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Home » Diversity, Equity & Inclusion » DEI Resources » DEI Glossary of Terms

DEI Glossary of Terms

Many of these terms have multiple definitions and users bring their personal experience into defining and utilizing each term. With this in mind, APS is working to build a glossary of terms in common usage.

Please reach out to us directly if you have questions, at dei@apsva.us

  • AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander)
    • The term encompasses a diverse group of identities, including people with a heritage rooted in all Pacific Islands and all parts of Asia, including South and Southeast Asia. The term Asian American refers to a US citizen or resident of Asian birth or descent.
  • Ableism
    • A form of discrimination against people with disabilities. Ableism can take the form of institutionalized discrimination or personal prejudice and can hinder the lives of disabled people. As an example, government buildings that are inaccessible to someone with mobility problems represent institutionalized ableism. (Study.com)
  • Accessibility
    • The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Education defines accessibility as meaning “when a person with a disability is afforded the opportunity to acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same services as a person without a disability in an equally integrated and equally effective manner, with substantially equivalent ease of use.”
  • Affinity Bias
    • Affinity bias is an unconscious bias that causes people to gravitate toward others who appear to be like them (including those with similar interests, backgrounds, and appearances).(Master Class)
  • Ageism
    • Ageism refers to the stereotypes (how we think), prejudice (how we feel) and discrimination (how we act) towards others or oneself based on age. Ageism affects everyone. Children as young as 4 years old become aware of their culture’s age stereotypes. From that age onwards they internalize and use these stereotypes to guide their feelings and behavior towards people of different ages. They also draw on culture’s age stereotypes to perceive and understand themselves, which can result in self-directed ageism at any age. Ageism intersects and exacerbates other forms of disadvantage including those related to sex, race and disability. (World Health Organization)
  • Agnosticism
    • A philosophical or religious position characterized by uncertainty about the existence of a god or any gods. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
  • Ally
    • An ally is a person whose commitment to dismantling oppression is reflected in a willingness to do the following:
      • Educate oneself about oppression;
      • Learn from and listen to people who are targets of oppression;
      • Examine and challenge one’s own prejudices, stereotypes, and assumptions;
      • Work through feelings of guilt, shame, and defensiveness to understand what is beneath them and what needs to be healed;
      • Learn and practice the skills of challenging oppressive remarks, behaviors, policies, and institutional structures;
      • Act collaboratively with members of the target group to dismantle oppression. (Vanderbilt University)
  • American Indian/Alaskan Native
    • A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America) and who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment.(U.S. Census Bureau)
  • Antisemitism
    • “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.” (U.S. Department of State)
  • Apartheid
    • The name of the policy that governed relations between the white minority and the non-white majority of South Africa during the 20th century. Apartheid dictated where South Africans, on the basis of their race, could live and work, the type of education they could receive, and whether they could vote. (Britannica)
  • Arab
    • A member of the people who are originally from the Arabian Peninsula and who now live mostly in the Middle East and northern Africa, and/or one whose native language is Arabic. (Britannica). The Arabian Peninsula, the largest peninsula in the world, and the Gulf region comprise the countries of Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Yemen. (Arab Center of Washington DC)
  • Asexual
    • Umbrella term for those to tend not to have a sexual desire towards others; asexuals may experience romantic attractions and engage in sexual behavior. (South Dakota State University)
  • Asian
    • A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam.(U.S. Census Bureau)
  • Atheism
    • A philosophical or religious position characterized by disbelief in the existence of a god or any gods. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
  • Belonging
    • The feeling of security and support when there is a sense of acceptance, inclusion, and identity for a member of a certain group.(Cornell University)Culturally Relevant PedagogyPedagogy that recognizes the importance of including students’ cultural references in all aspects of learning. (Gloria Ladson-Billings, The Dream Keepers. 1994)
  • Bias
    • An inclination or predisposition for or against something (American Psychological Association)
  • Biological Sex
    • Category assigned to each of us at birth based on a variety of physical and biological characteristics, usually determined by genitals. (South Dakota State University)
  • BIPoC
    • BIPoC stands for Black, Indigenous and people of color.
