Language is ever evolving and is open to interpretation. In the spirit of growing our collective understanding of the issues surrounding racism, our glossary exists to explain more depth of the terms we are using in our communications. 

 

Anti-racism

 ‘Anti-racism’ is more than just a belief; it's a set of actions that actively fights against racism in all its forms. It goes beyond simply not being racist and involves taking steps to challenge and break down racial prejudice, racial discrimination, and systemic racism. 

Anti-racism is a continual commitment to actively challenge and break down racism on individual, interpersonal, and systemic levels. It acknowledges that racism is not only about personal beliefs or actions but is deeply rooted in social, economic, and political systems. Its goal is to tackle these systemic issues and create a fairer and more just society. 
 

Diversity 

‘Diversity’ means having a mix of different things or people. It’s all about variety and differences; like different races, backgrounds, socio-economic status, ages, or abilities. It’s about welcoming and celebrating those differences instead of sticking to just one kind of thing or person. Diversity makes our world more interesting and fair. 

 

Equity  

‘Equity’ means making sure everyone has a fair and equal chance to do well, no matter where they come from or who they are. 

Equity is about fixing the unfairness and disadvantages that some groups have faced for a long time. Being ‘equitable’ is knowing that different people might need different kinds of help or resources to make things fair. Equity looks at things like race, ethnicity, age, gender, socio-economic status, sexuality, and disabilities that can affect how easy it is for someone to gain opportunities and resources. 

 

Global Majority  

‘Global Majority’ was coined by UK activist and scholar, Rosemary Campbell-Stephens and is a collective term for people who identify as Black, African, Asian, Brown, Arab, mixed heritage, are indigenous to the global south, and/or have been racialised as ethnic minorities. Although these groups are often viewed or talked about as ‘minorities’, collectively they make up about 80% of the world's population.  
Saying ‘Global Majority’ helps us challenge the harmful power dynamics within racism, by recognising the shared histories and rich collective knowledge and cultures within these groups.  It is not used as a generic term or in the singular (e.g. a Global Majority person) but instead refers to the breadth of communities represented (e.g. people from Global Majority communities or backgrounds).  

 

Inclusion 

‘Inclusion’ is about making sure that everyone, no matter where they’re from or who they are, is treated with respect, dignity, and fairness. It’s about making everyone feel like they belong and are valued for who they are. The idea is to create a world where people from all backgrounds can join in, help out, and do well together. Inclusion is all about celebrating and valuing the diversity of our world and society, so everyone gets a chance to shine. 

 

Intersectionality  

The word ‘intersectionality’ was coined by legal scholar and Black feminist Kimberlé Crenshaw back in the late 1980s, to explore how racism interacts with other forms of oppression (like sexism and classism).  When we talk about something being ‘intersectional’, we mean that it takes into account how the different parts of who we are, like our gender, or where we come from, work together alongside our race to affect our experiences and challenges. 

For instance, if someone is both a woman and comes from a Global Majority background their experiences are shaped by the mix of their gender and their race. This may mean they face unique challenges and discrimination that are different to the experience of men from Global Majority backgrounds. The same applies when considering race plus age, background, socio-economic status, sexuality and ability. 

By looking at intersectionality, it stops us from viewing identity in separate silos so that we can see and address people as their full selves.   

 

Marginalised 

Being ‘marginalised’ literally means being ‘pushed to the margin’ and refers to the way that certain groups are pushed to the margins of society and therefore don’t have as much access to important things like resources, opportunities, and the power to make decisions.  This can happen because of their race, where they come from, their gender, who they love, their religion, having a disability, or how much money they have. 

Marginalisation can show up in different ways, like not getting the same chances for education, healthcare, a good place to live, jobs, or a say in how things work in our society.  
 

Racism 

‘Racism’ is a form of discrimination where people are treated unfairly or badly because of their race, ethnic background, or the colour of their skin. The concept of people being of different ‘races’ was created to justify and enable colonisation, exploitation and extraction. 

In relation to Britain specifically, anti-racism activist Nova Reid defines racism as “a social and political construct…that directly contributed to Britain’s wealth. It is a system that equates being white with automatically being right, being historically accurate and the standard of ‘normal’ we should all aspire to.” 

 

Systemic Racism

‘Systemic racism’ refers to a deeply ingrained ‘system’ where the Global Majority is disadvantaged because the rules and practices in society are set up in a way that makes it harder for them to succeed, thrive, access opportunities or simply survive, while those deemed "white" are advantaged because rules, ‘systems’, and practices in society are set up to give them more rights, benefits and opportunities. It is ‘systemic’ because it is not just about individual actions or beliefs; it’s about how these inequalities are built into institutions, policies, and practices.