Learn English – Modelling or Modeling: When writing in British English, should you use US Spelling when quoting the name of a US book

To stay clear, I'd prefer not to use in the way because it also means an impediment i.e. something coming in between. Using this phrase would imply its use more as an idiom.

"I cannot dance because the table is in the way."

Hence, to avoid its idiomatic use, in those sentences, I'd prefer using the way.

Use in the way if you want to convey that something comes in between and prefer ...the way... that would convey the message without any ambiguity.

In the UK, black person is the usual way to describe someone of African or Caribbean ethnic background and I wouldn't expect it to be taken as offensive. Referring to someone as a black (as a noun) would be offensive.

Referring to someone as the black guy could conceivably be interpreted as a little disrespectful if you might have been expected to call them by name, depending on the context. In your specific example you could have said I don't remember your colleague's name but he's black, if that helps? and I wouldn't expect anyone to be upset by that form of words.

Your friend is either misinformed or engaging in propaganda against perceived "political correctness". Stories about the word "black" being banned in some context or other pop up in the tabloid press with depressing regularity but invariably turn out to be untrue or misreported.