  • Biracial
    • Having parents of two different races, and/or involving or including people of two different races. (Cambridge Dictionary)
  • Black of African American
    • A person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa.(U.S. Census Bureau)
  • Body Diversity
    • Inclusivity and positive representation of all body types
  • Buddhism
    • Buddhism is a faith that was founded by Siddhartha Gautama—also known as “the Buddha”—more than 2,500 years ago in India. With an estimated 500 million to one billion followers, scholars consider Buddhism one of the major world religions. Buddhism is a  non-theistic faith with no god or deity to worship. Buddhism has historically been most prominent in East and Southeast Asia, but its influence is growing throughout the West. Many Buddhist ideas and philosophies overlap with those of other faiths. (Adapted from History.com)
  • Caucasian
    • Of or relating to a group of people having European ancestry, classified according to physical traits (such as light skin pigmentation), and formerly considered to constitute a race of humans (Merriam-Webster)
  • Chicano
    • People of Mexican descent born in the United States
  • Christianity
    • Christianity is the most widely practiced religion in the world, with more than 2 billion followers. The Christian faith centers on beliefs regarding the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. (History.com)
  • Christmas
    • Christmas is celebrated on December 25 and is both a sacred religious holiday and a worldwide cultural and commercial phenomenon. Christians celebrate Christmas Day as the anniversary of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, a spiritual leader whose teachings form the basis of their religion. Popular customs include exchanging gifts, decorating Christmas trees, attending church, sharing meals with family and friends and waiting for Santa Claus to arrive. (History.com) Christmas is a federal and state holiday.
  • Cisgender or “cis”
    • An adjective used to describe people who are not transgender. A cisgender person is a person whose gender identity is aligned with the sex they were assigned at birth.
  • Classism
    • The institutional, cultural and individual set of practices and beliefs that assign differential value to people according to their socioeconomic class; and an economic system that creates excessive inequality and causes basic human needs to go unmet.(National Conference for Community and Justice)
  • Code-Switching
    • The conscious or unconscious act of altering one’s communication style and/or appearance depending on the specific situation of who one is speaking to, what is being discussed, and the relationship and power and/or community dynamics between those involved. Often members of the non-dominant group code-switch to minimize the impact of bias from the dominant group. (National Association of Counties)
  • Cultural Appropriation
    • The unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, ideas, etc. of one people or society by members of another and typically more dominant people or society. (PBS)
  • Cultural Competency
    • Having an awareness of one’s own cultural identity and views about difference, and the ability to learn and build on the varying cultural and community norms of students and their families; the ability to understand the within-group variations that make our country a tapestry. (National Education Association, “Why Cultural Competence?”  August, 27, 2020)
  • Culture
    • The distinctive customs, values, beliefs, knowledge, art, and language of a society or a community. These values and concepts are passed on from generation to generation, and they are the basis for everyday behaviors and practice. (American Psychological Association)
  • Culturally Responsive Teaching
    • “The ability to use the cultural characteristics, experiences, and perspectives of culturally and linguistically diverse learners as conduits for teaching them more effectively” (Geneva Gay, University of Washington).
  • Deadnaming
    • Deadnaming occurs when an individual, intentionally or not, refers to the name that a transgender or gender diverse individual used at a different time in their life. Some may prefer the terms birth name, given name, or old name.
