UNLRN Glossary
The fear of saying the wrong thing can lead us to saying nothing at all. But how can we fight for a more equal world if we can’t talk about what stands in our way? To support you in having these difficult but vital conversations, we have built a Glossary which goes beyond academic definitions and includes the opinions, thoughts and stories of real people. Click on the terms below to learn more.
NB: This is a living document that is updated regularly. The list is not exhaustive, but a summary.
Search by Term:
Ageism
‘Prejudiced thoughts and discriminatory actions, such as treating someone as weak or unintelligent because they are not adults; usually those of older persons against younger persons.’
Click title to view personal accounts
‘When someone treats you unfairly because of your age. It can also include the way that older people are represented in the media, which can have a wider impact on the public’s attitudes.’
‘The social practice of visually underrepresenting older people or misrepresenting them in a prejudiced way.’
Allyship & Advocacy
‘A process of hearing and understanding what someone is saying by empathizing with the speaker(s) and considering their perspective(s).’
‘Someone who speaks up for themselves and members of their identity group; e.g., a woman who lobbies for equal pay for women. Advocates acknowledge responsibility as citizens to shape public policy to address intentional or unintentional harm to minorities and the oppressed, whether caused by action or inaction.’
‘A process of supporting and enabling people to express their views, to access information and services, to find out about options and make decisions, and to secure their rights.’
‘To acknowledge, respect, value, and support someone’s full identity and self—including race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, experiences, ideas, beliefs, etc.—and to encourage the development and exploration of who they are.’
‘Someone who speaks on behalf of others in need or distress until they are empowered to speak for themselves.’
‘A lifelong process of building relationships based on trust, consistency, and accountability with marginalized individuals and/or groups of people.’
‘Taking time to learn about issues from other communities for oneself without making people of those communities spend time teaching you. By learning about the histories and experiences of target groups, we can become better allies and advocates.’
‘A learned skill that allows one to recognize and deeply listen to another’s story or experiences, and connect them to common understandings and emotions; differs from sympathy.’
‘Treating everyone the same way while assuming that everyone starts out on equal footing with equal opportunities.’
‘Working toward fair outcomes for people or groups by treating them in ways that address their unique barriers.’
‘A tendency for people of a religion, race, social background, etc., to form exclusive political alliances, moving away from traditional broad-based party politics.’
Click title to view personal accounts
‘The progression toward or the conscious or unconscious state of being in which one can freely exist, think, dream, and thrive in a way which operates outside of traditional systems of oppression. Liberation acknowledges history, but does not bind any person to disparate systems or outcomes. Liberation is a culture of solidarity, respect, and dignity.’
‘Microadvantages are facial expressions, gestures, tone of voice and choice of words that are even more subtle than micro-affirmations, but equally as important in making a person feel appreciated and valued.’
‘Microaffirmations are subtle acknowledgments of a person’s importance and accomplishments, which creates a feeling of being valued and a sense of belonging.’
‘A strategy employed by social and civil advocates that stresses social and political change through acts that do not involve physical violence against oneself or others; nonviolent language is used to imply language that does not perpetuate structural inequalities.’
‘The ability to define, set, or change situations. Power can manifest as personal or collective self-determination. Power is the ability to influence others to believe, behave, or adopt values as those in power desire.’
‘One or a set of unearned benefits given to people owing to their membership in a specific social group relating to aspects of their identity. Those aspects can include race, gender, sexual orientation, ability and religion, as well as privilege related to wealth and class.’
Click title to view personal accounts
‘To take back or demand the return of something that was lost or taken away; to restore to a previous state.’
‘Refers to an environment in which everyone feels comfortable expressing themselves and participating fully without fear of attack, ridicule or denial of experience.’
‘Is both a process and a goal. The goal of social justice is full and equal participation of all groups in a society that is mutually shaped to meet their needs. Social justice includes a vision of society in which the distribution of resources is equitable and all members are physically and psychologically safe and secure.’
‘A pejorative term for an individual who promotes socially progressive view, including feminism, civil rights, and multiculturalism, as well as identity politics.’
‘Acceptance and open‐mindedness to different practices, attitudes and cultures; does not necessarily connote agreement with the differences.’
