Key Terms and Definitions

Language Matters

Although the terms diversity, equity and inclusion are used with a variety of definitions for each, the goal is student success. Language has power. Definitions matter. But, terms like “minority,” “diversity,” and even “black” can have superficial definitions that fail to include the complex contexts behind them. At times, that might be necessary in order to get groups of people on the same page; at other times, it is much more important to discuss the nuances of key terms. 

I sincerely  hope that you will not let the definitions prevent you from fully engaging with the ideas of the course. Language matters, but it is also imperfect. If you are concerned about using the “wrong” word and being misunderstood, I hope you will use your voice anyway to add to these kinds of conversations. A sincere desire to learn is most often greeted with assumptions of best intentions, especially when it is coupled with sincere efforts to learn from and correct unintended errors. 

 

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Frequently, these terms are combined into the acronym DEI (or EDI) to address as many aspects of this work as possible. Each term does have a separate meaning. 

For many years, the term “diversity” was used to describe equality efforts. A limitation with this term is simply this - diversity is a fact, not a goal. People have diverse backgrounds and experiences, so recognizing this is simply seeing reality. Diversity efforts by business and higher ed often aimed at including higher rates of diversity: more people of color, women, and other groups. But, there was often little effort to change the toxic environments or support new people who joined organizations, leading to people feeling “tokenized” (including only a small number of people from a minority group as a symbolic, inauthentic gesture for the surface appearance of equality).

“Equity” and “inclusion” are terms that attempt to address the shortcomings of diversity initiatives. The American Association of Colleges and Universities has developed definitions for those “core principles” of higher education that “can lead to transformational change for student learning and achievement”: 

Diversity: Individual differences (e.g., personality, prior knowledge, and life experiences) and group/social differences (e.g., race/ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, country of origin, and ability as well as cultural, political, religious, or other affiliations)

Inclusion: The active, intentional, and ongoing engagement with diversity—in the curriculum, in the cocurriculum, and in communities (intellectual, social, cultural, geographical) with which individuals might connect—in ways that increase awareness, content knowledge, cognitive sophistication, and empathic understanding of the complex ways individuals interact within systems and institutions

Equity: The creation of opportunities for historically underserved populations to have equal access to and participate in educational programs that are capable of closing the achievement gaps in student success and completion  (“Making Excellence Inclusive Links to an external site.” AAC&U)

For a visual example, many of you have likely seen the image of the children at a baseball game that illustrates these terms. I am going to use another image focused on bicycles, Based on this image:

  • “diversity” is the fact that the pictured cyclists are different sizes and have different cycling needs, representing different learning needs
  • “equality” is providing every cylcists with the same bicycles, which is similar to using the "one-size-fits-all" instructional approach
  • “equity” is understanding the need of each individual and responding accordingly with the appropriate bicyle - a larger size cycle for taller riders and a recumbant cyle for the rider in a wheelchair

 

Equity vs Equality Bike Image.png

https://www.rwjf.org/en/library/infographics/visualizing-health-equity.html Links to an external site.

In one common phrase: Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance. Incnables only happens when everyone has access that enable them to participate. 

If this concept is difficult to understand, I would encourage you to explore “Privilege Walk Links to an external site.” or the “21 Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge Links to an external site.,” guided opportunities to reflect and identify your privileges. The related questions and activities remind people that privileges are not distributed equally, and it calls out often overlooked privileges for many, including “If English is your first language take a step forward.” The point of these activities is not to make anyone feel guilty or ashamed about their lives - we all have some privileges. The point is to understand the myth of meritocracy, to avoid attributing laziness, lack of talent or any inherent trait to the fact that others don’t stand in the same place that we do. 

For a video example of an equity walk, see this link Links to an external site..

 

Antiracism

As EDI work has progressed, the term "antiracist" has gained traction. Although it is connected to equity work, there are some significant differences. Antiracist approaches attempt to go beyond individual equity and inclusion effort, to fight racism actively, and to dismantle the racist structure itself. Ibram X. Kendi, author of How to Be an Antiracist, answered a question about the difference this way:

"First and foremost, we should recognize that almost every person in history who has been charged with being racist has responded by saying, “I’m not racist.” Whether that’s eugenicists, pro-segregationists, white supremacists today. . . . So I wanted to figure out what it means to be 'not racist.' The more that I studied the concept of 'not racist' the more I landed on people basically denying they were racist, and the more I realized that the term 'not racist' really had no meaning. In contrast, antiracist, like the term racist, has meaning. So antiracists view the racial groups as equal. Racists view certain racial groups as better or worse. A racist supports policies that create racial inequality, and antiracists support policies that create racial equity. Both of these are very deliberate. There is really no in-between “not racist” neutrality." ("We Know How to be Racist. We Know How to Pretend to be Not Racist. Now Let's Know How to be Antiracist Links to an external site.," Valerie Strauss interview of Kendi)