  • Disability
    • The physical or mental condition, the perception of a physical or mental impairment or a history of having had a physical or mental impairment that can affect an individual’s life in one or more major life activities.(National Association of Counties)
  • Discrimination
    • Discrimination is the unfair or prejudicial treatment of people and groups based on characteristics such as race, gender, age or sexual orientation. (American Psychological Association)
  • Displacement
    • When people are forced to leave the place where they normally live (Cambridge Dictionary)
  • Diversity
    • The representation of different and unique identities, characteristics, experiences and perspectives reflected through, but not limited to: disability, age, race, national origin, sexual orientation, color, armed service, religion, sex
  • Diwali
    • Diwali (also called Divali or Deepavali) is a “festival of lights” that celebrates the triumph of light over dark and good over evil, and the blessings of victory, freedom, and enlightenment. The name comes from Sanksrit dipavali, meaning “row of lights.” On the night of Diwali, celebrants light dozens of candles and clay lamps (called diyas), placing them throughout their homes and in the streets to light up the dark night. Diwali is primarily celebrated by followers of the Hindu, Sikh, and Jain faiths. However, the holiday is celebrated throughout India, Singapore, and several other South Asian countries as a national holiday, meaning that people outside these religions may participate in Diwali celebrations, too. (Almanac.com)
  • Easter
    • Easter is a Christian holiday that celebrates the belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the New Testament of the Bible, the event is said to have occurred three days after Jesus was crucified by the Romans and died in roughly A.D. 30. The holiday concludes the “Passion of Christ,” a series of events and holidays that begins with Lent—a 40-day period of fasting, prayer and sacrifice—and ends with Holy Week, which includes Holy Thursday (the celebration of Jesus’ Last Supper with his 12 Apostles, also known as “Maundy Thursday”), Good Friday (on which Jesus’ crucifixion is observed) and Easter Sunday. Although a holiday of high religious significance in the Christian faith, many traditions associated with Easter date back to pre-Christian, pagan times. (History.com)
  • Educational Disproportionality
    • When a subgroup’s representation in a particular education category is inequitable compared to their overall enrollment.
  • Educational Equity
    • ​​The identification and implementation of policies and procedures that lead to the just and fair distribution of resources based on individual students and individual school building needs.
  • Eid al-Adha
    • Eid al-Adha, or the “Feast of Sacrifice,” signifies the willingness of the Prophet Ibrahim, known as Abraham in Christianity and Judaism, to sacrifice his son, Ismail as ordered by Allah. It is one of Islam’s most important holidays. Considered the holiest of the two Eids, the other being Eid al-Fitr, or “Festival of Breaking the Fast,” that commemorates the end of Ramadan, it is one of two major Muslim holidays celebrated across the globe each year.  Muslim worshippers typically perform a communal prayer, or ṣalāt, at dawn on the first day of the festival, attend Mosque, donate to charities and visit with family and friends, also exchanging gifts. (History.com)
  • Eid al-Fitr
    • The religious festival Eid al-Fitr, or the “Festival of Breaking the Fast,” is one of two major holidays celebrated by Muslims around the world. Eid al-Fitr commemorates the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. An occasion for special prayers, family visits, gift-giving and charity, it takes place over one to three days, beginning on the first day of Shawwal, the 10th month in the Islamic calendar. The festival is a national holiday in many countries with large Muslim populations.(History.com)
  • Equality
    • Providing the same opportunities and resources, regardless of background or circumstances.
  • Equity
    • The unyielding effort to give everyone what they need to succeed by increasing access, resources, and opportunities for all.
  • Ethnicity
    • Ethnicity is a characterization of people based on having a shared culture (e.g., language, food, music, dress, values, and beliefs) related to common ancestry and shared history. (American Psychological Association)
  • Explicit/Conscious Bias
    • The attitudes and beliefs we have about a person or group on a conscious level
  • Feminism
    • The theory and practice that focuses on the advocacy of social, economic and political equality between men, women and all gender identities. (National Association of Counties)
  • Gender
    • Gender is a socially constructed system of classification that ascribes qualities of masculinity and femininity to people. Gender characteristics can change over time and are different between cultures. Words that refer to gender include man, woman, transgender, masculine, feminine, and gender queer. Gender also refers to one’s sense of self as masculine or feminine, regardless of external genitalia. Gender is often conflated with sex; however, this is inaccurate, because sex refers to bodies and gender refers to personality characteristics. (Emory University)
  • Gender Expression
    • External manifestations of gender, expressed through a person’s name, pronouns, clothing, haircut, voice, and/or behavior. Societies classify these external cues as masculine and feminine, although what is considered masculine or feminine changes over time and varies by culture. (GLAAD)
  • Gender Identity
    • One’s sense of self as male, female, or another gender that may or may not correspond to a person’s sex assigned at birth.
