Understanding and rethinking the language that we use is essential to advancing anti-racist conversations. Language is fluid and identity is central to these conversations. We only need to look back over recent years to see how communities and individuals are reclaiming their identity as a result of conversations and knowledge. Different language is used for different times and purposes; when we’re talking about or to individuals it’s important to remember that not everyone will identify with the terminology used here so we recommend asking to find out how they identify, then using their preferred choices.
Building confidence in language and understanding the meaning behind it is a vital part of your anti-racist learning and should help you develop your knowledge and conversations.
We hope you find the explanations and definitions of these terms helpful.
It’s important to note that these suggestions are constantly evolving and we are always reviewing these, they are not one size fits all. We also recognise that there is no ‘perfect solution’, even our own use of language has limitations. There are times when our use of the descriptions ‘Black and Brown’ (which is explained in more detail below) isn’t sufficient. Sometimes we need to discuss specific groups and when this is the case we try to be more specific in our use of language. So for example if we are talking about British Caribbean people, Jewish people, or people with South Asian heritage we use more specific terminology.
It may be that you come away from this article with more questions than answers, but that’s okay, being curious and going on to find out more is a great place to start.
“I Wish I Knew What to Say!”
Some of these terms can bring up different reactions for people, we hope you find this brief overview helpful.
If you want to dig deeper, then there’s lots of research and info available out there, an anti racist action would be to go and find out more!
BAME
Translates as Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic. An acronym widely used in the UK until March 2021 when the government announced it would no longer use the term. They recognised that BAME emphasised only certain ethnic groups (Black and Asian), excluded others (mixed, other and white ethnic groups). The term also masked disparities between different ethnic groups and created misleading interpretations of data. An example could be an employer claiming to be very diverse due to 15% of their workforce being BAME when in fact the 15% are white Polish. Equally the use of BAME can hide problems being faced by a particular group for example, educational outcomes.
Global Majority
A collective term that refers to Black, Brown and indigenous people, who represent over 80% of the world’s population. This wording points out the demographic inaccuracy of the euphemism “minority” and can feel more empowering for some. This is a great conversation starter too!
Coloured
This phrase is outdated and it’s origins are offensive; it was coined to uphold segregation. It’s reflective of subjugation and prejudice and was written on benches and bus seats to mark out difference: to keep Black people out of ‘white spaces.’ It also perpetuates the idea that whiteness is the ‘benchmark of normality’, and upholds a ‘them and us’ narrative.
People of Colour / Person of Colour
The definition is literally “a person who is not white”. ARC as an organisation tends not to use this term, but some Black and Brown communities do, and it’s certainly preferable to other terms.
Black
A term used to identify people with African heritage – whether that be African or Afro-Caribbean (remember, Black people are not indigenous peoples of the Caribbean) and also those of mixed heritage who identify as Black. It is a term that in the past was avoided and replaced with words such as “coloured” as mentioned above, but on the whole, more and more Black people are identifying this way and it is becoming a preferred term.
Brown
A term commonly used to self-identify within the South Asian community. We use it to also represent East Asian people (previously referred to as “Yellow” which is an out of date racist term from pseudo science around race) and all indigenous and first nation people of the Americas and Canada (previously referred to as “Red” another out of date and racist term) and First Nation people of Australia and Maori and Pacific Islanders.
ARC appreciate that this is not perfect and in many ways homogenises anyone who isn’t Black or White, so we try to only use this when speaking in general terms around racism based on skin colour. When we are dealing with specific topics or stories we endeavour to use specific ethnicities, nationalities and identities.
Minoritised or Racially Minoritised
These terms refer to racial and ethnic groups that are in a minority in the population of the country that the term is being used. In the UK, it usually covers all ethnic groups except white British. For example, it includes groups such as Jewish people or Gypsy, Roma Traveller communities as well as Black people.
Mixed Heritage / Dual Heritage
ARC prefer to use this term instead of ‘Mixed Race’ as we seek to avoid the word ‘race’ where possible – see above for the definition of ‘Race’.
