May 2020: DIVERSITY DICTIONARY ROUNDUP

During May, our offerings for Diversity Dictionary were words that linked to identity. The four offerings of BAME, Ethnic, POC and Minority highlighted within their categorisation of people, the distinct issue of centring all things to whiteness. The words we offered took on a whole new intensity as the brutal and public murder of George Floyd swept through our social media and news feeds to raise renewed awareness to a 400 + year old struggle for black people.

Other Box is a company and community of over 5,000 people who are committed to being actively anti-racist in the world, without being naive to the fact the seeds we sow alongside the Black community today, will start bearing fruit beyond our lifetime. We look forward to a world where phrases such as BAME and POC don't exist because they fail to capture the nuance of individuals and their lived experiences. But right now, we know they help us build community, conversation and elevate the voices of the most marginalised.

BAME

BAME is a functional acronym we see everywhere in the UK, it's an acronym that stands for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic. Sometimes known as BME. People tend to use the word in media stories and government reports to company recruitment and diversity initiatives. Most recently, we've seen it in the news with headlines such as 'BAME groups hit harder by Covid-19 than white people' [Source: Guardian]. Yet research has shown that not many people can't actually say what the acronym stands for [Source: Civil Service]. While it serves to describe those who are 'not white' in the UK, it is a problematic term on a number of counts. Firstly, as an overly simplistic umbrella term, it reduces the nuance and diversity of experience of communities and individuals who might fall into this category. Secondly, what exactly does 'minority ethnic' mean? Does it encompass, for example, Gypsy, Roma and Traveller of Irish Heritage groups who are among some of our most marginalised and disadvantaged communities in the UK? Different marginalised communities cannot be lumped into one catch-all term like this - it erases our own unique histories and inequality issues we face day to day.

ETHNIC

Ethnic: an adjective that describes large groups of people who can be classed together by common racial, national, tribal, religious, linguistic, or cultural origin or background.⁣⁣ With this broad definition, the word 'ethnic' or 'ethnicity' - in theory - could be used to describe anyone in the world, no matter what their background, culture or heritage. However, in the West, words like 'ethnic' and 'ethnicity' are most commonly used to describe those who are not white. For example, 'ethnic' is often used as a generic word to describe food, fashion, music, art and many diverse cultures that are not from Western Europe or North America. It’s also a word that shows up in the word ‘BAME’  - the E in the acronym BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic).⁣⁣ Yet the effect of this kind of usage is that it centres whiteness - 'white' becomes the accepted default, and anyone who is not white is 'othered'. ⁣⁣

⁣⁣As we always say with Diversity Dictionary™, the language and words we use every day have a direct impact on how we identify, see and connect with each other. So here's a question: how are we othering and diminishing numerous diverse cultures from all corners of the world by lumping them under this one umbrella term? ⁣⁣

POC

Another term used to describe people who are not considered white: POC. An acronym that stands for people, or person, of colour.⁣ This much-contested term originated in the United States and is widely used around the world today. Why is it contested? On the one hand, it serves a function for describing those who are non-white and has been used as term of solidarity for such groups. Yet, on the other hand, the acronym by its very definition centres whiteness and is therefore problematic. (To make more sense of this, we can ask ourselves, "why is 'white' not instead described as 'non-black'?")⁣

As with all the words we've shared in May, the convenience of a catch-all term like POC inadvertently erases the diversity of experiences faced by the many different communities and groups who would fall under this acronym, as well as the racial prejudices experienced between different ethnicities. ⁣

For example, in the US and UK black communities have argued against the umbrella term as they still face anti-black racism from non-black people of colour (NBPOC). In the US, the acronym BIPOC is used as a way of acknowledging and differentiating between the experiences of black, indigenous and people of colour. ⁣

The language of diversity and inclusion is an ever-changing landscape. What is acceptable one day may soon become unacceptable, and we understand how this can make it scary to say anything in the first place, for fear of getting wrong. In those instances, we encourage you to sit back and listen to the communities and individuals who are subject to terms like POC. What is their preference? What is the nuance?⁣

MINORITY

Objectively a neutral word, but in a diversity context, oh-so loaded with meaning: A group of people or person within a community or country differing from the main population in race, religion, language, sexual orientation or political persuasion.⁣

Although the word has come into use to replace more offensive terms, it has inherited certain negative connotations. Nevertheless it continues to serve a function - such as in the acronym BAME (Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic) and recent headlines such as Britain’s Ethnic Minorities Are Being Left for Dead (NY Times).⁣

One of the reasons 'minority' is problematic is it gets placed in binary opposition to 'majority', which risks erasing the diversity of experience and identities, whether that's racial, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or any other identity intersection. It creates an 'us and them' pattern. In a racial context, it also dampens the fact that many of us are actually part of a global majority.⁣

Perhaps ‘minoritised’ is more accurate, as it alludes to the historical process of becoming a minority, rather than it being accepted as an inherent characteristic of someone's identity.⁣

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Our mission at Other Box is to Make Space For Difference. Diversity Dictionary is where we explore meanings and histories of the language of diversity, beyond a dictionary definition, so we can all build a deeper awareness and critical understanding of perspectives that may be different to our own.

On all our social channels, we share weekly words and their definitions, with a different theme each month. These terms are a taster and have been taken from our Diversity Dictionary™ course. To learn more, check out our EDUCATION page and fill in the contact form. 

Is there a theme you’d like to see covered in Diversity Dictionary? Let us know! Our work is co-created by our community to work towards creating a world that is more inclusive and safe for everyone.