‘A person who chooses to take positive action in the face of injustice in society or in situations in which individuals need personal assistance; the opposite of a bystander.’
Bias & Discrimination
Psychology
‘Having a more favorable opinion of someone like us (...). In hiring this often means referring or selecting a candidate who shares our same race or gender, or who went to the same school, speaks the same language, or reminds us of our younger selves.’
‘An inclination or preference formed without reasonable justification that can prevent judgment from being balanced or even-handed (e.g. Asians are smart)’.
Click title to view personal accounts
‘The natural cognitive process of grouping and labeling people, things, etc. based on their similarities. Categorization becomes problematic when the groupings become oversimplified and rigid (e.g. stereotypes).’
‘The combination of being on guard to protect against bias, feeling different at work because of gender, race, and/or ethnicity, and the associated effects on health, well-being, and ability to thrive at work.’
‘The often unconscious bias to place more emphasis on perceived internal or innate characteristics to explain someone’s behavior in a given situation; doesn’t take into consideration the external factors that can, and often do, impact an individual’s behavior.’
‘A psychological pattern in which an individual doubts their accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a “fraud”.’
Click title to view personal accounts
‘The tendency for groups to “favor” themselves by rewarding group members economically, socially, psychologically and emotionally in order to uplift one group over another.’
‘The tendency to view people from outside our own group as less similar and, as a result, have negative biases against them.’
‘A cognitive process for protecting stereotypes by explaining any evidence/example to the contrary as an isolated exception. Also known as exception‐making.’
‘The quality of a group identity of which an individual is more conscious and which plays a larger role in that individual's day‐to‐day life.’
‘A false or generalized conception that results in conscious categorization of an individual or the members of a group (e.g. Women are emotional).'
‘A situational predicament in which people are or feel themselves to be at risk of conforming to stereotypes about their social group.’
‘An implicit association, whether about people, places, or situations, which are often based on mistaken, inaccurate, or incomplete information and include the personal histories we bring to the situation.’
‘The perspective through which individuals view the world; comprised of their history, experiences, culture, family history, and other influences.’
Class
‘An economic and political order that relies on a mostly-private, unequal market system of production and consumption.’
‘Prejudiced thoughts and discriminatory actions based on difference in socio‐economic status, income, class; usually by upper classes against lower classes.’
Click title to view personal accounts
‘The belief that a select group of individuals with a certain ancestry, intrinsic quality, high intellect, wealth, special skill, or experience are more likely to be constructive to society, and therefore deserve influence or authority greater than that of others.’
‘Demographic shifts that usually occur in big cities in which upper-middle class and/or racially privileged individuals and businesses move into historically working class and poor and/or racially oppressed neighborhoods and communities.’
Click title to view personal accounts
‘One group or community holding all authoritative power or dominance over other groups in a given society, geographical region, and/or political system.’
‘One or a set of advantages held by a person or group owing to their experience and their individual or family’s social and economic status.’
Culture
‘The process of adapting or adjusting to the culture or behaviors of a dominant or majority group or nation.’
Being ‘of, relating to, or including two distinct cultures.’
Click title to view personal accounts
‘A term used to describe the taking over of creative or artistic forms, themes, or practices by one cultural group from another. It carries connotations of exploitation and dominance.’
Click title to view personal accounts
‘A life-long commitment to self-critique about differences in culture and a commitment to be aware of and actively mitigate power imbalances between cultures.’
‘Encourages the maintenance and development of different lifestyles, languages and convictions. It strives to create the conditions of harmony and respect within a culturally diverse society.’
‘The languages, customs, beliefs, rules, arts, knowledge, and collective identities and memories developed by members of all social groups that make their social environments meaningful.’
‘People who come from a particular nation, or whose ancestors came from it, but who now live in many different parts of the world are sometimes referred to as the diaspora.’
‘The cultural values, beliefs and practices that are assumed to be the norm and are most influential within a given society.’
‘The physical, social and attitudinal environment in which people live and conduct their lives. These are either barriers to or facilitators of the person’s functioning.’
‘Denotes groups that share a common identity-based ancestry, language, or culture. It is often based on religion, beliefs, and customs as well as memories of migration or colonization.’
‘The fact or state of belonging to a social group that has a shared cultural tradition.’