‘Half-Caste’ or ‘Exotic’
Like ‘Coloured’ these are outdated and offensive, rooted in times and attitudes of segregation and colonialism, they are not accepted as terms today by the global majority.
‘N-Word or P-Word’
We don’t even write these offensive and harmful terms in full. If you’re working to improve your language, you must get into the habit of saying ‘N-word’ instead of acknowledging the full slur out loud. We have an in depth article explaining the history of the N-Word here. The P-Word historically links to Partition, which you can read about here if you don’t know about this significant event in our history.
Racism
Racism is the belief that the distinct physical features we see amongst people, such as skin colour, facial features, hair, as well as place of origin are indicators of different abilities, qualities and/or worth.
This is a deliberately prejudiced belief system based on the idea that those with white skin are superior to those with darker skin and that being white is the “norm”.
This belief system is still in existence today and is not simply about “bad” individual intentions and/or actions.
It is part of our societal norms. It is the status quo.
Individual / Interpersonal Racism
This form of racism occurs by people, between people. Someone can be racist about someone or to someone. Examples include both overt forms, such as telling racist jokes, name-calling or acts of violence but also more covert forms such microaggressions (see below) or even silence.
Institutional Racism
Happens when there is deep rooted inequality in the structures and processes carried out by groups in power – governments, police, schools, businesses (employment). e.g. a new policing bill or piece of legislation that could disproportionately affect opportunities and progress of people who are Black and Brown, or Gypsy, Roma Travellers for example.
Systemic Racism
A form of racism that is embedded as normal practice within society or an organisation. It can lead to discrimination in criminal justice, employment, housing, health care, political power, education and more. The systemic oppression of a racial group tends to be to the social, economic, and political advantage of another. An example would be, if you are a Black African Caribbean woman you are 4 x more likely to die in childbirth.* Another example is the fact that are no Black CEO’s in any of Britains 100 largest companies.*
*Mbrrace maternal report *forbes.com
Internalised Racism
This form of racism is a direct result of the three above. It’s the subtle and overt message and actions that reinforce negative beliefs and self hatred in individuals. For example this could be as subtle as trying to maintain European beauty standards in ourselves, or as extreme as trying to bleach our skin.
Anti-Racism
Is an active process to work against racism. It differs from simply ‘not being racist’, which is passive. It recognises how racism can happen without individuals necessarily meaning for it to, and that it can even happen without a recognisable individual ‘victim’. Anti-racism encourages conscious efforts and deliberate equitable actions intended to provide equal opportunities and outcomes for all people on both an individual and a systemic level. Watch our video below for an in depth explanation!
Anti-Blackness or Anti-Black Racism
The concept of anti-blackness acknowledges that not all people who experience racism have the same lived experience. Colonial ideas and stereotypes about Black people are still prevalent today and anti-Black racism can even be upheld by people who may experience racism themselves. To be clear, all kinds of racism are deplorable, but it is worth recognising and remembering that racism can disproportionately affect certain groups. For example Black people are 3 x more likely to be ‘stopped & searched’ than South Asian people. It is therefore important that all communities and individuals work against all forms of racism.
Race
Race is a social construct – rooted in history – and is not scientifically based. The so-called science of the time has long since been debunked though its damaging stereotypes remain. It is important to recognise that scientifically there are no traits, no characteristics, not even one individual gene present in one ‘race’ and absent in another. The categorisation of races was created to justify the enslavement and oppression of one ‘race’ (socially constructed group) over another. To divide people in order to uphold power and wealth.
All humans are genetically 99.9% identical, and it sounds corny but there really is only ONE RACE; the human race.
Ethnicity
Race and ethnicity are often used interchangeably but are two different things. Neither has any scientific basis. Race tends to be assigned externally by others whereas ethnicity is based on more cultural roots and tends to be used to self identify. Ethnicity is richer than ‘race’ in the sense that a person’s ethnicity can be multiple and more complex eg; Irish Indian or Jamaican British. It can be difficult to disentangle race and ethnicity as an individual may identify one way when people ‘see them’ another. For example a person with Chinese heritage born and brought up in Nigeria may identify more strongly with their Nigerian culture and when asked about their ethnicity respond with Nigerian.
