This is the Foster School’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Glossary of Terms. Use the links below to find more resources, suggest an edit, or provide feedback. We will update this list periodically as terms are added and definitions updated.
Terms
Ableism
The intentional or unintentional discrimination or oppression of individuals with disabilities based on the belief that typical abilities are superior.
Accessibility
The quality of being possible to get into, use, make use of.
Accomplice
All accomplices are allies, but not all allies are accomplices. While an ally is willing to stand in support of a marginalized voice, risk is rarely involved. An accomplice uses the power and privilege they have to challenge the status quo, often risking their physical and social well-being in the process.
Ageism
A socially constructed way of thinking about older persons based on negative attitudes and stereotypes about aging and a tendency to structure society based on an assumption that everyone is young, thereby failing to respond appropriately to the real needs of older persons.
Ally
An individual who takes action to support social justice and works to eliminate oppression. Also see “accomplice” above.
Bias
Prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person or group compared to another; usually in a way considered unfair. Implicit bias is unconscious, explicit bias is conscious.
Bigotry
The fact of having and expressing strong, unreasonable beliefs and disliking other people who have different beliefs or a different way of life.
BIPOC
Acronym for Black, Indigenous, and People Of Color.
Cisgender
A term used to describe people whose gender identity matches the sex they were assigned at birth. Often abbreviated to cis.
Class
Refers to people’s socio-economic status, based on factors such as wealth, occupation, education, income etc.
Classism
Differential treatment based on social class or perceived social class. Classism is the systematic oppression of subordinated class groups to advantage and strengthen the dominant class groups. It’s the systematic assignment of characteristics of worth and ability based on social class.
Culture
Learned and shared values, beliefs, languages, and customs of a social group.
D&I
Acronym for Diversity & Inclusion.
DEI
Acronym for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
DEIA
Acronym for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility.
DIB
Acronym for Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging.
Disability
Having a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. This is includes people who have a record of such an impairment, even if they do not currently have a disability. It also includes individuals who do not have a disability but are regarded as having a disability.
Discrimination
Prejudiced treatment of a person on the basis of the social groups to which they belong, and stereotypes about those groups. When committed by an individual, discrimination can be broken down into two types: traditional discrimination (openly negative treatment) and modern discrimination (subtle negative treatment).
Diversity
Efforts to increase representation of different types of identities within communities (e.g., demographics, sexuality, religion, etc.)
Emotional Tax
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.
Empowerment
The state of being empowered to do something: the power, right, or authority to do something.
Equity
Critically examining systems to identify biases that prevent equal access and opportunity to individuals.
Ethnicity
A socially or politically constructed group based on cultural criteria, such as language, customs, and shared history.
Feminism
The belief that all genders have equal rights and opportunities.
Gender
Social constructed categories of masculinity/manhood and femininity and womanhood.
Heterosexism
The assumption that heterosexuality is the social and cultural norm as well as the prejudiced belief that heterosexuals, or “straight” people, are socially and culturally superior to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, Two-Spirit and queer (LGBTTQ) people.
Homophobia
The irrational fear, dislike, hatred, aversion, intolerance, and ignorance of homosexuality and of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, Two Spirit and queer (LGBTTQ) individuals.
I-200
Initiative 200, passed by the citizens of Washington State in 1998 and now incorporated into the Washington State Law Against Discrimination prohibits preferential treatment on the basis of race, color, national origin, and sex but does not prohibit action that must be taken to establish or maintain eligibility for any federal programs, if ineligibility would result in a loss of federal funds to the state.
Inclusion
Valuing differences as a source of strength, innovation, and performance; creating belonging.
Indigenous
Peoples in independent countries who are regarded as indigenous on account of their descent from the populations which inhabited the country, or a geographical region to which the country belongs, at the time of conquest or colonisation or the establishment of present state boundaries and who, irrespective of their legal status, retain some or all of their own social, economic, cultural and political institutions.
Institutional Racism
A pattern of social institutions—such as governmental organizations, schools, banks, and courts of law—giving negative treatment to a group of people based on their race.
Intent Vs. Impact
Our intentions (what we want or hope to do) don’t always align with what we say or do which can impact how others receive what one says and does. INTENT Refers to what you hope or want to do when choosing to perform an action. IMPACT Refers to the reality (e.g. results) of your actions/ behaviors. The resulting impact may not always align with what you intended.
Owning the impact: When one’s impact is being called into question, especially if the action is perpetuating oppression, it is important to recognize that the action is being called into question, and not the person or their overall character.
Intersectionality
The interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender as they apply to a given individual or group, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage.
JEDI
Acronym for Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion.
Justice
Presence of systems and supports (e.g. policies, practices, norms) that achieve and sustain fair treatment, equitable opportunities, and outcomes for people of all races. Systematic, proactive reinforcement.