‘The tendency to believe that your own ethnic group is centrally important and measure all others using the standards and customs of your own.’
‘A person who moves out of their country of birth, supposedly for permanent residence in a new country.’
Disability
‘Sometimes used incorrectly as an antonym of “disabled” in phrases such as “Disabled people, unlike able-bodied people…” The preferred antonym for ‘disabled’ is ‘non-disabled’ or ‘person without a disability’.’
‘The discrimination of and social prejudice against people with disabilities based on the belief that typical abilities are superior.’
Click title to view personal accounts
‘The degree to which a product, device, service, or environment is available to as many people as possible. Accessibility can be viewed as the “ability to access” and benefit from some system or entity.’
‘A relatively new term that recognises there are a number of sub-groups within the spectrum of autism.’
Click title to view personal accounts
‘Promotes greater independence by enabling people to perform tasks that they were formerly unable to accomplish, or had great difficulty accomplishing, by providing enhancements to, or changing methods of interacting with, the technology needed to accomplish such tasks.’
‘System of printing/writing for people who are blind – consists of raised dots that can be interpreted by touch each dot or group of dots representing a letter, numeral, or punctuation mark.’
‘A person, generally a professional, a friend or a relative, who looks after someone with a disability.’
‘Any visual, hearing, or speech difficulties that limit a person’s ability to communicate.’
‘Persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which, when in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.’
Click title to view personal accounts
‘A specific learning difficulty which mainly affects the development of literacy and language-related skills.’
‘A specific learning difficulty which impairs the ability to coordinate and organise movement.’
‘Problems in body function and structure such as significant deviation or loss. (There is no agreement about the word among people with disabilities and associations representing them.)’
‘Refers to the formatting of a book or other text document in which the typeface (or font), and sometimes the medium, are considerably larger than usual, to accommodate people who have low vision.’
‘A significantly reduced ability to understand new or complex information or to learn new skills; a reduced ability to cope independently; an impairment that started before adulthood, with a lasting effect on development.’
‘Refers to any illness or disorder of the mind that: has significant psychological or behavioural manifestations, is associated with painful or distressing symptoms, and impairs an individual’s level of functioning in certain areas of life.’
‘A device designed to assist walking or otherwise improve the mobility of people with a mobility disability. Examples are crutches, walking frames, wheelchairs and mobility scooters.’
‘Having two or more disabilities, for example being both blind and deaf simultaneously.’
‘A concept where neurological differences are recognised and respected in the same way as any other human difference.’
Click title to view personal accounts
‘People-first language emphasizes the individuality, equality and dignity of people with disabilities. Rather than defining people primarily by their disability, people-first language conveys respect by emphasizing the fact that people with disabilities are first and foremost just that—people.’
‘Necessary and appropriate modification and adjustments not imposing a disproportionate or undue burden, where needed in a particular case, to ensure to persons with disabilities the enjoyment or exercise on an equal basis with others of all human rights and fundamental freedoms.’
‘The system of manual signs for communication with and among people who are deaf or hard of hearing and deaf-blind people.’
‘Mobility aid used by people with physical disabilities. Avoid phrases such as “wheelchair-bound”, since wheelchair users view their wheelchairs as liberating rather than confining.’
Click title to view personal accounts
Feminism
‘A form of prejudice that is expressed in terms of apparently positive beliefs and emotional responses to targets of prejudice. This prejudice often manifests as chivalrous acts towards women.’
‘The pursuit of the social, economic, and political equality of all people, regardless of sex, gender, sexuality, race, geographical location, body size, socioeconomic status, physical and mental ability, and religion.’
Click title to view personal accounts
‘A situation where a man appropriates or repeats a woman’s comments or ideas and then is praised for them being his own.’
‘Mansplain is a combination of two words – “man” and “explain”. Mansplaining refers to a man explaining something to someone, typically a woman, in a manner regarded as condescending or patronizing.’
Click title to view personal accounts
'A social system and institution in which men have primary power in the political, social, economic, legal, and familial spheres; patriarchy favors male-dominated thought, and is centralized on the male narrative or perspective of how the world works and should work.’
‘Prejudiced thoughts and discriminatory actions based on difference in sex/gender, usually by men against women.’
Click title to view personal accounts
Workplace
‘Forums for groups of students, faculty, or employees who share a common background or interest.’
