• Center for Economic and Social Justice, Just Third Way Glossary, 2013.
• Chronic Poverty Research Center, Appendix A: Glossary of Terms, 2004–2005.
• David Morris, Words Matter: What the Language We Use Tells Us About Our Current Political Landscape (In politics, definitions change.), 24 August 2015.

Classism is a system of beliefs, attitudes, and actions – fueled by institutional power – that advantages and strengthens the dominant class groups through differential treatment and the assignment of worth and ability based on economic status or perceived social class. Economic justice activists have long advocated that class underpins many other social injustices and that classism is already deeply ingrained in the primacy of a few language systems – including English – over the rest. Not assuming that a document will be produced in only one language may already be anti-classist act. At the same time, because everyone deserves the opportunity to build a material foundation toward dignity, productivity, and creativity, we should assume that all people have hopes and dreams not determined by their assigned social class. As such, wherever possible use language that avoids replicating class stereotypes, that is conscious of how we over-rely on capitalist metaphors to describe human stories and stories about nature, and that embraces the words and names of the people whose causes we are supporting. At the same time, holding an equity stance, as well as a pro-labor stance, can also help combat corporate power and bring consumers, workers, and shareholders onto the same page.

• Include titles, credentials, and positions held only when they are germane to the story.
• If someone’s social circumstances are relevant to the story, be specific: “Homeowners at risk of foreclosure.”
• While people who work in the home may not have a contractual employer, rather than equating employment with work and saying “they don’t work,” reference the work they contribute in the home.
• Understand the difference between historically legal terms, such as “minimum wage” or “basic wage,” and descriptive, advocacy terms, such as “living wage” and “fair wage,” and also how usage can change.
• Understand the difference between “income inequality,” “pay inequality,” and “wealth inequality,” and be precise.

• Smita Narula, How to Talk About Food And Why It Matters, 8 April 2015.
• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, 2020.
• Feeding America, Addressing Food Insecurity Among College Students, 2019.
• Local Food Banks – Northern Illinois Food Bank; Greater Chicago Food Depository; and Feeding America.
• UChicago Center for Identity + Inclusion, Student Support Services, Food Security Resources.

• While much of the language around food is not pejorative, it is important to consider terms carefully for their historical, scientific, and political meanings before using them. 
• Focus on the stories of local people and people trying to gain, regain, and retain sovereignty and access to food. There is often an opportunity to tell the stories of people, and we can do a better job of not missing them or letting our focus stay elsewhere on abstractions or concepts.
• Use language that is accurate (“SNAP,” not “food stamps,” in the U.S.), but don’t miss opportunities to also be descriptive (“safety net program”) of the reality.

• If you feel you have experienced bias in this way, feel free to contact the Bias Education and Support Team .
• Family Resources are always available at UChicago Grad.
• From UChicago Press: Agewise: Fighting the New Ageism in America by Margaret Morganroth Gullette

Adultism is a system of beliefs, attitudes, and actions – fueled by institutional power – so pervasive that nearly everyone experiences this form of oppression. Children’s rights movements early on centered around reforming unhealthy and destructive child labor practices but have come to encompass all forms of oppression that devalue and dehumanize young people. To include young people in society it is vital to use language that views youth as contributors, that does not denigrate youth experiences, and that does not dismiss their ideas. It is appropriate to consider developmental stages, but do not use a lack of knowledge about human development to avoid involving young people. Perhaps the greatest injustice young people face is being silenced, overlooked, and left out of progressive social justice work all together.

Generational diversity has great potential. People across generations can grow and learn from one another as they are exposed to one another’s ideas and experiences. Allowing for new perspectives, values and working/learning styles can create atmospheres of respect and growth.

Anti-ageism framework

Ageism is a system of beliefs, attitudes, and actions, fueled by institutional power, that oppresses all people at all ages, but is considered most detrimental for the physical health of our oldest citizens. Ageists view a person’s age number or chronological age as a marker of essential characteristics or type, leading to stereotyping and suppressing the experience and true nature of individuals. To ensure that people of all ages have a voice in society it is vital to reject a purely “age-number” framing of life stage, to always use medical terminology accurately, and to use narratives that support people of all ages building power.

