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diversity definitions san diego mesa college
Diversity Definitions

Diversity
Definitions

ABLEISM

Prejudiced thoughts and discriminatory actions based on differences in physical, mental and/or emotional ability; usually that of able-bodied/minded persons against people with illness, disabilities or differently developed skills/talents

ACCESSIBILITY

The extent to which a facility is readily approachable and usable by individuals with disabilities, particularly such areas as the personnel office, worksite and public areas

ACCULTURATION

The process of adopting the cultural traits or social patterns of another group; the cultural modifications of an individual or group by adapting to or borrowing traits from another culture; a merging of cultures as a result of prolonged contact; e.g. those who live in the United States near the border of Mexico often use "tomorrow" and "manana," as well as many other words and phrases from English and Spanish, interchangeably

ADULTISM

Prejudiced thoughts and discriminatory actions against the young; the power adults have over young people

ANDROGYNE / ANDROGYNY / ANDROGYNOUS

A person whose biological sex is not readily apparent, whether intentionally or unintentionally; a person whose identity is between two traditional genders; a person who rejects gender roles entirely; someone who reflects an appearance that is both masculine and feminine or who appears to be both a boy and a girl or neither gender

ASSIMILATION

The process of adapting or adjusting to the culture of a group or nation; the process by which a person or persons acquire the social and psychological characteristics of a group; e.g. "Waves of immigrants have been assimilated into the North American culture."

BIASES

Prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person or group compared with another, usually in a way considered unfair

COLOR-BLIND APPROACH

A strategy for improving race relations by not noticing color, which unfortunately comes across as counterproductive to the improvement of U.S. race relations, due to the following: (1)it is impossible to not notice color, (2)this strategy discourages meaningful dialogue about race, (3)it encourages people to ignore, deny or disregard inequities involving race, (4)thereby unwittingly supporting the status quo, wherein racial inequities are commonplace

CULTURE

Learned patterns of perception, values, and behavior shared by a group of people, that are dynamic and heterogeneous; involves emotions, feelings and a sense of belonging

CULTURAL COMPETENCE

Refers to an ability to interact effectively with people of different cultures; the state of having and applying knowledge and skill in four areas: (1)the awareness of one's own cultural worldview, (2)the realization that there are different cultural practices and worldviews, (3)the recognition of one's attitude towards cultural differences, and (4) thoughtfulness and skill in cross-cultural interactions

CULTURAL INTUITION

An expectant feeling or inclination based on personal experiences, family history, ancestry and community memory in concert with the collective cultural, economic, educational, political, social and spiritual environments

DISCRIMINATION

Behavior that results from stereotyping and prejudice; over actions to exclude, avoid or distance oneself from other groups; may be based on racism or any other "ism" related to belonging to a cultural group (e.g. sexism, ageism, elitism, etc.)

DIVERSITY

The sum of the ways people are both alike and different; dimensions of diversity include, but are not be limited to, race, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, language, culture, class, religion, mental ability, physical ability, country of origin and immigration status; while not itself a value-laden term, reactions to diversity are driven by values, beliefs and attitudes, etc.; the full acceptance of diversity as helpful, positive and desirable is a major principle of social justice

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

If Diversity is "The Mix" then inclusion is "Making the Mix Work;" Diversity may be seen to be the composition of individuals in a group.; Inclusion may be seen to include the requisite programs and organizational strategies which welcome and embrace the strengths each person brings to the group

ETHICS

Principles of conduct that help govern the behavior of individuals and groups; often arise from communities' views on what is good and bad behavior; cultural values tell us what "good" and "bad" ought to be

ETHNOCENTRISM

Belief that one's own cultural group is superior to all other cultural groups; usually equated with nationality

EQUITY

Involves acknowledging diversity, recognizing and celebrating our differences and eliminating the barriers that prevent the full participation of all peoples; improving equity is to promote justice, impartiality and fairness within the procedures, processes and distribution of resources by institutions or systems; tackling equity issues requires an understanding of th underlying or root causes of outcome disparities within our society