Behavioral Diversity relates to personal experiences that help shape our world view to be more open-minded and accepting of others who are different than us.
‘Cognitive diversity accounts for differences in our perspective and the way we process information.’
‘Practicing good corporate citizenship by going beyond profit maximization to make a positive impact on communities and societies.’
‘Encourages the maintenance and development of different lifestyles, languages and convictions. It strives to create the conditions of harmony and respect within a culturally diverse society.’
‘The wide variety of shared and different personal and group characteristics among human beings.’
‘A largely voluntary, employee-led group that promotes a diverse, inclusive workplace aligned with organizational goals and objectives.’
‘The practice of thinking or making decisions as a group in a way that discourages creativity or individual responsibility.’
‘A state of belonging, when persons of different backgrounds and identities are valued, integrated, and welcomed equitably as decision-makers and collaborators. Inclusion involves people being given the opportunity to grow and feel/know they belong. Diversity efforts alone do not create inclusive environments. Inclusion involves a sense of coming as you are and being accepted, rather than feeling the need to assimilate.’
‘A form of leadership that intentionally welcomes and incorporates the contributions of all stakeholders within an organization to encourage teams to voice different perspectives, discuss difference of opinion, and inform the overall business strategy.’
‘The intertwining of social identities such as gender, race, ethnicity, social class, religion, sexual orientation, and/or gender identity, which can result in unique experiences, opportunities, and barriers.’
Click title to view personal accounts
‘A mentor supports and guides you in your professional world either within or outside your organization.’
‘Microaggressions are seemingly harmless but impactful everyday slights and exclusions that negatively highlight an individual’s Otherness.’
‘Psychological safety, term coined and defined by Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson, is a belief that you will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns or mistakes.’
‘Necessary and appropriate modification and adjustments not imposing a disproportionate or undue burden, where needed in a particular case, to ensure to persons with disabilities the enjoyment or exercise on an equal basis with others of all human rights and fundamental freedoms.’
‘When junior employees mentor senior employees. This allows junior employees to pass their generational knowledge and experience onto senior leaders. If lower-level employees are more diverse, senior executives can use their feedback to shape an equitable workplace.’
‘A sponsor is a powerful internal advocate who looks after your interests, helps connect you to leaders and special projects, and amplifies your amazing work to other senior people in your business.’
‘A process designed to address the root causes of social problems and fundamentally alter the components and structures that perpetuate them in public systems (i.e. education system, child welfare system, etc.).’
‘The idea that if one person gains something, another person loses something. When doing D&I work, sometimes dominant groups believe that an organization helps make underrepresented groups feel more included, they lose power, influence, and clout.’
Law
‘An active effort to improve employment or educational opportunities for members of minority groups and for women. Affirmative action began as a government remedy to the effects of long-standing discrimination against such groups.’
‘The rights established and ensured by a state government regarding political and social equality.’
‘The establishment or determination of rights according to rules of law and standards of equity; the process or result of using laws to fairly judge crimes and criminality.’
‘A group of people who share common characteristics and are protected from discrimination and harassment under federal and state laws and/or university policy. Protected classes include race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.’
‘Necessary and appropriate modification and adjustments not imposing a disproportionate or undue burden, where needed in a particular case, to ensure to persons with disabilities the enjoyment or exercise on an equal basis with others of all human rights and fundamental freedoms.’
‘A process designed to address the root causes of social problems and fundamentally alter the components and structures that perpetuate them in public systems (i.e. education system, child welfare system, etc.).’
‘Setting universal goals pursued by targeted processes to achieve those goals. Within a targeted universalism framework, universal goals are established for all groups concerned. The strategies developed to achieve those goals are targeted, based upon how different groups are situated within structures, culture, and across geographies to obtain the universal goal. Targeted universalism is goal oriented, and the processes are directed in service of the explicit, universal goal.’
‘Whether or not an individual has served in a nation's armed forces (or other uniformed service).’
LGBTQIA+
‘A variation in levels of romantic and/or sexual attraction, including a lack of attraction. Ace people may describe themselves using one or more of a wide variety of terms, including, but not limited to, asexual, aromantic, demis and grey-As.’
