Glossary Terms

having a harmful result. Sometimes treating everyone the same will have a negative effect on some people. (OCT, 2021)

a Canadian of African origin or descent (OCT, 2021)

prejudice, attitudes, beliefs, stereotyping and discrimination that is directed at people of African descent and is rooted in their unique history and experience of enslavement and its legacy. Anti-Black racism is deeply entrenched in Canadian institutions, policies and practices, to the extent that anti-Black racism is either functionally normalized or rendered invisible to the larger White society. Anti-Black racism is manifest in the current social, economic, and political marginalization of African Canadians, which includes unequal opportunities, lower socio-economic status, higher unemployment, significant poverty rates and overrepresentation in the criminal justice system (Anti-Racism Directorate, 2021)

an active and consistent process of change to eliminate individual, institutional and systemic racism as well as the oppression and injustice racism causes. see also: anti-racism (OCT, 2021)

an active and consistent process of change to eliminate individual, institutional and systemic racism as well as the oppression and injustice racism causes. see also: anti-oppression (OCT, 2021)

anything that prevents a person from fully taking part in all aspects of society, including physical, architectural, information or communications, attitudinal, economic and technological barriers, as well as policies or practices. (OCT, 2021)

a predisposition, prejudice or generalization about a group of persons based on personal characteristics or stereotypes. (OCT, 2021)

intolerance, negative attitudes or stereotypes related to another person’s creed, race, sexual orientation, etc. (OCT, 2021)

a social construct referring to people who have dark skin colour and/or other related racialized characteristics. The term has become less of an indicator of skin colour and more of racialized characteristics. Diverse societies apply different criteria to determine who is Black.
The Canadian Press style guides are the authoritative and accepted standard for Canadian writing. The latest guide specifies capitalizing the term Black. In addition, the capitalization of this term is done to empower the Black culture, while highlighting the fact that this term was used by the larger white society to remove individual Black identity. (OCT, 2021)

Colonialism is the policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically – the notion of domination over a marginalized community. Decolonization involves efforts to interrupt and dismantle colonial power structures. see also: decolonization (OCT, 2021)

a growing field of scholarship whose aim is to reveal the invisible structures that produce and reproduce white supremacy and privilege. In advancing the importance of vigilance among white people, CWS examines the meaning of white privilege and white privilege pedagogy, as well as how white privilege is connected to complicity in racism. (Applebaum, 2016)

an ability to interact effectively with people of different cultures, particularly in human resources, non-profit organizations, and government agencies whose employees work with persons from different cultural/ethnic backgrounds. Cultural competence has four components:
1. Awareness of one’s own cultural worldview;
2. Attitude towards cultural differences;
3. Knowledge of different cultural practices and worldviews;
4. Cross-cultural skills (developing cultural competence results in an ability to understand, communicate with and effectively interact with people across cultures). (OCT, 2021)

a mix of ideas, beliefs, values, norms, knowledges, and traditions held by a group of individuals who share a historical, geographical, religious, racial, linguistic, ethnic, and/or social context. This mix is passed through generations, which results in a set of expectations for appropriate behaviour in seemingly similar contexts. (CRRF, 2015).

Colonialism is the policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically – the notion of domination over a marginalized community. Decolonization involves efforts to interrupt and dismantle colonial power structures. see also: colonialism (OCT, 2021)

making space for learners to co-create the content of the curriculum in ways that respect diversity and embrace inclusion, while actively advocating for equity of outcomes for each student. (OCT, 2021)

treating someone unfairly by either imposing a burden on them, or denying them a privilege, benefit or opportunity enjoyed by others, because of their race, citizenship, family status, disability, sex or other personal characteristics (note: this is not a legal definition). (OCT, 2021)

the presence of a wide range of human qualities and attributes within an individual, group or organization. Diversity includes such factors as age, sex, race, ethnicity, physical and intellectual ability, religion, sexual orientation, educational background and expertise. (OCT, 2021)

fairness, impartiality, even-handedness. A distinct process of recognizing differences within groups of individuals and using this understanding to achieve substantive equality in all aspects of a person’s life. (OCT, 2021)

the multiplicity of beliefs, behaviours, and traditions held in common by a group of people bound by particular linguistic, historical, geographical, religious, and/or racial homogeneity. (CRRF, 2015).

appreciating and using our unique differences – strengths, talents, weaknesses and frailties – in a way that shows respect for the individual and ultimately creates a dynamic multi-dimensional organization. (OCT, 2021)

education that is based on the principles of acceptance and inclusion of all students. Students see themselves reflected in their curriculum, their physical surroundings, and the broader environment, in which diversity is honoured and all individuals are respected. (OCT, 2021)

individual racism is structured by an ideology (set of ideas, values and beliefs) that frames one’s negative attitudes towards others; and is reflected in the willful, conscious/unconscious, direct/indirect, or intentional/unintentional words or actions of individuals. (OCT, 2021)

institutional racism exists in organizations or institutions where the established rules, policies, and regulations are both informed by, and inform, the norms, values, and principles of institutions. These in turn, systematically produce differential treatment of, or discriminatory practices towards, various groups based on race. (OCT, 2021)

the prejudice and discrimination of one social group against another, backed by institutional power (Sensoy & DiAngelo, 2017). When one group controls the institutions, they are able to enforce prejudice and discrimination through policies, practices, traditions, norms, definitions, and explanations, which function to systematically exploit one social group to the benefit of their own.

that which allows one group to name and classify subordinate groups and to subject them to differential treatment. Power gives individuals, groups, or institutions the ability to influence or exercise control over other people and achieve their goals despite possible opposition or resistance. (Open Education Sociology Dictionary)

there is no such thing as race – instead, it is a “social construct.” This means that society forms ideas of race based on geographic, historical, political, economic, social and cultural factors, as well as physical traits, even though none of these can legitimately be used to classify groups of people. (OCT, 2021)

the process by which societies construct races as real, different and unequal in ways that matter and affect economic, political and social life. (OCT, 2021)

a belief that one group is superior or inferior to others based on race. Racism can be openly displayed in racial jokes, slurs or hate crimes. It can also be more deeply rooted in attitudes, values and stereotypical beliefs. In some cases, people don’t even realize they have these beliefs. Instead, they are assumptions that have evolved over time and have become part of systems and institutions. (OCT, 2021)

incorrect assumption based on things like race, colour, ethnic origin, place of origin, religion, etc. Stereotyping typically involves attributing the same characteristics to all members of a group regardless of their individual differences. It is often based on misconceptions, incomplete information and/or false generalizations. (OCT, 2021)

a barrier embedded in the social or administrative structures of an organization, including the physical accessibility of an organization, organizational policies, practices and decision-making processes, or the culture of an organization. These may appear neutral on the surface, but exclude members of groups protected by the Human Rights Code. (OCT, 2021)

patterns of behaviour, policies or practices that are part of the social or administrative structures of an organization, and which create or perpetuate a position of relative disadvantage for groups identified under the Human Rights Code. (OCT, 2021)

An interconnected combination of individual, institutional, and structural levels that function as a system of racism. This emphasizes that racism does not exist at just one level, but throughout and within the very fabric of our society.

the unquestioned and unearned set of advantages, entitlements, benefits and choices bestowed upon people solely because they are white. Generally white people who experience such privilege do so without being conscious of it. (McIntosh, 1988)

More about white privilege can be found here.

the belief that white people constitute a superior race and should therefore dominate society, typically to the exclusion or detriment of other racial and ethnic groups, in particular Black or Jewish people. (OCT, 2021)

a dominant cultural space with enormous political significance, with the purpose to keep others on the margin. (OCT, 2021)