The words used to describe African-Americans have evolved over time to from words like “Negro,” “colored,” “Afro-American” to the current “black,” “African-American” and “people of color,” said Deborah E. McDowell, director of UVA’s Carter G. Woodson Institute for African-American and African Studies. "We no longer use the term ‘colored people,’ although once upon a time that was a term in use," McDowell said.