DOMESTIC PARTNER

Either member of an unmarried, cohabitating couple, including same-sex couples who seek benefits usually available only to spouses

DOMINANT CULTURE

The cultural values, beliefs and practices that are assumed to be the most common and influential within a given society

DRAG QUEEEN/KING

A man or woman dressed as the opposite gender, usually for the purpose of performance or entertainment; often the portrayal of which is overdone or outrageous and may represent a "stereotyped image"

F to M/FTM/F2M (Female to Male)

An abbreviation used to specify the direction of sex or gender role change;  usually used by those who identify as transsexual

FIRST NATIONS PEOPLE

Individuals who identify as those who were the first people to live on the Western Hemisphere continent; people who also identify as Native Americans

GENDER

The socially constructed concepts of masculinity and femininity; the so-called "appropriate" qualities accompanying biological sex; the behavioral, cultural or psychological traits typically associated with masculine or feminine

GENDERED

Having a denotative or connotative association with being either "traditionally" masculine or feminine

GENDER BENDING

Dressing or behaving in such a way as to question the traditional feminine or masculine qualities assigned to articles of clothing, jewelry or mannerisms

GENDER POLICING

The imposition or enforcement of normative gender expressions on an individual who is perceived as not adequately performing, through appearance or behavior, the sex that was assigned to them at birth

HAPA

A Hawaiian language term used to describe a person of mixed Asian or Pacific Islander racial or ethnic heritage

HATE SPEECH

A particular form of verbal communication that can lead to (or reflect) prejudice and/or discrimination; legally defined as speech that is "intended to degrade, intimidate or incite violence or prejudicial action against a person or group of people based on their group membership: race, gender, age, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical ability, language ability, moral or political views, socioeconomic class, occupation or appearance (including height, weight and hair color), mental capacity and any other distinction/liability"

HETEROSEXISM

The presumption that everyone is, and should be, heterosexual

HETEROSEXUAL

Attracted to members of the other or the opposite sex

HOMOGENEOUS POPULATION

A population where all individuals can be regarded as the same type

HOMOPHOBIA

The fear or hatred of persons who are (or who are perceived to be) gay or lesbian;  the fear or hatred of homosexuality (and other non-heterosexual identities)

HOMOSEXUAL

Attracted to members of the same sex; (Not a preferred term--see Gay, Lesbian)

INTERNALIZED RACIAL OPPRESSION

The psychic costs of internalized racial oppression defined as the individual being indoctrinated by racial stereotypes, values, images and ideologies perpetuated by the dominant society about one's racial group;this leads to feelings of self-doubt, disgust and disrespect for one's race and/or oneself; this emphasis on an individual's psychological wounds is evident in a legacy of personal, often anecdotal, struggles with internalized racial inferiority

INTERSECTIONALITY

The process of experiencing multiple forms of oppression at the same time; for example, a Black Muslim lesbian, which argues that the experience of being a Black woman cannot be understood in terms of being Black and of being a woman, considered independently, a Muslim and a lesbian, yet another intersection; these intersections frequently reinforce each other and intersect, creating oppression and discrimination from different directions

LESBIAN

A woman who is attracted to other women (adj.); describing such women

LGBTA

An acronym encompassing the diverse groups of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered populations and allies (or alliances/associations)

LGBTQA

An acronym encompassing the diverse groups of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, queer, and allies

LGBTIQQ

An acronym encompassing the diverse groups of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, intersex, queer and questioning

MARGINALIZED

Excluded; ignored; relegated to the outer edge of a group, society, community

MELTING POT THEORY

The idea that after people enter the United States, they will eventually "blend into American society" by virtue of time and socialization until they will eventually become blended or undifferentiated from any other person in this country; this theory or metaphor does not consider that not all immigrants can be assimilated into the U.S. in the same way; additionally, the danger of this theory is that it "metaphorically" erases the importance, validity and necessity of the cultural identities of entire populations

