Is It The Word “Mulatto” Politically Incorrect & Obsolete ?

Last night, during our phone conversation my close friend and I started to talk about a coworker he is having some problems with at work. He says the girl is from St. Vincent and she is a “mulatto”. I sat up when my close friend used the word “mulatto”. I cringed. The word “mulatto” is a term many people still use to refer to someone that has black and white heritage.

I know he didn’t use the word in a negative way or whatever he was just talking. I also do not believe he was being politically incorrect. I just recall during my undergraduate days in Caribbean Studies my professors drilled into my mind to never use the word “mulatto”. The word “mulatto” means “mule” it refers to people that have African and European ancestry. I suggested to my friend that perhaps a more appropriate term to use can be “mixed race” or “biracial”.

He asked “why  would it be politically incorrect to use the word mulatto?”  All I remember is how passionate my Caribbean Studies professors were about the word “mulatto” they said the word is “obsolete” and it is “wrong” to use the term. I try not to use the word “mulatto” to refer to people of mixed ancestry because I remember the course lessons and the legacy of slavery in my Caribbean Studies classes.

What do you think? Do you think the word “mulatto” is “obsolete” and should be removed from the English language? Or is the word “mulatto” simply a word with a long history that should be utilized when necessary?