Overt Racism
The intentional and/or obvious harmful attitudes, language, actions or behaviours towards another individual or group because of their ‘race’ or ethnicity. E.g calling someone a racial slur.
Covert Racism
Attitudes, language, actions or behaviours that are concealed or are subtle rather than obvious to the general public. These reveal the racist structures or attitudes without actually saying or doing anything obviously ‘offensive’.
E.g choosing not to interview someone because they have a ‘foreign’ sounding name.
Tokenism
The practice of making only a perfunctory or symbolic effort to do a particular thing. For example; recruiting a small number of Black or Brown people in order to give the appearance of equality or diversity within a workforce; or companies putting black squares on social media in support of “Black Lives Matter” but taking no authentic action within their organisation or otherwise to address racism.
Intersectionality
In simple terms, it’s the acknowledgement that everyone has their own unique experiences of discrimination and oppression and we must consider all of the factors that can marginalise people: skin colour, faith, gender, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, physical ability and more.
“There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.” Audre Lorde
Microaggression
The everyday, sometimes subtle interactions or behaviours that communicate bias toward historically marginalised groups. e.g “Where are you really from?”
Watch our video below for more examples:
Allyship / White Ally
A white ally / accomplice understands the limits of their knowledge about other people’s experiences but doesn’t use that as a reason not to think and /or act. They confront racism as it comes up daily, and seek to deconstruct it institutionally at the risk of experiencing some of that oppression.
Allyship can often mean personal sacrifice; whether that is facing an uncomfortable conversation rather than avoiding it, or passing up an opportunity that they acknowledge would be better suited to someone else that has been overlooked.
White Supremacy or White Body Supremacy
The social, economic, and political systems that collectively and inherently enable white people to maintain power: individual and institutional attitudes, practices, and policies that elevate the white body as the ‘standard’ and the ‘norm’ against which all other persons’ worth is measured.
This is not the same as being a White Supremacist or being part of an extremist group. You do not need to be a White Supremacist to uphold White Supremacy.
White Fragility
When white people engage in conversations about racism it may trigger a range of defensive actions, feelings, and behaviours, such as anger, fear, and silence. This is often termed as White Fragility and tends to happen because this is the first time they have had to deal with conversations about race. By practising, developing stamina, and building resilience white people can begin to get comfortable with their discomfort and feel more able to listen, learn and grow.
White Privilege
This (often divisive) term does not mean a person has had a privileged life or that they have not had any difficulties; it means that a white person’s struggles have never been caused, amplified or structurally imposed on them because of the colour of their skin.
Colour Blindness
Aka: “I don’t see colour”. The idea that the best way to end racism is by treating individuals as equally as possible, with no regard to ethnicity / identity – however this not only dismisses the lived experiences of people who are subjected to racism, but also suggests that racism does not exist so long as one ignores it and serves as a way to disengage from conversations about racism entirely.
Whataboutery
Responding to a comment, explanation or difficult question with a comment that raises a different issue. This is often called ‘Whataboutery’. Whilst the comment may stem from a legitimate curiosity or concern about different topics, ‘whataboutery’ is commonly used to move the topic away from racism and is often a way of deflecting.
These kind of responses devalue, ignore and minimise the impact and experiences of people impacted by racism and as well as not allowing racism to be discussed, can cause harm. Watch our video below for a deeper understanding of this.
Bias
Actions for or against people or groups of people influenced by our own personal opinions based on stereotypes before we know them. E.g. the response to and treatment of Ukrainian refugees compared to Sudanese refugees.
Unconscious Bias
Unconscious actions for or against people or groups of people influenced by our own personal opinions based on stereotypes before we know them. These stereotypes are perpetuated through media, family & peers, societal ideals etc. E.g being surprised when the senior manager is Black.
Political Blackness / Politically Black
An umbrella term used to refer to all people who are likely to experience racial discrimination based on skin colour. This term was born out of the British Trade Union movement.