  • Gender Pronouns
    • Gender pronouns (he/she/they/ze etc.) specifically refer to the person you are referring to.Pronouns are part of someone’s gender expression, and people can have multiple sets of pronouns for themselves (such as using he/him/his and they/them/theirs). (University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee)
  • Global Majority
    • Also known as people of the global majority (PGM), a collective term that encourages those of African, Asian, Latin American, and Arab descent to recognize that together they comprise the vast majority (around 80 percent) of people in the world. (Maharaj & Campbell-Stephens, 2021).
  • Good Friday
    • Easter is a Christian holiday that celebrates the belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the New Testament of the Bible, the event is said to have occurred three days after Jesus was crucified by the Romans and died in roughly 30 A.D. The holiday concludes the “Passion of Christ,” a series of events and holidays that begins with Lent—a 40-day period of fasting, prayer and sacrifice—and ends with Holy Week, which includes Holy Thursday (the celebration of Jesus’ Last Supper with his 12 Apostles, Good Friday (on which Jesus’ crucifixion is observed) and Easter Sunday. (History.com)
  • Hanukkah
    • The eight-day Jewish celebration known as Hanukkah or Chanukah commemorates the rededication during the second century B.C. of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, where according to legend Jews had risen up against their Greek-Syrian oppressors in the Maccabean Revolt. Hanukkah, which means “dedication” in Hebrew, begins on the 25th of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar and usually falls in November or December. Often called the Festival of Lights, the holiday is celebrated with the lighting of the menorah, traditional foods, games and gifts. The Hanukkah celebration revolves around the kindling of a nine-branched menorah, known in Hebrew as the hanukiah. On each of the holiday’s eight nights, another candle is added to the menorah after sundown; the ninth candle, called the shamash (“helper”), is used to light the others. Jewish people typically recite blessings during this ritual and display the menorah prominently in a window as a reminder to others of the miracle that inspired the holiday. (Adapted from History.com)
  • Hate Speech
    • Any form of expression through which speakers intend to vilify, humiliate, or incite hatred against a group or a class of persons on the basis of race, religion, skin color, sexual identity, gender identity, ethnicity, disability, or national origin. (Adapted from the American Library Association)
  • Heterosexism
    • Prejudice against any non-heterosexual form of behavior, relationship, or community, particularly the denigration of lesbians, gay men, and those who are bisexual or transgender. Whereas homophobia generally refers to an individual’s fear or dread of gay men or lesbians, heterosexism denotes a wider system of beliefs, attitudes, and institutional structures that attach value to heterosexuality and disparage alternative sexual behavior and orientation. (American Psychological Association)
  • Hinduism
    • Hinduism is the world’s oldest religion, according to many scholars, with roots and customs dating back more than 4,000 years. Today, with more than 1 billion followers, Hinduism is the third-largest religion worldwide, after Christianity and Islam. Roughly 94 percent of the world’s Hindus live in India. Hinduism is unique in that it’s not a single religion but a compilation of many traditions and philosophies: Hindus worship a number of different gods and minor deities, honor a range of symbols, respect several different holy books and celebrate with a wide variety of traditions, holidays and customs. (Adapted from History.com)
  • Hispanic
    • Hispanic refers to any of the peoples in the Americas and Spain who speak Spanish or are descended from Spanish-speaking communities. (University of California)
  • Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI)
    • HSI’s have an enrollment of undergraduate full-time equivalent students that is at least 25 percent Hispanic students.(US Dept of Education)
  • Historically Black College and University
    • The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, defines an HBCU as: “…any historically black college or university that was established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of black Americans”(US Dept of Education)
  • Historically Underrepresented Groups
