Activist: a person who campaigns to bring about political or social change.

Advocate: a person who publicly supports or recommends a particular cause or policy.

Ally: Someone who makes the commitment and effort to recognize their privilege (based on gender, class, race, sexual identity, etc.) and work in solidarity with oppressed groups in the struggle for justice. Allies commit to reducing their own complicity or collusion in oppression of those groups and invest in strengthening their own knowledge and awareness of oppression.

Anti-Blackness: The Council for Democratizing Education defines anti-Blackness as being a two-part formation that both voids Blackness of value, while systematically marginalizing Black people and their issues. The first form of anti-Blackness is overt racism. Beneath this anti-Black racism is the covert structural and systemic racism which categorically predetermines the socioeconomic status of Blacks in this country. The structure is held in place by anti-Black policies, institutions, and ideologies.

The second form of anti-Blackness is the unethical disregard for anti-Black institutions and policies. This disregard is the product of class, race, and/or gender privilege certain individuals experience due to anti-Black institutions and policies. This form of anti-Blackness is protected by the first form of overt racism.

Anti-Racism: Anti-Racism is defined as the work of actively opposing racism by advocating for changes in political, economic and social life. Anti-racism tends to be an individualized approach, in opposition to individual racist behaviors and impacts.

Anti-Racist: An anti-racist is someone who is supporting an anti-racist policy through their actions or expressing anti-racist ideas. This includes the expression or ideas that racial groups are equals

Black Lives Matter Movement: A political movement to address systemic and state violence against African Americans. Per the Black Lives Matter organizers: “In 2013, three radical Black organizers -- Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi -- created a Black-centered political will and movement building project called #BlackLivesMatter. It was in response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s murderer, George Zimmerman. The project is now a member-led global network of more than 40 chapters. [Black Lives Matter] members organize locally to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes. Black Lives Matter is an ideological and political intervention in a world where Black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for demise. It is an affirmation of Black humanity, our contributions to this society, and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression.”

Bias: A preference for or against.

Cultural Appropriation: Theft of cultural elements for one’s own use, commodification, or profit -- including symbols, art, language, customs, etc. -- often without understanding, acknowledgement, or respect for its value in the original culture. Results from the assumption of a dominant (i.e. white) culture’s right to take other cultural elements.

Culture: A social system of meaning and custom that is developed by a group of people to assure its adaptation and survival. These groups are distinguished by a set of unspoken rules that shape values, beliefs, habits, patterns of thinking, behaviors and styles of communication.

Diaspora: Diaspora is "the voluntary or forcible movement of peoples from their homelands into new regions...a common element in all forms of diaspora; these are people who live outside their natal (or imagined natal) territories and recognize that their traditional homelands are reflected deeply in the languages they speak, religions they adopt, and the cultures they produce."

Discrimination: The unequal treatment of members of various groups based on race, gender, gender identity, social class, sexual orientation, physical ability, religion and other categories.

Diversity: Variety of abilities, skills, experiences and cultural backgrounds, in all stakeholders.

Equality: To ensure that everyone gets the same and equal treatment; the identical apportionment to all.

Equity: Policies and practices that promote and ensure fair experiences, opportunities and outcomes for all.

HBCUs: Acronym for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Institutions of higher learning in the U.S. founded intentionally to educate Blacks, prior to the Civil Rights Acts in the 1960s desegregating the education system.

Inclusion: To value and leverage differences to achieve superior results.

Intersectionality: Exposing [one’s] multiple identities can help clarify the ways in which a person can simultaneously experience privilege and oppression. For example, a Black woman in America does not experience gender inequalities in exactly the same way as a white woman, nor racial oppression identical to that experienced by a Black man. Each race and gender intersection produces a qualitatively distinct life.

Microaggression: The everyday verbal, nonverbal and environmental slights, snubs or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, which communicate hostile, derogatory or negative messages to target persons based solely upon their marginalized group membership.

People of Color: Often the preferred collective term for referring to non-white racial groups. While “people of color” can be a politically useful term, and describes people with their own attributes (as opposed to what they are not, e.g., “non-White”), it is also important whenever possible to identify people through their own racial/ethnic group, as each has its own distinct experience and meaning and may be more appropriate.

Privilege: The absence of barriers and the presence of unearned positive advantages

Racism:

Racism = race prejudice + social and institutional power

Racism = a system of advantage based on race

Racism = a system of oppression based on race

Racism is different from racial prejudice, hatred or discrimination. Racism involves one group having the power to carry out systematic discrimination through the institutional policies and practices of the society and by shaping the cultural beliefs and values that support those racist policies and practices.

Racial Equity: Policies, practices and ways of interacting that promote fairness across racial backgrounds.

Racial Inequity: Racial inequity is when two or more racial groups are not standing on approximately equal footing. such as the percentages of each ethnic group in terms of dropout rates, single family home ownership, access to healthcare, etc.

Racial Justice: Racial justice is defined as the proactive reinforcement of policies, practices, attitudes and actions that produce equitable power, access, opportunities, treatment, impacts and outcomes for all.

Systemic Racism: A form of racism expressed in the practice of social and political institutions. It is reflected in disparities regarding wealth, income, criminal justice, employment, housing, healthcare, political power and education, among other factors.

Whiteness: Specific dimensions of racism that serve to elevate white people over people of color.

White Fragility: White fragility is “a state in which even a minimum amount of racial stress becomes intolerable [for white people], triggering a range of defensive moves. These moves include the outward display of emotions such as anger, fear and guilt, and behaviors such as argumentation, silence, and leaving the stress-inducing situation. These behaviors, in turn, function to reinstate white racial equilibrium.”

White Privilege: Refers to the unquestioned and unearned set of advantages, entitlements, benefits and choices bestowed on people solely because they are white. Generally white people who experience such privilege do so without being conscious of it.

White Supremacy: The idea (ideology) that white people and the ideas, thoughts, beliefs and actions of white people are superior to People of Color and their ideas, thoughts, beliefs and actions.

Unconscious Bias: Bias or associations that people unknowingly or unconsciously hold.

Sources:

The Kaleidoscope Group, 2020, RacialEquityTools.org, 2020, Intergroup Resources, 2012, Dismantling Racism Works workbook , Ibram X Kendi, How to be an Antiracist, Random House, 2019, Race Forward, Catalytic Change: Lessons Learned from the Racial Justice Grantmaking Assessment Report, Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity and Applied Research Center, 2009., Black Lives Matter,The Movement for Black Lives, OpenSource Leadership Strategies, “The Dynamic System of Power, Privilege and Oppressions.” Center for Assessment and Policy Development. White Fragility, Robin Diangelo, merriam- webster dictionary