• Most times there is no need to refer to a person’s age. When the need arises, list the specific age number, rather than assigning a category that may be vague and create negative connotations.
• Whenever possible, ask the preferred terminology. One person may prefer “senior,” while another person with the same age number may prefer “older adult.”
• Avoid using age-related terminology to describe a situation metaphorically, especially if the phrasing is meant as an insult or is used flippantly.
• Do not use language that patronizes, sentimentalizes, distorts, or ignores people based on their age number.
• Avoid negative, value-laden terms that overextend the limitations of a young person’s developmental stage or the severity of an older person’s health.
• Do not assume that someone who is older is living with a disability.

• UChicago Student Wellness, UChicago

Human rights framework

The World Health Organization defines “the highest attainable standard of health” as a “fundamental right of every human being.” This approach to health centers people and access, not status and cost, and demands a public discourse that speaks to the universal, interdependent, and personal experience of health and healthcare systems. Peoples first language, as well as language that supports dignity and a broad understanding of health factors – food, housing, a healthy environment, etc. – are needed. Because “vulnerable and marginalized groups in society tend to bear undue proportion of health problems” (and health injustices), careful attention should be paid to ensuring that all people have an active voice in how they define their own healthcare and health outcomes.

• Consider whether terms and phrasing are crass, inaccurate, or may reinforce stigma, implying helplessness or inviting pity (AIDS victim) and take the time to re-word or frame the issue with adequate context to go against those patterns.
• Keep in mind that the medical, pharmaceutical, and insurance industries are biased and that bias from professionals and organizations in these fields impact the language of institutionally defined “health outcomes.” Careful consideration of these biases can be supported by even minimal consultation with people who actually experience a given health issue.
• Avoid stereotyping phrasing that equates “thin” or “ablebodied” with health.

• Student Support Services, Center for Identity + Inclusion, UChicago.
• Office of International Affairs, UChicago.

Inclusive society framework

By definition state borders mark which people are in and which people are out. All too often, our current global system of nations enforces immigration and asylum laws based on those borders and an us-verses-them ethos when determining who will have access to civil rights. While immigration and refugee issues have been tied to civil rights in this way, there are compelling arguments182 for why crossing a border should also be framed as a human rights issue. Not only are immigrants and refugees vulnerable to increased human rights abuses, additionally, the language of international human rights law may be a powerful tool for diagnosing such abuses. However, taking the immigration and refugee frame a step beyond, by aiming for an inclusive society183 frame, may describe the antidote to state-driven mistreatment. Language that raises visibility of personal stories, creates empathy and recognizes diverse assets, promotes cross-cultural interactions, fights discrimination, and offers respect and an invitation to participate breaks down usversus- them thinking and avoids succumbing to the quagmire of individual sovereignties’ policy debates.

• Avoid focusing on groups of immigrants or refugees in a way that misses the individuals that make up those groups.
• By definition, a person is never illegal; an “illegal immigrant” makes as much a sense as saying an “illegal accountant,” were they accused of tax fraud.
• An asylum seeker can become an undocumented immigrant only if he or she remains after having failed to respond to a removal notice.
• Undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children are referred to as DREAMers (retaining capitalization of the DREAM Act).
• Use the word “immigrant” with great care, not only because it is often incorrectly used to describe people who were born in the reported country, but also because it has been used negatively for so many years.

• Justice Works student group from the UChicago School of Social Service Administration.
• UChicago Authors and Experts in Criminal Justice compiled by Social Work and Criminal Justice at the University.
• McGraw Hill, The police in American: Glossary, 2015.

Restorative justice, unlike retributive justice, holds as true that oppression underpins all other forms of harm, abuse, and assault. A restorative justice framework not only acknowledges individual experiences and identities of all people, it also offers a process and language for actively resisting institutional and political systems of criminal injustice. To apply a restorative justice frame, use language that supports accountability and healing, that promotes agency for survivors and transformation for people who harm, and that works to disassemble oppression at every level and in all forms. It is also important to keep in mind how we wield our own power and privilege when writing about police violence and state crime by paying attention to how we can foster liberation, shift power, accountability, safety, and collective action, and respect cultural difference.