‘The fear or dislike of someone who identifies as bi based on prejudice or negative attitudes, beliefs or views about bi people.’
Click title to view personal accounts
‘An umbrella term used to describe a romantic and/or sexual orientation towards more than one gender.’
Click title to view personal accounts
‘Butch is a term used in LBT culture to describe someone who expresses themselves in a typically masculine way.’
‘Someone whose gender identity is the same as the sex they were assigned at birth. Non-trans is also used by some people.’
‘A socially constructed assumption that everyone’s gender matches their biological sex, and that that is the norm from which all other gender identities deviate.’
‘A lifelong process of self-acceptance. People forge a LGBTQ identity first to themselves and then they may reveal it to others. Publicly sharing one's identity may or may not be part of coming out.’
Click title to view personal accounts
‘An action where an individual intentionally downplays or omits disclosure of known stigmatized identity to fit in with the dominant culture.’
‘Typically used to refer to men who occasionally wear clothes, makeup, and accessories culturally associated with women. Cross-dressers do not wish to permanently change their sex or live full-time as women. Replaces the term "transvestite".’
‘Wearing clothes of the gender or sex different from the one you were assigned at birth. Before the word “transgender” existed, this word was often a substitute. Today there are different: ma transgender woman dressing as a woman in not cross-dressing because is dressing as her gender’
‘Femme is a term used in LGBT culture to describe someone who expresses themselves in a typically feminine way.’
‘Refers to a man who has a romantic and/or sexual orientation towards men. Also a generic term for lesbian and gay sexuality - some women define themselves as gay rather than lesbian. Some non-binary people may also identify with this term.’
‘Often expressed in terms of masculinity and femininity, gender is largely culturally determined and is assumed from the sex assigned at birth.’
Click title to view personal accounts
‘The gender binary refers to the idea that men and women are the only two genders, that these are opposites, and that every person must be unambiguously gendered as either/or in accordance with their assigned sex at birth. The expectation is that a person be comfortable in the gender identity, expression and role that is assigned to them.’
Click title to view personal accounts
‘How a person chooses to outwardly express their gender, within the context of societal expectations of gender. A person who does not conform to societal expectations of gender may not, however, identify as trans.’
Click title to view personal accounts
‘A person’s innate sense of their own gender, whether male, female or something else (see non-binary below), which may or may not correspond to the sex assigned at birth.’
‘Another way of describing a person’s transition. To undergo gender reassignment usually means to undergo some sort of medical intervention, but it can also mean changing names, pronouns, dressing differently and living in their self-identified gender. It is a term of much contention.’
‘This enables trans people to be legally recognised in their affirmed gender and to be issued with a new birth certificate. You do not need a GRC to change your gender markers at work or to legally change your gender on other documents such as your passport.’
‘Someone who does not subscribe to conventional gender distinctions but identifies with neither, both, or a combination of male and female genders.’
‘The belief or assumption that all people are heterosexual, or that heterosexuality is the default or "normal" state of human being. Can be hurtful because they are stigmatizing and marginalizing, making people who are LGBT+ feel like they are perceived as deviant or unnatural.’
Click title to view personal accounts
‘An adjective used to describe people whose enduring physical, romantic, and/ or emotional attraction is to people of the opposite sex. Also straight.’
‘The fear or dislike of someone, based on prejudice or negative attitudes, beliefs or views about lesbian, gay or bi people. Homophobic bullying may be targeted at people who are, or who are perceived to be, lesbian, gay or bi.’
Click title to view personal accounts
‘Outdated clinical term considered derogatory and offensive. The Associated Press, New York Times and Washington Post restrict usage of the term.’
‘An umbrella term describing people born with reproductive or sexual anatomy and/or a chromosome pattern that can't be classified as typically male or female.’
‘A type of relationship in the 18th, 19ths and early 20th centuries that involved intimacy between members of the same sex or gender at a great level than a regular freindship - for example, living as life partners and professing love for each other. This is the type of relationship that Abraham Lincoln had with Joshua Speed and that Eleanor Roosevelt had with Lorena Hickock’.
‘Queer There And Everywhere’ by Sarah Prager
‘Refers to a woman who has a romantic and/or sexual orientation towards women. Some non-binary people may also identify with this term.’
‘LGBTQIA is an acronym and refers to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, and asexual or allied.’
