Nomenclature

Afro-Latina/o/x: Generally Acceptable

People who identify with African and Latin American (Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries) heritage.

Afro-Caribbean: Generally Acceptable

Describes people with African ancestry living in the Caribbean.

Sources:

Hordge-Freeman, E., & Veras, E. (2020). Out of the Shadows, into the Dark: Ethnoracial Dissonance and Identity Formation among Afro-Latinxs. Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, 6(2), 146–160. https://doi.org/10.1177/2332649219829784

Brown Access here.

Agyemang C, Bhopal R, Bruijnzeels M Negro, Black, Black African, African Caribbean, African American or what? Labelling African origin populations in the health arena in the 21st century Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health 2005;59:1014-1018.

Brown Access here.

American Indian or Alaska Native: Generally Acceptable

People with heritage from the original peoples of North, Central, or South American who still have tribal affiliation

Source:

https://www.census.gov/topics/population/race/about.html

Asian: Generally Acceptable

Person with heritage from Far east, Southeast Asian, or Indian subcontinent

Source:

https://www.census.gov/topics/population/race/about.html

Black: Generally Acceptable

Commonly used in the US, refers to people with African ancestry.

African American: Generally Acceptable

Describes people with African Ancestry, many of whom are descendants of slaves.

Alternative Forms:

Black and African American are often used interchangeably.

Source:

Agyemang, C. (2005). Negro, Black, Black African, African Caribbean, African American or what? Labelling African origin populations in the health arena in the 21st century. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 59(12), 1014–1018. https://doi.org/10.1136/jech.2005.035964.

Brown Access here

Hispanic: Generally Acceptable

A term used to describe people from Spanish speaking countries, specifically Latin American (e.g., will likely not include Brazil).

Source:

García, I. (2020). Cultural Insights for Planners: Understanding the Terms Hispanic, Latino, and Latinx. Journal of the American Planning Association, 86:4, 393-402, DOI: 10.1080/01944363.2020.1758191

Brown Access here

Alternative Forms:

Latino/a: Generally Acceptable

A term used to describe people from Latin American or people with Latin American ancestry (including individuals from Brazil).

Latinx: Use with Caution

A gender neutral term used to describe people from Latin America. The term was created to be more inclusive of gender diverse folks given the gendered nature of the Spanish language. It is important to note that the term remains highly academic and not widely used by the community. Some folks perceive this as another form of colonization within the Spanish language.

Sources:

Scharrón-del Río, M. R., & Aja, A. A. (2020). Latinx: Inclusive language as liberation praxis. Journal of Latinx Psychology, 8(1), 7.

Brown Access here.

https://www.pewresearch.org/hispanic/2020/08/11/about-one-in-four-u-s-hispanics-have-heard-of-latinx-but-just-3-use-it/

People with heritage from Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands

Source:

https://www.census.gov/topics/population/race/about.html

White: Generally Acceptable

Person with heritage from Europe, Middle East, or North Africa

Caucasian: Abandon. Not recommended for use.

Has a complicated history with its development being tied to biological terminology implying superiority (e.g., vs. “Oriental”; “Red Man). Some scholars argue that using this term further perpetuates racism.

Sources:

https://www.census.gov/topics/population/race/about.html

Pollock Mica, ed. 2008, Everyday anti-racism, pp 12-16. Access here. Brown Access here.

The process by which a member of a socially defined group is treated differently or unfairly because of their membership in that group. Types of discrimination include institutional, personally mediated, and internalized.

Source:

Jary, D., & Jary, J. (1995). Dictionary of Sociology: Harper Collins. Brown Access here.

A construct originally intended to discriminate between “innately” different groups allegedly belonging to the same overall “race”; now held by some to refer to groups allegedly distinguishable on the basis of “culture”.

In practice, however, “ethnicity” cannot meaningfully be disentangled from “race” in societies with inequitable race relations, hence the construct “race/ ethnicity”

Source:

Krieger, N. (2001). A glossary for social epidemiology. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 55(10), 693-700.

Brown Access here

Refers to social justice in health, in which no one is denied the possibility to be healthy for belonging to a group that has historically been economically/socially disadvantaged.

Source:

Braveman, P. (2014). What are health disparities and health equity? We need to be clear. Public health reports, 129(1_suppl2), 5-8. DOI: 10.1177/00333549141291S203

Brown Access here

A particular type of health difference that is closely linked with economic, social, or environmental disadvantage. Health disparities adversely affect groups of people who have systematically experienced greater social or economic obstacles to health based on their racial or ethnic group, religion, socioeconomic-status, gender, age, or mental health; cognitive, sensory, or physical disability; sexual orientation or gender identity; geographic location; or other characteristics historically linked to discrimination or exclusion.

Note that this term is not synonymous with health inequalities, which refer to differences in the health of individuals or groups.

Source:

http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/about/disparitiesAbout.aspx.

Differences in the health of individuals or groups.

Note that these differences need not occur on the basis of systematic, historical marginalization of a group experiencing an adverse health outcome.

Source:

Arcaya, M. C., Arcaya, A. L., & Subramanian, S. V. (2015). Inequalities in health: definitions, concepts, and theories. Global health action, 8(1), 1-N.PAG.

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A specific type of health inequality that denotes an unjust difference in health; when differences are preventable and unnecessary.

Source:

Arcaya, M. C., Arcaya, A. L., & Subramanian, S. V. (2015). Inequalities in health: definitions, concepts, and theories. Global health action, 8(1), 1-N.PAG.

Brown Access here.

Microaggressions have been described as “brief, everyday exchanges that send denigrating messages to people of color because they belong to a racial minority group” (Sue et al., 2007, p. 273).

Sources:

Sue, D. W., Capodilupo, C. M., Torino, G. C., Bucceri, J. M., Holder, A., Nadal, K. L., & Esquilin, M. (2007). Racial microaggressions in everyday life: implications for clinical practice. American psychologist, 62(4), 271–286.

Brown Access here.

Williams, M. T. (2021). Racial Microaggressions: Critical Questions, State of the Science, and New Directions. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 16(5), 880-885. https://doi.org/10.1177/17456916211039209

Brown Access here.

Williams, M. T., Skinta, M. D., & Martin-Willett, R. (2021). After Pierce and Sue: A revised racial microaggressions taxonomy. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 16(5), 991-1007. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691621994247

Brown Access here.

A social construct that captures social and economic experiences.

Race is not a biological construct. There is more genetic variation within races than between races.

Source:

Krieger, N. (2001). A glossary for social epidemiology. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 55(10), 693-700.

Brown Access here.

Refers to institutional and individual practices that create and reinforce oppressive systems of race relations, justified by ideology, in which one group benefits from dominating other groups, and defines itself and others through this domination and the possession of selective and arbitrary physical characteristics (for example, skin color).

Source:

Krieger, N. (2001). A glossary for social epidemiology. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 55(10), 693-700.

Brown Access here.

Conditions (e.g., social, economic, and physical) in the environments in which people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks.

Source:

https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/social-determinants-of-health