If a suspect truly is East African, how is this descriptor an improper way to inform the University of Minnesota community? Would it be improper to state that the subject was male or female, short or tall, or had a tattoo or specific item of clothing on? Yes, there is a long history of racial bias in the United States. There remains a long road ahead before we have a society where nobody is judged by the color of their skin, but pretending that race doesnâÄôt exist is as silly as pretending we donâÄôt naturally differ in age, height or sex. These features, like oneâÄôs race, can describe a person, but they do not define a person. If we as a society need to filter every adjective used to describe a person because they may provoke an irrational response, I think we need to reconsider how we educate people and how we teach them to utilize facts. Safety is more important than selecting our words carefully to keep the very perception of prejudice at bay. Carl Magnuson University graduate student