Obama signed a bill striking 'Oriental' and 'Negro' from federal code

President Obama
(Image credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

President Obama signed a bill into law Friday that strikes derogatory terms for minorities, including "Oriental" and "Negro," from federal law, The Hill reports.

"The term 'Oriental' has no place in federal law, and at long last this insulting and outdated term will be gone for good," bill author Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.) said in a statement.

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Julie Kliegman

Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.