Allyship

A lifelong commitment and process; active, consistent, uncomfortable, humbling; requires unlearning, dismantling, reevaluating, taking on a struggle as your own, and using platforms of privilege to create space for and amplify otherwise oppressed voices. Committing to reducing your own complicity or collusion in oppression.

Anti-Bias & Anti-Racism

Active verbs that require lifelong work; acknowledging and dismantling systems of oppression (even internal ones) that are multidimensional and often normalized

Bias

Disproportionately in favor of or against something, usually in a way that's closed-minded, prejudicial, or unfair. Can be unconscious, conscious, or implicit. Can be learned or internalized. Everyone has bias at some level.

BIPOC

Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. More specific than “people of color” to emphasize that Black and Indigenous peoples experience oppression more significantly in the United States and in unique ways.

Code-Switching and Code-Meshing

Code-Switching: Completely changing a way of speaking, expressing, or presenting based on the surrounding audience (and usually for the comfort of the audience) - most usually done by LGBTQ+ and BIPOC community members

Code-Meshing: weaving together multiple forms of speaking, expressing, and presenting in one conversation, piece of writing, or presentation. Giving equal value to all codes to encourage authentic voice.

Cultural Capital

An alternative lens through which to view capital and wealth that goes beyond economics. These forms of community wealth are born out of the experience of being a member of a historically minoritized population. They include aspirational capital, familial capital, social capital, navigational capital, resistant capital, and linguistic capital.

Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

Including students’ cultural references in all aspects of learning; understanding cultural nuances that may affect students’ learning or their relationship with the teacher; makes connections between students’ cultures and what they are learning

Equality vs. Equity

Equality: having the same available opportunities; having the same amount of something despite any variable needs, advantages, or disadvantages; a form of fairness

Equity: having the same access to and ability to attain available opportunities; changing provision based on variable needs, advantages, and disadvantages; being able to reach full potential; a form of justice

Implicit or Unconscious Bias

Bias expressed automatically, without awareness, but that has real-world impact. Implicit bias can overcome a person’s stated commitments to D.E.I., even though it’s unintentional. Every person has implicit bias in some regard.

Inclusion

An authentic and empowered participation and sense of belonging; goes beyond simply "being included" or present; sharing power

Intersectionality

Coined and championed by Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw. The understanding that everyone has multiple identities that interact to create unique experiences. For example, a Black man and a Black woman will have different experiences, even though they are both Black. Further, a Black woman and a Black Queer woman will have different experiences even though they are both Black women; the additional layer intersects with other identities to create those unique experiences. Intersecting identities means a person can experience both privilege and oppression.

Micro-Aggressions and Micro-Affirmations

Micro-aggressions: the everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights or insults that communicate negative or hostile messages based on a person’s marginalized group membership. Can be intentional or unintentional or even well-meant.

Micro-affirmations: subtle acknowledgement of a person’s value and accomplishments that create a sense of belonging.

Multimodality

How people communicate and interact that goes beyond just one form (usually written); the practice of using multiple and combined forms of communication to convey an idea (e.g., writing + dance + video rather than only writing); supports that there are many ways to intake information beyond standardization; values different forms of communication

Performative Allyship

Expecting a reward for practicing visible allyship; refusing to acknowledge any personal responsibility for systemic issues; saying correct or praiseworthy things to demonstrate allyship but not following through with action.

Privilege

Special advantage or entitlement by virtue of belonging to a certain identity. Can be inherent or gained. Nearly everyone has some form of privilege.

Stereotype Threat

A predicament in which people are or feel in danger of confirming/adhering to stereotypes about their social group(s). Realization of this predicament can cause someone to act, sometimes out of character, in order to avoid the stereotype. (A lesser used definition: acting out of character to CONFIRM the stereotype, in order to feel included)

Whiteness

The ideology of white culture, privilege, and supremacy; and a source of systemic racism/injustice. Whiteness is not “being white” – it is the normalized and standardized ideologies that make white culture dominant. Whiteness is a standard other ideologies are measured against. A person could be non-white and support whiteness; or a person could be white and be against whiteness.

White Supremacy

Maintaining and defending an oppressive system of power, wealth, and privilege based in "whiteness"; a belief system that whiteness ideologies are superior and must be protected at all costs; and that going against whiteness ideologies will lead to ruin. Pervasive and insidious, can mark a life and society at every level; can be upheld consciously, unconsciously, and implicitly; can be learned and internalized; can be upheld by non-white groups
(an umbrella term that can also include white fragility, white gaze, whiteness)