The Ramblers is committed to playing our part in tackling the systems of inequalities that create barriers to people walking outdoors in nature. We made a public commitment to being an anti-racist organisation because one of these barriers is the discrimination that people experience because of their race, ethnic background, or the colour of their skin.  

When talking about the topics of racism and anti-racism it’s important to consider the language we use. The words we choose hold power and send signals, whether positive or negative. For the last several years the term ‘BAME’ which stands for Black and Minority Ethnic was often used to refer to people who aren’t white. But it is now widely recognised that BAME lacks meaning and underplays the richness of ethnicities and backgrounds that it looked to represent.  

Last year NCVO published an article  that explained why they are adopting the term Global Majority. They explained that 'Moving from classing people as a minority to a majority is an important step in reframing conversations from disadvantage to advantage and challenging existing dominant white-centric narratives.”  

After taking advice and listening to the conversations about preferred terms we have also chosen to use the term Global Majority as part of our ongoing commitment to real inclusion and anti-racism. 

Global Majority was coined around 20 years ago by Rosemary Campbell-Stephens MBE. Rosemary came up with the term Global Majority to communicate that people who are Black, Asian, Brown, dual-heritage, indigenous to the global south, and/or have been racialised as 'ethnic minorities' currently represent over 80% of the world's population. The term aims to challenge the marginalisation of these groups.   

However, it is not always appropriate to use one single term to group together all people who are Black, Asian, Brown, dual-heritage, indigenous to the global south, and/or have been racialised as 'ethnic minorities'. To do so diminishes the rich tapestry of experiences and cultures. So, when talking about individuals or specific communities we will use more specific language that is appropriate to the context and reflects how individuals or groups self-identify. For example, people may identify as Black British, British Asian, or Black, of African Caribbean descent. Others may choose to describe themselves as a person of colour or as someone from a minority ethnic background.   

We also recognise that language is always evolving. As we listen and learn about new and different perspectives, we will be open to evaluating and evolving the language that we use to respect and support the communities whose access to nature we look to support.