    • This term refers to groups who have been denied access and/or suffered past institutional discrimination in the United States and, according to the Census and other federal measuring tools, includes African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanics or Chicanos/Latinos, and Native Americans. This is revealed by an imbalance in the representation of different groups in common pursuits such as education, jobs, and housing, resulting in marginalization for some groups and individuals and not for others, relative to the number of individuals who are members of the population involved. (Emory University)
  • Homophobia
    • Prejudice or hatred toward gay, lesbian, bisexual, or queer people, expressed in speech or actions. Intolerance, bias, or prejudice is usually a more accurate description. (GLAAD)
  • Identity
    • An individual’s sense of self, defined by (a) a set of physical, psychological, and interpersonal characteristics that is not wholly shared with any other person and (b) a range of affiliations (e.g., ethnicity) and social roles. Identity involves a sense of continuity, or the feeling that one is the same person today that one was yesterday or last year (despite physical or other changes). (American Psychological Association)
  • Indigenous People
    • A collective name for the original peoples of North America and their descendants (Government of Canada)
  • Indigenous Peoples’ Day
    • Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebrates the history and contributions of Native Americans and has been federally recognized since 2021 (History.com)
  • International Holocaust Remembrance Day
    • The United Nations General Assembly designated January 27—the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau—as International Holocaust Remembrance Day, a time to remember the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and the millions of other victims of Nazi persecution. (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum)
  • International Women’s Day
    • International Women’s Day (March 8) is celebrated in many countries around the world. It is a day when women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political.  (Adapted from United Nations)
  • Intersectionality
    • The interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage. (Oxford Dictionary)
  • Implicit/Unconscious Bias
    • Implicit bias is a form of bias that occurs automatically and unintentionally, that nevertheless affects judgments, decisions, and behaviors (National Institute of Health)
  • Inclusion
    • The unyielding effort to create a culture where our unique identities are celebrated, valued, respected and embraced.
  • Individual Racism
    • The beliefs, attitudes, and actions of individuals that support or perpetuate racism in conscious and unconscious ways. (Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History & Culture)
  • Institutional Racism
    • Institutional racism​ occurs in an organization. These are discriminatory treatments, unfair policies, or biased practices based on race that result in inequitable outcomes for whites over people of color and extend considerably beyond prejudice. These institutional policies often never mention any racial group, but the intent is to create advantages. (Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History & Culture)
  • Internalized Racism
    • Acceptance of negative stereotypes about one’s own racial group. (Willis et al, 2021)
  • Interpersonal Racism
    • Interpersonal racism​ occurs between individuals. These are public expressions of racism, often involving slurs, biases, or hateful words or actions.(Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History & Culture)
  • Intersex
    • A general term used for a variety of bodies in which a person is born with reproductive or sexual anatomy that does not fit into the sex binary. (South Dakota State University)
  • Islam
    • Islam is the second-largest religion in the world after Christianity, with about 1.8 billion Muslims (the name for practitioners of Islam) worldwide. It is a monotheistic faith that worships one god, called Allah (Adapted from History.com).
  • Islamophobia
    • Islamophobia refers to indiscriminate negative attitudes or emotions directed at Islam or Muslims. (University of Oslo, Center for Research on Extremism)
  • Judaism
    • Judaism is one of the world’s oldest religions, dating back nearly 4,000 years. As a monotheistic faith, followers of Judaism believe in one God who revealed himself through ancient prophets, including Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Solomon and others (Adapted from History.com).
  • Juneteenth
    • Juneteenth (short for “June Nineteenth”) marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed. The troops’ arrival came a full two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth honors the end to slavery in the United States and is considered the longest-running African American holiday. On June 17, 2021, it officially became a federal holiday. (History.com). Juneteenth is also a state holiday.