Click title to view personal accounts
‘Acronym for lesbian, gay, bi, trans, questioning (or queer), intersex + other gender variants. The most inclusive, all-encompassing term for the gay community, including those with non-cis gender identities.
Race & Antiracism
‘To minimize power hierarchies, by assisting to build the power of those who hold a marginalized identity and/or reducing the unfair power of those of privileged status.’
‘Any attitude, behavior, practice, or policy that explicitly or implicitly reflects the belief that Black people are inferior to another racial group. Anti-Black racism is reflected in interpersonal, institutional, and systemic levels of racism and is a function of White supremacy.’
‘Fighting against racism. Racism takes several forms and works most often in tandem with at least one other form to reinforce racist ideas, behavior, and policy.
‘This acronym, which stands for Black, Indigenous, and people of color, has gained popularity as a more inclusive term than "people of color" when talking about marginalized groups affected by racism.’
‘A person who identifies as coming from two races; a person whose biological parents are of two different races.’
‘A broad term for all people with ethnic origins in the African continent. Less commonly this term is used to refer to all people around the world who are not of white European descent. Note that we encourage capitalising Black (when you’re talking about race) — this is consistent with usage for other ethnic groups like Asian, Arab, Latinx.’
‘Dark makeup worn to mimic the appearance of a Black person and especially to mock or ridicule Black people’
‘An acronym that stands for black [and Asian] & minority ethnic. Though generally accepted, as with people of color (see below), there’s been some pushback to these terms in recent years for being too reductionist and too inclusive. By reductionist we mean it reduces the nuanced and complex experiences of an individual to an overly simplistic, broad term.’
‘The switching from the linguistic system of one language or dialect to that of another. This could be matching the linguistic system of the person with whom you are conversing with as to not stand-out.’
Click title to view personal accounts
‘The exploitative historical, political, social, and economic system established when one group or force takes control over a colonized territory or group; the unequal relationship between colonizer and the colonized.’
‘The belief in treating everyone “equally” by treating everyone the same; based on the presumption that differences are, by definition, bad or problematic and therefore best ignored (i.e., “I don’t see race, gender, etc.”)’
‘A school of thought that says that legal institutions and the law are inherently racist. It also says that race isn't a biological reality, but a social construct made by white people to maintain power.’
‘Individuals who identify as those who were the first people to live on the Western Hemisphere continent. People also identified as Native Americans.’
‘Ethnic groups who are the original inhabitants of a given region, in contrast to groups that have settled, occupied or colonized the area more recently. In the United States, this can refer to groups traditionally termed Native Americans (American Indians), Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians. In Canada, it can refer to the groups typically termed First Nations’.
‘The beliefs attitudes, and actions of individuals that support or perpetuate racism. Individual racism can occur at both an unconscious and conscious level, and can be both active and passive.’
Urban Dictionary
‘The practices that perpetuate racial disparities, uphold White supremacy, and serve to the detriment and harm of persons of color and keep them in negative cycles. Institutional/systemic racism also refers to policies that generate different outcomes for persons of different race. These laws, policies, and practices are not necessarily explicit in mentioning any racial group, but work to create advantages for White persons and disadvantages for people of colour.’
‘The conscious and unconscious development of ideas, beliefs, actions, and behaviors that demonstrate one’s acceptance of the dominant society’s racist tropes and stereotypes about their own race.’
Centre for the Study of Social Policy
Click title to view personal accounts
‘A person of Latin American origin or descent (gender-neutral version of Latino or Latina).’
‘Refers to a minority ethnic, racial, or religious group whose members achieve a higher degree of success than the population average. This success is typically measured in income, education, and related factors such as low crime rate and high family stability.’
Click title to view personal accounts
‘Terms describing a person who has parentage or ancestors from more than one ethnic and/or racial group. Some people can get confused between interracial and biracial. An individual can be described as biracial if their heritage is mixed; interracial, on the other hand, is used to describe relationships or interactions between individuals from different racial groups.’
‘Prejudiced thoughts or discriminatory actions that benefit or show preference to individuals born in a territory over those who have migrated into said territory.’
‘A belief that we as a society have moved beyond race; that race and racism are no longer relevant because as a society we have addressed all of the racialized barriers to full and equal participation in American society.’