Latine
Gender-neutral form of the word Latino, created by gender non-binary and feminist communities in Spanish-speaking countries.
Latinx
Gender-neutral alternative to Latina or Latino. It is a term used to describe a diverse group of people who have roots in Latin America.
LGBTQIA+
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/transexual, queer/questioning, intersex, and allied/asexual/aromantic/agender.
Marginalization
To relegate to an unimportant or powerless position within a society or group.
Micro-inequity
Apparently small events which are often ephemeral and hard-to-prove, events which are covert, often unintentional, frequently unrecognized by the perpetrator, which occur wherever people are perceived to be different- Mary Rowe, MIT.
Microaggression
The everyday slights, indignities, put downs and insults that people of color, women, LGBT populations or those who are marginalized experience in their day-to-day interactions with people.
Neurodiversity
The concept that there is great diversity in how people’s brains are wired and work, and that neurological differences should be valued in the same way we value any other human variation.
Non-binary
An umbrella term for people whose gender identity doesn’t sit comfortably with ‘man’ or ‘woman’. Non-binary identities are varied and can include people who identify with some aspects of binary identities, while others reject them entirely.
OMAD
Acronym referring to UW’s Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity.
Oppression
Systemic devaluing, undermining, marginalizing and disadvantaging of certain social identities in contrast to the privileged norm; when some people are denied something of value, while others have ready access.
Pansexuality
The romantic, emotional, and/or sexual attraction to people regardless of their gender.
Performative Allyship
When an individual or group of power/majority/privilege (e.g., white, male, abled, unqueer, etc) loudly profess(es) their actions in the name of ‘allyship,’ while actively conducting harm to, taking focus away from, and generally being unhelpful towards the group they claim to support, often to receive praise and attention, without taking critical action to dismantle the systems of harm.
POC
Acronym referring to a Person of Color.
Positionality
Social identities in relation to power, which influences the way we understand the world and our interactions with others.
Prejudice
‘Pre-judgement’ Personal bias for or against anything, all humans have bias and prejudice.
Privilege
Systemic favoring, enriching, valuing, validating and including of certain social identities over others. Individuals cannot ‘opt out’ of systems of privilege; rather these systems are inherent to the society in which we live.
Race
A socially or politically constructed group based on perceived differences in physical characteristics.
Racism
Belief that some races of people are better than others.
Sexual Orientation
A concept referring to sexual desire and preference for emotional and sexual relationships with others based on their sex/gender; often implies that sexual object choice is an essential in-born characteristic, so may be problematic to some.
Social Justice
Active engagement toward equity and inclusion that addresses issues of institutional, structural, and environmental inequity, power, and privilege.
Stereotypes
Assumptions we make about people on the basis of the social groups to which they belong.
Systemic Racism / Institutional Racism
Systems and structures that have procedures or processes that disadvantage African Americans, Indigenous people, Latinx people, and people of color.
Tolerance
The attitude of someone who is willing to accept someone else’s beliefs, way of life, etc. without criticizing them even if they disagree with them.
Transgender
People whose gender identity is different from the gender they were thought to be at birth. “Trans” is often used as shorthand for transgender.
UDS
Acronym referring to Foster Undergraduate Diversity Services.
White Privilege
A concept that highlights the unfair societal advantages that white people have over non-white people. It is something that is pervasive throughout society and exists in all of the major systems and institutions that operate in society, as well as on an interpersonal level.
Workplace Inclusion
An atmosphere where all employees belong, contribute, and can thrive. Requires deliberate and intentional action.
YEOC
Acronym for Foster’s High School Outreach program, Young Executives of Color.
Sources
National Conference for Community and Justice – Resources
Moving from Ally to Accomplice: How Far Are You Willing to Go to Disrupt Racism in the Workplace?
Ageism and age discrimination (fact sheet)
Cambridge Dictionary: definition of bigotry
Where Did BIPOC Come From?
12 Diversity & Inclusion Terms You Need to Know
What Is Classism
Merriam-Webster Dictionary: definition of empowerment
What Is Feminism?
Washington state initiative i200
C169 – Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169)
Intent vs. Impact: Why Your Intentions Don’t Really Matter
The intersectionality wars
Beyond the Rhetoric—Centering Justice & Anti-Racism in our DEI Strategy: Our Approach
Why Latinx/e?
LGBTQIA Resource Center Glossary
Merriam-Webster Dictionary: definition of marginalize
Mansplaining, micro-inequities and managers
What exactly is a microaggression?
10 ways to step up as an ally to non-binary people
Pansexuality: What It Means
Self-Defined Dictionary: definition of performative allyship
Positionality & Intersectionality
Merriam-Webster Revises ‘Racism’ Entry After Missouri Woman Asks for Changes
What is systemic racism? Here’s what it means and how you can help dismantle it
National Center for Transgender Equality: FAQ
Understanding White Privilege