  • Kwanzaa
    • Kwanzaa is an African American and Pan-African holiday that celebrates history, values, family, community and culture. The ideas and concepts of Kwanzaa are expressed in the Swahili language, one of the most widely spoken languages in Africa. The seven principles which form its core were drawn from communitarian values found throughout the African continent. (National Museum of African American History and Culture)
  • Latino/Latina/Latinx
    • The term Latino describes any person with ancestry in Latin America, a politically defined region usually unified by the predominance of Romance languages. This definition usually includes Portuguese-speaking Brazil and French-speaking Haiti, but excludes Spain.(University of California)
  • LGBTQIA+
    • An acronym used to signify Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual people collectively. (South Dakota State University)
  • Lunar New Year
    • Lunar New Year is one of the most important celebrations of the year among East and Southeast Asian cultures, including Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean communities, among others. The New Year celebration is celebrated for multiple days—not just one day as in the Gregorian calendar’s New Year. Tied to the lunar calendar, the holiday began as a time for feasting and to honor household and heavenly deities, as well as ancestors. The New Year typically begins with the first new moon that occurs between the end of January and spans the first 15 days of the first month of the lunar calendar—until the full moon arrives. (History.com)
  • Marginalization
    • Marginalized populations are groups and communities that experience discrimination and exclusion (social, political and economic) because of unequal power relationships across economic, political, social and cultural dimensions. (St. Francis Xavier University)
  • Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day
    • Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday was approved as a federal holiday in 1983, and all 50 states made it a state government holiday by 2000. Officially, Dr. King was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, but the holiday is marked every year on the third Monday in January. Today, the holiday serves multiple purposes: It honors the total legacy of King; focuses on the issue of civil rights; highlights the use of nonviolence to promote change; and calls people into public service. (Adapted from National Constitution Center). Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a federal and state holiday.
  • Memorial Day
    • Memorial Day is an American holiday, observed on the last Monday of May, honoring the people who died while serving in the U.S. military. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. Many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings and participating in parades. (Adapted from History.com). Memorial Day is a federal and state holiday.
  • Microaggression
    • An act that denigrates based on a stereotype of the recipient. This can occur due to unconscious or conscious bias. (ActOne Government Solutions)
  • Microinequity
    • A slight that demeans or marginalizes the recipient. This can occur due to unconscious or conscious bias. (ActOne Government Solutions)
  • Middle East
    • The lands around the southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea, encompassing at least the Arabian Peninsula and, by some definitions, Iran, North Africa, and sometimes beyond. (Britannica)
  • Misgender
    • When an individual uses a word, especially a pronoun or form of address, which does not correctly reflect their gender.
  • Misogyny
    • Hatred of, aversion to, or prejudice against women. (Merriam-Webster)
  • Multiracial
    • Involving people of several different races, and/or having parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents of different races. (Cambridge Dictionary)
  • Native Hawaiin/Pacific Islander
    • A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands.
  • Neurodiversity
    • The presence of neurological differences that present in the way individuals act, think, hear and communicate. These differences in neurological conditions can include Dyspraxia, Dyslexia, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Dyscalculia, Autism Spectrum and more.(National Association of Counties)
  • Nonbinary
    • An adjective used by people who experience their gender identity and/or gender expression as falling outside the binary gender categories of man and woman. Many nonbinary people also call themselves transgender and consider themselves part of the transgender community. Others do not. Nonbinary is an umbrella term that encompasses many different ways to understand one’s gender. Some nonbinary people may also use words like agender, bigender, demigender, pangender, etc. to describe the specific way in which they are nonbinary. (GLAAD)
  • Occupation
    • A situation in which the military of a foreign government goes into an area or country and takes control of it (The Britannica Dictionary)
  • Oppression
    •  A combination of prejudice and institutional power that creates a system that regularly and severely discriminates against some groups and benefits other groups…A person of the non-dominant group can experience oppression in the form of limitations, disadvantages, or disapproval. They may even suffer abuse from individuals, institutions, or cultural practices. (The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture)
  • Pacific Islander
    • Pacific Islanders refer to those whose origins are the original peoples of Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia.
      • Polynesia includes Hawaii (Native Hawaiian), Samoa (Samoan), American Samoa (Samoan), Tokelau (Tokelauan), Tahiti (Tahitian), and Tonga (Tongan).
      • Micronesia includes Guam (Guamanian or Chamorro), Mariana Islands (Mariana Islander), Saipan (Saipanese), Palau (Palauan), Yap (Yapanese), Chuuk (Chuukese), Pohnpei (Pohnpeian), Kosrae (Kosraean), Marshall Islands (Marshallese), and Kiribati (I-Kiribat).