‘Refers to the concept of dividing people into populations or groups on the basis of various sets of physical characteristics that result from genetic ancestry. Sociologists use the concept of race to describe how people think of and treat groups of people, as people very commonly classify each other according to race (e.g., as African-American or as Asian).’
‘The fear of being judged, based on an individual’s race, when interacting with people of other races. White people fear assumptions of being racist, while people of color fear being the victim of discriminatory behavior and violence.’
‘The Western/U.S. tendency to only think and talk about race and racism in terms of Black and White people; thus making invisible the racialization of other people of color including bi/multiracial and bi/multiethnic people.’
‘An unequal outcome one racial group experiences as compared to the outcome for another racial group.’
‘Race is no longer a predictor of outcomes, leading to more just outcomes in policies, practices, attitudes, and cultural messages.’
‘The proactive process of reinforcing and establishing a set of policies, practices, attitudes, and actions that produce equitable power, access, opportunities, treatment, impacts, and outcomes for all individuals and groups impacted by racism. The goal, however, is not only the eradication of racism, but also the presence of deliberate social systems and structures that sustain racial equity through proactive and preventative measures.’
‘Language that is seemingly race-neutral but is actually a disguise for racial stereotypes without the stigma of explicit racism.’
Religion
‘A certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.’
Click title to view personal accounts
‘Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.’
Click title to view personal accounts
‘A system of beliefs, usually spiritual in nature, and often in terms of a formal, organized denomination.’
Click title to view personal accounts
Alphabetical summary of terms:
Click on any of the below terms to learn more.
Safe Space
‘Refers to an environment in which everyone feels comfortable expressing themselves and participating fully without fear of attack, ridicule or denial of experience.’
Sex
‘Assigned to a person on the basis of primary sex characteristics (genitalia) and reproductive functions. Sometimes the terms ‘sex’ and ‘gender’ are interchanged to mean ‘male’ or ‘female’.’ Stonewall
‘A socially constructed classification system based on a person’s sex characteristics. Sex is a spectrum that includes a variety of sexes much larger than just male or female, based on biological differences.’ UMASS
Sex Reassignment Surgery
‘Medical term for the surgeries that physically change someone's anatomy from male to female or female to make, such as creating or removing breasts, a penis or a vagina. “Gender affirmation surgery” is often a better choice of term today. Not all transgender people want to undergo surgical procedures to change their sex - no matter what bodies they have, their gender identity is who they are’
Sign language/sign
‘The system of manual signs for communication with and among people who are deaf or hard of hearing and deaf-blind people.’
Social Justice
‘Is both a process and a goal. The goal of social justice is full and equal participation of all groups in a society that is mutually shaped to meet their needs. Social justice includes a vision of society in which the distribution of resources is equitable and all members are physically and psychologically safe and secure.’
Social Justice Warrior
‘A pejorative term for an individual who promotes socially progressive view, including feminism, civil rights, and multiculturalism, as well as identity politics.’
Socioeconomic privilege
‘One or a set of advantages held by a person or group owing to their experience and their individual or family’s social and economic status.’
Sodomy; Sodomite
‘Anal or oral sex. In the Middle Ages, before the word “homosexuality” existed, this was the predominant term for talking about homosexual behaviour. It is still a crime in many countries today. A “sodomite” is a person who commits sodomy’
Spotlighting
‘The practice of inequitably calling attention to particular social groups in language, while leaving others as the invisible, de facto norm. For example: "black male suspect"(versus "male suspect," presumed white); "WNBA" (as opposed to "NBA," presumed male).’
Stereotype
‘A false or generalized conception that results in conscious categorization of an individual or the members of a group (e.g. Women are emotional).'
Stereotype threat
‘A situational predicament in which people are or feel themselves to be at risk of conforming to stereotypes about their social group.’
System of Oppression
‘Conscious and unconscious, non-random, and organized harassment, discrimination, exploitation, discrimination, prejudice and other forms of unequal treatment that impact different groups.’
Structural racism
‘Historical, social, political, institutional, and cultural factors that contribute to, legitimize, and maintain racial inequities. Structural racism is not something that a few people or institutions choose to practice, it is the confluence of racist concepts and theories that control our economic, political, and social systems.’