Note: This is not meant to be an exhaustive list. This is what is considered the top 25 common words/phrases often referenced in DEI work.
1. Access: creating conditions so that individuals and organizations can use facilities, services, and programs.
2. Ally: An ally advocates for people from underrepresented or marginalized groups and takes action to support people outside of their own group.
3. Belonging: belonging is created through inclusion; it is the feeling of being part of something and mattering to others.
4. Cultural Competence: refers to the ability to interact effectively with people of difference cultures. It typically includes the awareness of one’s own worldview; knowledge of different cultural practices, norms, and worldviews; attitude towards cultural differences; and the ability to respect the differences.
5. Debiasing: this is the term used to describe the process or techniques used to reduce bias in process, practices, and decision making.
6. Diversity: the “what”: all those characteristics unique to our identity, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, social class, physical ability or attributes, religious or ethical values system, national origin, and political beliefs.
7. 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 (also called the “black tax” for African Americans, “Women tax,” etc. – some tactics marginalized community use to protect themselves from the ‘emotional tax’ are code switching or masking to ‘fit in the dominate/majority culture’).
8. ERGs (or BRGs): employee-led volunteer groups that promote a diverse, inclusive workplace aligned with organizational goals and objectives (ERG = Employee Resource Groups and BRG = Business Resource Groups).
9. Equality: treating someone the same and giving everyone the access to the same opportunities.
10. Equity: distributing resources based on needs of recipients (employees).
11. Gender Identity: it is personal, and it is how we see and identify ourselves - a personal conception of one’s own gender.
12. Gender Expression: how someone chooses to outwardly express their gender (e.g. hair styles, clothes, etc.).
13. Inclusion - the “how”: behaviors that enables diversity, behaviors of involvement and empowerment, where the inherent worth and dignity of all people are recognized.
14. Intersectionality: the interconnectedness of multiple social identities 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.
15. Microaggressions: the intentional or unintentional, subtle action, verbal or nonverbal insults against members of a marginalized group.
16. Performative actions/statements: it is a pejorative term referring to actions that may be convenient, self-serving, surface-level, or inconsistent with past or current realities for individuals or organizations. You will see and hear the usage the following ways – performative activism, performative allyship, performative wokeness, performative statements, etc.
17. Pipeline or talent pipeline: refers to the recruiting process of researching and generating potential candidates for existing and future job opportunities within an organization.
18. POC/BAME/LATINx: acronyms assigned to marginalized and underrepresented groups. These terms are often offensive as they group marginalized groups into one group and minimize their unique issues, challenges, oppressions and discrimination (POC = people of color, BAME = Black, Asian, and minority ethnic, LATINx = either male or female person from a Latin American culture).
19. Privilege: any unearned benefit or advantage one group (typically the majority group) has over another received in a society by nature of their specific identities (race, gender, ability, wealth, class).
20. Queer: This may or may not be a trigger word or controversial word for some in the LGBTQ community. Some associate the word as a derogatory term, while others have reclaimed it and use it as a general inclusive term for the LGBT community.
21. Sinophobia: it refers to anti-Chinese, the fear, dislike, prejudice, or hatred specifically of people from China, China, or Chinese culture.
22. Sponsorship: a person serving as a sponsor for underrepresented groups or individuals. The sponsor is in a position of power and privilege and advocates for careers and opportunities of the underrepresented individual or group by amplifying the work and performance of a “sponsee(s),” and making connections to other leaders and roles. This is different than mentorship/mentorship, whereas a mentor is not necessarily actively advocating for a role or specific opportunities (they may or may not be in a position of influence and power), mentors simply are trusted advisors with specific knowledge or experience.
23. Tokenism: the policy or practice of making only a symbolic effort, the practice of doing something (such as hiring a person who belongs to a minority group) only to prevent criticism and give the appearance that people are being treated fairly.
24. Underrepresented/under-indexed group: Refers to a group whose members are disadvantaged and subjected to unequal treatment by the dominant group, and who may regard themselves as recipients of collective discrimination.
25. Xenophobia: the fear, dislike, prejudice, or hatred of strangers or foreigners.
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