people or by Black people.).

For example, one commenter in that Mudcat discussion thread indicated that she refers to the "Colored Aristocracy" tune as "the US president's song" - alluding to African American President Barack Obama being an "uppity Ni--er".

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FEATURED VIDEOS OF THE TUNE "COLORED ARISTOCRACY"

Example #1: Colored Aristocracy - Elmer Rich fiddle



Old Time Fiddle Music from West Virginia, Uploaded on Nov 17, 2008

Elmer Rich at the 2008 WVU Mountaineer Week fiddle contest.

Elmer played the tune Colored Aristocracy. He and Tom O'Brien tell the story of how this tune spread from Elmer's Uncle Sanford Rich to being played by musicians around the world.

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Example #2: taj on banjo.MOD [Taj Mahal]



manomite01's channel, Uploaded on Aug 19, 2010

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Example #3: Sankofa Strings perform Colored Aristocracy in Saxapahaw, North Carolina



ccdrops Uploaded on Jun 28, 2006

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From http://www.amazon.com/ss/customer-reviews/B000W9EKFA/ref=?_encoding=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0 a review of the album & record "Colored Aristocracy" by Sankofa Strings [2007]
By Andre M. "brnn64"on March 9, 2010
"This is actually by the Sankofa Sounds, the predecessor to the CCDs [Carolina Chocolate Drops] who formed in 2005 after their meeting at the Black Banjo Gathering in Boone NC (as Black history fans know, "Sankofa" is a Ghanaian word that loosely translates into the appreciation of the past being the foundation of the future). The title refers to a song from the 1890s that was performed in one of the legendary Bert Williams' musical comedies about the emerging Black middle class and the cover pictures are of the groups' direct ancestors. My only minor complaint is that this instrumental version does not include the original thought-provoking lyrics. But this is no real big deal as the album itself is so enjoyable. This album also has heavy input from charter member Sule Greg Wilson, who would later make occasional appearances on the CCD cds"...
-snip-
There are no lyrics to the tune "Colored Aristocracy" although some performers have made up lyrics to that tune. I read a comment in the above linked Mudcat discussion thread that the song "Devil Woman Marie" was sung with the "Colored Aristocracy" tune, However, that song "seems to be a modern lyric composed by Peter Stampfel of the Holy Modal Rounders".

The lyrics to that song are included in that Mudcat discussion thread on "Colored Aristocracy" that is given above.

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