      • Melanesia includes Fiji (Fijian), Papau New Guinea (Papua New Guinean), Solomon Islands (Solomon Islander), and Vanuatu (Ni-Vanuatu). (California State University San Marcos)
  • Palestine/Palestinian
    • The Palestinian Territories includes the West Bank (a territory that sits between modern-day Israel and Jordan) and the Gaza Strip (bordering Israel and Egypt). Arab people who call this territory home are known as Palestinians. (History.com)
  • Pansexual/Omnisexual
    • Terms used to describe people who have romantic, sexual or affectional desire for people of all genders and sexes.
  • Passover
    • Passover, or Pesach in Hebrew, is one of the Jewish religion’s most sacred and widely observed holidays. In Judaism, Passover commemorates the story of the Israelites’ departure from ancient Egypt, which appears in the Hebrew Bible’s books of Exodus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, among other texts. Jews observe the weeklong festival with a number of important rituals, including a traditional Passover meal known as a seder, the removal of leavened products from their home, the substitution of matzo for bread and the retelling of the exodus tale. (History.com)
  • People of Color
    • A collective term for individuals of Asian, African, Latinx and Native American backgrounds with the common experience of being targeted and oppressed by racism. (National Association of Counties)
  • Predominantly White Institution (PWI)
    • An institution of higher learning in which 50% or more of their students enrolled are White, or any institution that has historically had a majority enrollment of white students and is conducive to white cultural norms.
  • Prejudice
    • A negative assumption or prejudgment about members of a specific group. (Verywell Mind)
  • Privilege
    • Privilege operates on personal, interpersonal, cultural, and institutional levels and gives advantages, favors, and benefits to members of dominant groups at the expense of members of target groups.StereotypeA set of cognitive generalizations (e.g., beliefs, expectations) about the qualities and characteristics of the members of a group or social category. Stereotypes simplify and expedite perceptions and judgments, but they are often exaggerated, negative rather than positive, and resistant to revision even when perceivers encounter individuals with qualities that are not congruent with the stereotype. (American Psychological Association)
  • Queer
    • Reclaimed derogatory slang by many who reject gender and sexual binaries. Also used as a political identity by many who want to dismantle oppressive systems in society. (South Dakota State University)
  • Race
    • Race is a person’s self-identification with one or more social groups. On census surveys, an individual can report as White, Black or African American, Asian, American Indian and Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, or some other race. Additionally, respondents may report multiple races. (Missouri Census Data Center)
  • Racism
    • A form of prejudice that assumes that the members of racial categories have distinctive characteristics and that these differences result in some racial groups being inferior to others. Racism generally includes negative emotional reactions to members of the group, acceptance of negative stereotypes, and racial discrimination against individuals; in some cases it leads to violence. (American Psychological Association)
  • Ramadan
    • Ramadan is a holy month of fasting, introspection and prayer for Muslims, the followers of Islam. It is celebrated as the month during which Muhammad received the initial revelations of the Quran, the holy book for Muslims. Fasting is one of the five fundamental principles of Islam. Each day during Ramadan, Muslims do not eat or drink from dawn to sunset. They are also supposed to avoid impure thoughts and bad behavior. Muslims break their daily fasts by sharing meals with family and friends, and the end of Ramadan is celebrated with a three-day festival known as Eid al-Fitr, one of Islam’s major holidays. (History.com)
  • Religious Oppression
    • Oppression against individuals or groups based on their religious beliefs and practices. (Suffolk University Boston)
  • Rosh Hashanah
    • Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is one of Judaism’s holiest days. Meaning “head of the year” or “first of the year,” the festival begins on the first day of Tishrei, the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar, which falls during September or October. Rosh Hashanah commemorates the creation of the world and marks the beginning of the Days of Awe, a 10-day period of introspection and repentance that culminates in the Yom Kippur holiday, also known as the Day of Atonement. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are the two “High Holy Days” in the Jewish religion. (History.com)
  • Sexism
    • Discriminatory and prejudicial beliefs and practices directed against one of the two sexes, usually women. Sexism is associated with acceptance of sex-role stereotypes and can occur at multiple levels: individual, organizational, institutional, and cultural. It may be overt, involving the open endorsement of sexist beliefs or attitudes; covert, involving the tendency to hide sexist beliefs or attitudes and reveal them only when it is believed that one will not suffer publicly for them; or subtle, involving unequal treatment that may not be noticed because it is part of everyday behavior or perceived to be unimportant.
