Glossary

Shared language is the foundation of meaningful dialogue. This glossary provides clear, accessible definitions for key terms used across the RECI platform.

Words and their multiple uses reflect the tremendous diversity that characterizes our society. Indeed, universally agreed upon language on issues relating to racism is nonexistent. Even the most frequently used words in any discussion on race can easily cause confusion, which leads to controversy and hostility. It is essential to achieve some degree of shared understanding, particularly when using the most common terms. In this way, the quality of dialogue and discourse on race can be enhanced.

Language can be used deliberately to engage and support community anti-racism coalitions and initiatives, or to inflame and divide them. Discussing definitions can engage and support coalitions. However, it is important for groups to decide the extent to which they must have consensus and where it is okay for people to disagree.

Many of these terms have evolved over time and may carry different meanings for different people. This glossary is a living document — updated as our understanding deepens and language evolves.

Terms

A

A person who supports and advocates for members of a marginalized group they do not personally belong to, using their privilege to advance equity.

A specific form of racism that devalues, dehumanizes, and marginalizes Black people, distinct from but related to broader forms of racism.

The active practice of identifying, challenging, and changing the values, structures, and behaviors that perpetuate systemic racism.

The process by which members of a non-dominant group are pressured or expected to adopt the cultural norms, values, and practices of the dominant group, often at the expense of their own identity.

B

An acronym for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, used to highlight the distinct experiences of Black and Indigenous communities within the broader category of people of color.

C

The practice of adjusting one's language, behavior, or appearance to conform to different cultural norms, often done by people of color to navigate predominantly white spaces.

Prejudice or discrimination against individuals with darker skin tones, typically among people of the same ethnic or racial group.

The adoption of elements of a minority culture by members of a dominant culture, often without understanding, respect, or acknowledgment of their original significance.

The ability to understand, communicate with, and effectively interact with people across cultures, including awareness of one's own cultural worldview.

D

The unjust or prejudicial treatment of individuals based on characteristics such as race, ethnicity, gender, or other identity markers.

The presence of differences within a given setting, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, ability, and socioeconomic status.

E

The fair and just distribution of resources, opportunities, and outcomes, recognizing that different people may need different supports to achieve similar results.

A social grouping based on shared cultural traditions, language, ancestry, nationality, or history, distinct from race.

I

Unconscious attitudes or stereotypes that affect understanding, actions, and decisions, often operating without a person's awareness.

The practice of creating environments in which any individual or group feels welcomed, respected, supported, and valued to fully participate.

The original inhabitants of a region or land, often with distinct cultural, linguistic, and political identities that predate colonization.

Policies, practices, and procedures within institutions that produce racially inequitable outcomes, regardless of individual intent.

The acceptance by members of marginalized racial groups of negative messages, stereotypes, and beliefs about their own group, often resulting in self-devaluation.

A framework, coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw, for understanding how multiple aspects of identity (such as race, gender, class, and sexuality) overlap to create unique experiences of discrimination or privilege.

M

The social process by which individuals or groups are pushed to the edge of society, denied access to resources, power, and full participation.

A brief, commonplace verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignity that communicates hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to members of marginalized groups, whether intentional or not.

The presence of, or support for the presence of, several distinct cultural or ethnic groups within a society.

O

The systematic and pervasive mistreatment of one group by another, maintained through institutional power, policies, and cultural norms.

P

A collective term referring to individuals who are not white, used to acknowledge shared experiences of racism while recognizing distinct identities.

The ability to influence, control, or make decisions that affect others, including access to resources, opportunities, and institutional authority.

A preconceived opinion, attitude, or feeling about a person or group, typically negative and not based on reason or actual experience.

Unearned advantages and benefits granted to individuals based on their membership in a dominant social group.

R

A socially constructed category used to classify people based on physical characteristics such as skin color, which has been historically used to establish hierarchies of power.

The condition in which race no longer determines one's outcomes, achieved through systemic changes that address historical and contemporary inequities.

The systematic fair treatment of people of all races, resulting in equitable opportunities and outcomes for everyone.

A system of advantage and disadvantage based on race, combining individual prejudice with institutional power to produce inequitable outcomes.

The historical and ongoing practice of denying services, particularly housing loans and insurance, to residents of certain areas based on racial or ethnic composition.

S

The enforced separation of different racial groups in a country, community, or institution, whether by law or by social practice.

A concept or category that exists because society has created and assigned meaning to it, rather than being based on objective biological or natural fact.

A widely held but oversimplified and generalized belief or idea about a particular group of people.

The cumulative and compounding effects of historical, cultural, institutional, and interpersonal racism that consistently advantage white people and disadvantage people of color.

The interconnected systems and structures, including laws, policies, and cultural norms, that produce and maintain racial inequities across society.

T

The practice of making a symbolic effort to include members of underrepresented groups in order to give the appearance of equality or diversity without meaningful inclusion or change.

W

A term coined by Robin DiAngelo describing the defensive reactions white people often display when confronted with information about racism or their own racial advantages.

The unearned societal advantages that benefit white people based on their racial identity, often invisible to those who hold it.

A political, economic, and cultural system in which white people hold disproportionate power and resources, and in which whiteness is treated as the default or norm.

X

Fear, hatred, or prejudice against people from other countries or perceived as foreign, often intersecting with racism.