Ableism – Discrimination or prejudice against individuals with disabilities.
Accessibility – easily used or access by people with disabilities, adapted for use by people with disabilities
Affirmative Action – An active effort to improve the employment or educational opportunities of members of minority groups, women, veterans and persons with disabilities due to a history of unfair treatment.
Ageism – Prejudice or discrimination against a particular age group, especially the elderly.
Ally – 1) one that is associated with another as a helper, 2) a person or group that provides assistant and support to an ongoing effort, activity, or struggle, 3) often used specifically of a person who is not a member of a marginalized or mistreated group but who expresses or gives support to that group
Anti-racism – To actively identify and oppose the belief in a hierarchy or human value.
Antisemitism – Hostility to or prejudice against Jewish people.
Assimilation – the process of receiving new facts or of responding to new situations in conformity with what is already available to consciousness
Belonging – 1) close or intimate relationship, to be a part of and in relationship with a group
Bias – Prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.
Bigotry – obstinate or intolerant devotion to one’s own opinions and prejudices
Class – a group sharing the same economic or social status
Classicism– 1) the belief that a person’s social or economic station determines their value in that society, 2) behavior that reflects prejudice or discrimination based on class, 3) the systemic oppression of the lower class and middle class to the advantage of the upper class
Climate – the prevailing influence or environmental conditions characterizing a group or period, atmosphere
Code-switching – the switching from the linguistic system of one language or dialect to that of another
Colorblind – Opting not to see an individual’s race.
Disability – a physical, mental, cognitive, or developmental conditions that impairs, interferes with, or limits a person’s ability to engage in certain tasks or actions or participate in typical daily activities or interactions
Discrimination – The unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things especially on the grounds of race, age, gender, sexual orientation, etc.
Diversity – All of the ways in which people differ, including innate characteristics (such as age, race, gender, ethnicity, national origin, mental or physical abilities, and sexual orientation) and acquired characteristics (such as education, socioeconomic status, religion, work experience, language skills, cultural values, geographic location, family status, organizational level, work style, philosophical and intellectual perspective, etc.).
Dominant Group – a group that exerts the supreme determining or guiding influence in a society
Equality – the quality or state of being equal.
Equity – The fair and equal treatment of all human resources related to pay, job duties, level of responsibility, opportunities for advancement and promotion, and participation regardless of gender, age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc.
Ethnicity – of or relating to large groups of people classed according to common racial, national, tribal, religious, linguistic, or cultural origin or background
Gaslighting – psychological manipulation of a person usually over an extended period of time that causes the victim to question the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories and typically leads to confusion, loss of confidence and self-esteem, uncertainty pf one’s emotional or mental stability, and dependency on the perpetrator
Hate Crime – any of various crimes (such as assault or defacement of property) when motivated by hostility to the victim as a member of a group (such as one based on race, color, creed, gender, or sexual orientation)
Imposter Syndrome – a psychological condition that is characterized by persistent doubt concerning one’s abilities or accomplishments accompanied by the fear of being exposed as a fraud despite evidence of one’s ongoing success
Inclusion – Enabling the full participation and contribution of all human resources in support of the mission of the organization by eliminating implicit and explicit barriers. By leveraging the diverse talents and attributes of the entire workforce, configuring work opportunities, business processes, functional operations, reward systems, work-life options, professional interactions, communications, information-sharing, and decision-making inclusion in action empowers all employees to reach their full potential.
Inclusive Language – language that is person first and social identity is secondary (i.e., individual with a disability, person of Asian descent, etc.)
Intersectionality – the complex, cumulative way in which the effects of multiple forms of discrimination (such as racism, sexism, and classicism) combine, overlap, or intersect especially in the experiences of marginalized individuals or groups
LGBTQIA+ – L-Lesbian, G-Gay, B-Bi-Sexual, T-Transgender, Q-Queer/Questioning, I-Intersex, A-Asexual, and the “+” is to cover any identities not mentioned
Marginalized – Relegated to a marginal (lower) position within a society or group.
Micro-aggression – A comment or action that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally expresses a prejudiced attitude toward a member of a marginalized group.
Misogyny – Hatred of, aversion to, or prejudice against women
Prejudice – An irrational attitude of hostility directed against an individual, a group, a race, or their supposed characteristics.
Privilege – a right or immunity granted as a peculiar benefit, advantage, or favor
Pronouns – the third person personal pronouns that a person goes by, may be self-selected and does not always align with the sex assigned at birth (he/him, she/her, they/them)
Race – 1) any one of the groups that humans are often divided into based on physical traits regarded as common among people of shared ancestry, 2) a group of people sharing a common cultural, geographical, linguistic, or religious origin or background
Racism – 1) a belief that race is a fundamental determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race, 2) the belief in a hierarchy of human value, 3) the systemic oppression of a racial group to the social, economic, and political advantage of another
Sexual Harassment – Unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature. Sexual harassment can include unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal, nonverbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. Sexual harassment may consist of repeated behaviors or arise from a single incident, if sufficiently severe. Harassment of women by men, harassment of men by women, and harassment between persons of the same sex may all constitute sexual harassment.
Stereotype – To believe, unfairly, that all people or things with a particular characteristic are the same; a widely held by fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing.
Stigma – 1) a mark of shame or discredit, 2) an identifying mark or characteristic
Tolerance – 1) sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with one’s own, 2) the act of allowing something
Transgender – of, relating to, or being a person whose gender identity differs from the sex the person had or was identified as having at birth
Underrepresented – inadequately represented
Underrepresented Group – inadequately represented groups, typically individuals from marginalized social identities