  • Sexual Orientation
    • The scientifically accurate term for a person’s enduring physical, romantic and/ or emotional attraction to another person. Sexual orientations can include heterosexual (straight), lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, asexual, and other orientations. (GLAAD)
  • Social Capital
    • Resources based on group membership, relationships, networks of influence and support. (National Conference for Community and Justice)
  • Social Justice
    • Social justice is a communal effort dedicated to creating and sustaining a fair and equal society in which each person and all groups are valued and affirmed. It encompasses efforts to end systemic violence and racism and all systems that devalue the dignity and humanity of any person. It recognizes that the legacy of past injustices remains all around us, so therefore promotes efforts to empower individual and communal action in support of restorative justice and the full implementation of human and civil rights.(John Lewis Institute of Social Justice, Central Connecticut State University)
  • Transgender or Gender Diverse
    • Terms used to describe individuals whose gender identity, expression, or behavior does not conform with that typically associated with male/female.
  • Transgender Boy/Man
    • A boy/man who was assigned female at birth may use this term to describe himself. (GLAAD)
  • Transgender Girl/Woman
    • A girl/woman who was assigned male at birth may use this term to describe herself. (GLAAD)
  • Transgender Day of Remembrance
    • Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is an annual observance on November 20 that honors the memory of the transgender people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence. (GLAAD)
  • Transgender Day of Visibility
    • Each year on March 31, the world observes Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) to raise awareness about transgender people. It is a day to celebrate the lives and contributions of trans people, while also drawing attention to the poverty, discrimination, and violence the community faces. (GLAAD)
  • Transition
    • Transition is the process a person undertakes to bring their gender expression and/or their body into alignment with their gender identity. It is a complex process that occurs over a long period of time and the exact steps involved in transition will vary from person to person. Transition can include:
      • Social transition – Telling family, friends, and co-workers, using a different name, using different pronouns, dressing differently, starting or stopping wearing make-up and jewelry, etc.
      • Legal transition – Changing your name and/or sex marker on documents like a driver’s license, passport, Social Security record, bank accounts, etc.
      • Medical transition – Hormone replacement therapy and/or one or more surgical procedures. (GLAAD)
  • Transphobia
    • The fear or hatred of transgender people or people who do not meet society’s gender role expectations. (University of California San Francisco)
  • Unity Day
    • Unity Day, started by PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center in October 2011, is the signature event of National Bullying Prevention Month. This is a day where communities can come together to send a visible message of building community through kindness, acceptance, and inclusion. Individuals wear and share the color orange to support the cause. (Adapted from PACER.org)
  • Veterans Day
    • Veterans Day honors all of those who have served the country in war or peace — dead or alive — although it’s largely intended to thank living veterans for their sacrifices. (U.S. Department of Defense). Veterans day is a federal and state holiday.
  • White
    • A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa.(U.S. Census Bureau)
  • World Autism Awareness Day
    • The United Nations General Assembly designated April 2 as World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD) in 2007. Since then, United Nations has observed the day as a means to affirm and promote the full realization of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for people with autism on an equal basis with others. (Adapted from United Nations).
  • Xenophobia
    • A fear of foreigners or strangers. (ActOne Government Solutions)
  • Yom Kippur
    • Yom Kippur—the Day of Atonement—is considered the most important holiday in the Jewish faith. Falling in the month of Tishrei (September or October in the Gregorian calendar), it marks the culmination of the 10 Days of Awe, a period of introspection and repentance that follows Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. The holiday is observed with a 25-hour fast and a special religious service. Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah are known as Judaism’s “High Holy Days.” (History.com)