U.S. Army Apologizes For Permitting The Use Of "Negro"
The regulation had said that the word "Negro" could be used to describe African-American service members.
The U.S. Army has apologized for a policy that had said "Negro" or "Haitian" were acceptable terms to describe African-American service members.
The regulation, contained in Army Regulation 600-20, was removed Thursday, after CNN first reported the story.
The new policy states that "a person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa" may now only be referred to as "Black or African American."
"The U.S. Army fully recognized, and promptly acted, to remove outdated language in Army Regulation 600-20 as soon as it was brought to our attention," Army spokeswoman Lt. Colonel Alayne P. Conway told BuzzFeed News in a statement.
"The Army takes pride in sustaining a culture where all personnel are treated with dignity and respect," Conway said, pointing out that the Army Regulation section in question outlined the Army's commitment to equal opportunity and fair treatment.
"We apologize to anyone we offended," she said.
Republican Senator Tim Scott, who on Wednesday became the first African American from the South to be elected to the Senate since Reconstruction, had told CNN he would be reaching out to the Army to discuss the matter.
The controversy came after the military in August eased its restrictions on hairstyles that critics had deemed to be racially biased against women of color.