MICROAGGRESSIONS

A form of unintended discrimination; depicted by the use of known social norms of behavior and/or expressions, that while may be without conscious knowledge of the user, has the same effect as conscious, intended discrimination; racial microaggressions are generally brief, daily or commonplace indignities resulting from verbal, behavioral or environmental assaults due to ignorance and unconscious bias; whether intentional or unintentional, these words or actions communicate hostile, derogatory or negative racial slights and insults toward people of color

MODEL MINORITY

Refers to a minority ethnic, racial or religious group whose members achieve a higher degree of success or social status than the population average; this success is typically measured in income, education and related factors such as low crime rate and high family stability

MULTIPLICITY

The quality of having multiple, simultaneous social identities (e.g. being male and Buddhist and working class)

MULTIRACIAL

Individuals with more than one racial heritage; individuals whose parents have more than one race in their genetic histories

MULTIETHNIC

Individuals with more than one ethnic heritage; individuals whose parents have more than one ethnicity in their genetic histories

NAMING

To articulate a thought, which traditionally has not been discussed

NATIONAL ORIGIN

The country or place from which an individual hails; may or may ot be the same as that person's current location or place of citizenship; associated with a place of political origin

PANSEXUAL

Referring to the potential for sexual attractions or romantic love toward people of all gender identities and biological sexes; the concept of pansexuality deliberately rejects the gender binary and derives its origin from the transgender movement; also referred to as "omnisexuality" or "polisexuality"

PATRIARCHY

A government or societal system in which men hold the power and women are largely excluded from power and decision making

PEOPLE OF COLOR

A collective term for men and women of Asian, African, Latin and Native American backgrounds; as opposed to the collective "White" for those of European ancestry

PERSONAL IDENTITY

How we view and define ourselves as individuals; those characteristics we ascribe to for ourselves, including, but not limited to name, gender or gender preference, family history, cultural history, personality, talent, occupation and any other attribute that makes us unique and different from other individuals

PREJUDICE

A negative attitude toward a cultural group based on little or no experience; a pre-judgment

QUEER

An umbrella term which can refer to anyone who transgresses society's view of gender or sexuality; the definitional indeterminacy of the word Queer, its elasticity, is one of its constituent characteristics, i.e., "A zone of possibilities"

QUESTIONNING

A term used to refer to an individual who is uncertain of her/his sexual orientation or identity

RACE

"As a social concept, a group of people who share similar and distinct physical characteristics;" science has long proven that there is only one human race; the social concept is the only viable instrument of racism, using physical characteristics to favor some people over others; in 1950, the United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization (UNESCO) issued a statement asserting that all humans belong to the same species and that "race" is not a biological reality, but a myth; this was a summary of the findings of an international panel of anthropologists, geneticists, sociologists and psychologists

RACIAL PROFILING

Refers to the discriminatory practice by law enforcement officials of targeting individuals for suspicion of crime based on the individual's race, ethnicity, religion or national origin; criminal profiling, generally, as practiced by the police, is the reliance on a group of characteristics they believe to be associated with crime; examples of racial profiling are the use of race to determine which drivers to stop for minor traffic violations (commonly referred to as "driving while black or brown" or the use of race to determine which pedestrians to search for illegal contraband; another example of racial profiling is the targeting, ongoing since the September 11th attack, of Arabs, Muslims and South Asians for detention on minor immigrant violations in the absence of any connection to the attacks on the World Trade Center or the Pentagon

RACISM

Discriminatory actions, including poor treatment, exclusion or violence by those in power against one or more races based on ignorance, hatred and the false belief that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of one or more races over others; the beliefs and attitudes that are supportive of these discriminatory actions

RAINBOW FLAG

The Rainbow Freedom Flag was designed in 1978 by Gilbert Baker to designate the great diversity of the LGBTIQ community. It has been recognized by the International Flag Makers Association as the official flag of the LGBTIQ civil rights movement