To illustrate this idea, Dr. Beverly Tatum provides an analogy in her book Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?: “I sometimes visualize the ongoing cycle of racism as a moving walkway at the airport. Active racist behavior is equivalent to walking fast on the conveyor belt. The person engaged in active racist behavior has identified with the ideology of White supremacy and is moving with it. Passive racist behavior is equivalent to standing still on the walkway. No over effort is being made, bu the conveyor belt moves the bystanders along to the same destination as those who are actively walking. Some of the bystanders may feel the motion of the conveyor belt, see the active racists ahead of them, and choose to turn around, unwilling to go to the same destination as the White supremacists. But unless they are walking actively in the opposite direction as a speed faster than the conveyor belt - unless they are actively antiracist - they will find themselves carried along with the others” (Tatum, p. 91, emphasis added). 

An example comes from the field of composition: in particular, the use of standard edited English as the requirement for appropriate language use. An equity approach teaches students who are English-language learners and/or grew up speaking a different types of English to “code switch,” or use different patterns of vocabulary and grammar with different groups. They are seen as lacking important knowledge and in need of "fixing." This is an equity-focused approach because it helps students bridge the gaps between where they are and where they need to be - it is about getting their skills to meet traditional classroom expectations. A truly antiracist approach examines the expectation itself, attempting to address any underlying racist or White supremacist assumptions. In the case of requiring standard edited English, the demand for the acceptance of multiple Englishes is growing (see the “This Ain’t Another Statement! This is a DEMAND for Black Linguistic Justice Links to an external site.” article posted on the Conference on College Composition and Communication site). Changing the expectation if it relies on harmful, racist-based assumptions is antiracist work. 

Antiracism is the ultimate goal, and it is also a choice: "No one is born racist or antiracist; these result from the choices we make. Being antiracist results from a conscious decision to make frequent, consistent, equitable choices daily. These choices require ongoing self-awareness and self-reflection as we move through life. In the absence of making antiracist choices, we (un)consciously uphold aspects of white supremacy, white-dominant culture, and unequal institutions and society. Being racist or antiracist is not about who you are; it is about what you do" ("Being Antiracist Links to an external site.," National Museum of African-American History and Culture site). 

For a good overview, listen to NPR's Life Kit episode, "'Not Racist' Is Not Enough: Putting In the Work of Antiracism Links to an external site." (8/24/20, 21:49 minutes). 

 

Intersectionality

Before wrapping up this discussion, it is important to address issues about the multiple identities that make up one's sense of self. Issues of identity are complex. Individuals rarely have a single identity that composes their sense of self. When someone identifies with multiple marginalized identities, they can experience more than one type of discrimination. Although this module uses many examples from people's racial identity, I don't want to suggest that equity is solely about race. People with multiple identities that have been historically marginalized - race, gender identification, ability, sexual orientation, physical appearance, size, religion, linguistic usage - can experience discrimination from multiple fronts.

The term “intersectionality” was developed by Kimberlé Crenshaw to describe the experiences of black women; they faced both gender stereotypes and discrimination as well as racial stereotypes and discrimination, making the intersection of their race and gender additional challenges to success. 

Watch video “Kimberlé Crenshaw Discusses 'Intersectional Feminism'"


For additional discussion of the topic, I recommend Garvey’s (2019) article “Queer and Trans* Students of Color: Navigating Identity Disclosure and College Contexts Links to an external site..” The authors explore the experiences of students who identify as both students of color as well as people on the queer and trans* spectrum, and their discussion of the ways that colleges can support them are very useful. 

While there should never be an prioritizing of discrimination - we are on shaky ground when we say that one's gender identity is more or less problematic than one's racial identity. But, acknowledging that many people face multiple forms of discrimination is important if you want to find ways to create equitable spaces for students. 

 

Additional Resources

For a thoughtful exploration of the "n-" word, read Gloria Naylor's 1986 New York Times article, "The Meanings of a Word Links to an external site.."

Some people express frustration that “acceptable” terms seem to change. Language evolves often, and if you are looking for resources to help educate yourself, I would suggest the following websites about inclusive language:

Additionally, for a historical overview of the language and concepts around racism, see the article "What is Racial Domination Links to an external site." by Matthew Desmond and Mustafa Emirbayer (Du Bois Review, 6:2, pp. 335–355, 2009.)