Defining Our Terms
When discussing about race and identity, it’s important to begin with a common language. Most people think that they know what racism is; we talk about it frequently and have colloquial and working definitions for it. At the same time, discomfort about “getting it right” or saying the wrong thing can keep people from productively engaging in the conversations and practices that lead to anti-racism. For the purpose of this site, we are working from an understanding of these key terms as they are defined below. This list is not exhaustive and will evolve!
In our cohort, we’ll work together to access more expansive language that meets the needs of the individualized practices that we are bringing to our classrooms. This might mean a deeper study of interpersonal racism or or internalized racism, but will ALWAYS mean using a lens of systemic racism as our guide.
Anti-racism: Actively working against racism.
Microaggression: Brief, daily, commonplace verbal, behavioral, or environmental acts of prejudice (intentional or unintentional) that convey hostility; Microaggressions are not small in the harm they cause.
Monoracism: A microaggression specifically targeting people who hold multiracial identities, monoracism is the expectation that people fit into a single racial category and the practice of “holding them to it.” (Based on the research of Dr. Jessica C. Harris.)
Race: A concept created by society or socially constructed that categorizes people by skin color and physical attributes. It has no genetic basis.
Racism: Personal prejudice and bias and the systemic misuse and abuse of power by institutions. (Definition from Tiffany Jewell in “This Book is Anti-Racist”)
Social Construct: A creation of society that is maintained by the practices of that society.