RE-FENCING

A cognitive process for protecting stereotypes by explaining any evidence/example to the contrary as an isolated exception; exception-making

SAFE SPACE

Refers to an environment in which everyone feels comfortable in expressing themselves and participating fully, without fear of attack, ridicule or denial of experience;

SAME GENDER LOVING (SGL)

A term coined by activist Cleo Manago as a description for homosexuals, particularly in the African American community; SGL is an alternative to Eurocentric homosexual identities, e.g. gay and lesbian

SALIENCY

The quality of a group identity of which an individual is more conscious and which plays a larger role in that individual's day-to-day life; for example, a man's awareness of his "maleness" in an elevator with only women; in terms of sex, biological classification of male or female (based on genetic or physiological features) as opposed to gender

SEXISM

Discriminatory actions or unfair treatment based on differences in sex/gender; usually by men against women; the prejudicial views and attitudes that underlie such behaviors

SEXUAL ORIENTATION

One's natural preference in sexual partners; predilection for homosexuality, heterosexuality, bisexuality or pansexuality

SILENCING

The conscious or unconscious processes by which the voice or participation, of particular social identities, is excluded or inhibited

SOCIAL IDENTITY

Involves the ways in which one characterizes oneself in relation to others; the affinities one has with other people; the ways one has learned to behave in stereotypical social settings; the things one values in oneself in connection with the world; the norms one recognizes or accepts governing everyday behavior

SELF-AWARENESS

Having the knowledge and understanding of one's own personality, character or culture; understanding and being present with one's own attitudes, beliefs, worldview and sense of purpose; sometimes begins as a journey into another culture and reality and ends as a journey into one's own culture and reality

SELF-REFLEXIVITY

Having an image or reflection of one's own self; the process by which we "look in the mirror" to see ourselves

STEREOTYPE

A widely held belief or generalization about a group of people; a way of categorizing based on generalized assumptions (n); a simplified or standardized concept or image invested with special meaning and held in common by members of a group (n); to give a fixed form to (v); to characterize or regard in a fixed way (v)

TOLERANCE

Acceptance and open-mindedness to different practices, attitudes and cultures; does not necessarily mean agreement with the differences (n)

TRANSGENDER

Appearing as, wishing to be considered as, or having undergone surgery to become a member of the opposite sex; transgendered people could include transsexuals, cross-dressers, drag kings or queens, masculine women, feminine men and those who defy what society tells them is appropriate for their gender

TRANSPHOBIA

The fear or hatred of homosexuality, behavior associated with other non-heterosexual identities and/or any behavior associated with those who are perceived to be transgendered or transexual

TRANSEXUAL

A person who identifies as a gender other than that of their biological sex

TWO SPIRIT

A Native American term for individuals who identify both as male and female; in western culture, these individuals are identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered

UNCONSCIOUS BIAS

A prejudice we have or an assumption that we make about another person based on common cultural stereotypes, rather than on a thoughtful judgment; also known as "implicit social cognition;" "implicit bias" refers to the attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions and decisions in an unconscious way

WHITE PRIVILEGE

A term used to refer to the societal privileges that benefit white people in western countries beyond what is commonly experienced by the non-white people under the same social, political or economic circumstances; according to McIntosh and Lee, whites in a society considered culturally a part of the Western World, enjoy advantages that non-whites do not experience; this is an "unearned" privilege that leads to the controversy over whether or not White people should be able to enjoy these privileges; the term denotes both obvious and less obvious passive advantages that white persons may not recognize they have, which distinguishes it from overt bias or prejudice; these include cultural affirmations of one's own worth, presumed greater social status and the freedom to move, buy, work, play and speak freely; the effects can be seen in professional, educational and personal contexts; the concept of white privilege also implies the right to assume the universality of one's own experiences, marking others as different or exceptional, while perceiving oneself as normal

WORLDVIEW

The perspective through which individuals view the world; comprised of their history, experiences, culture, family history and other influences