• Use decriminalizing language.
• Be careful when using “justice system,” as it implies that the existing institutions of policing and courts represent a form of justice. Using “carceral system” may be more appropriate.
• “Felons, not families” presents a false dichotomy.
• Under the veil of protecting national and public safety, “homeland security” rhetoric increasingly draws on the ideologies and practices, such as hyperpolicing and criminalization, of the decades-long War on Crime.
• Separate the act or crime from the person. Do not define people entirely based off their criminal act (or accused criminal act).
• In the United States, prisons are different than jails. Jails are where people are held awaiting trial and often run by the county. Prisons are often run by the state (or federal) and are where people are serving sentences after being convicted.

• Office of Multicultural Student Affairs, Center for Identity + Inclusion, UChicago
• How To Be An Antiracist, Ibram X. Kendi, 2019.
• America Healing, Racial Equity Resource Guide: Glossary.
• Racial Equity Tools, Glossary.

Structural and cultural anti-racism framework

Racism, in order to be dismantled, must be uprooted at everylevel, from the foundations of institutions that dictate thepractices and policies enacted by personnel to the attitudes andbeliefs that we reinforce through repeated social interactionsand deeply internalized messages. Reclaiming power from racistsystems takes a willingness to come to the conversation withcuriosity and openness and a willingness to get it wrong withoutletting that stop us from continuing to try to understand and dobetter. Language that suggests a capacity to step outside defaultroles to hear and support folks who have been hurt and limitedby racism is needed. Stories and terms that are meaningfulto folks in developing their identities and building power willchange what is possible in fights to end racism, and will help win.

• A main goal should be to tell stories from the perspective of the community being represented, rather than telling the story through the lens of the dominant power brokers. Centering the perspective of marginalized groups will often Race/Ethnicity R/E take getting educated on common underlying assumptions – actively seek out this information.
• Understand what race, racism, racial identity, ethnicity, ethnic oppression, and ethnic identity are.
• Avoid references that draw undue attention to ethnic backgrounds or racial identities. When references are valid, learn the most appropriate specific terminology or use the term preferred by the person or group concerned. Also, remember to mention the race or color of white people as well.
• Capitalize the proper names of ancestral, national, place, and religious identities: Indigenous Peoples, Arab, French-Canadian, Inuit, Jew, Latin, Asian, Cree, etc.
• Combining names of continents is a common way of identifying someone’s ancestry: African American, Afro-Cuban, Eurasian. These should be capitalized. These are also sometimes used to indicate race, however there are problems with using these descriptors as analogues for racial identities. Describing a person who is black and lives in Canada as African American may create inaccuracies if they don’t self-identify culturally as African, if they do self-identify as Canadian, or if they are white, born in Africa, and recently moved to Canada.
• Instead of saying “an African American” or “a black” try “a black person” or “a person of color.” At the same time, some groups will prefer the former terminology, and it will still be important to use language used by the people being represented. At the same time, note: “person of color” and “Black” are not synonymous. Also, “person of color” and “immigrant” are not synonymous.
• Black/White are sometimes capitalized and sometimes lowercase. Consider your audience; again, follow the lead of your constituencies; and set a consistent house style and follow it.
• Avoid vocabulary that extends negative racial, ethnic, or cultural connotations and avoid usage that carriers hierarchical valuation; portrays groups of people as inferior, bad, criminal, or less valued than others; or centers whiteness that is not helpful. At times, such language may be difficult to perceive from the point of view of an oppressor group. Don’t assume you know all the ways that a phrasing may land; take the time to check it out with others.
• Using “minority” may imply inferior social position and is often relative to geographic location. When needed, the use of “minority ethnic group,” “minoritized,” and/or “underrepresented” may be preferred over “minority group.” Note, “minorities” are actually 85% of the world population and make up the global majority.
• Also commonly used, “racial minority” or “visible minority” typically describe people who are not white; “ethnic minority” refers to people whose ancestry is not English or Anglo-Saxon and “linguistic minority” refers to people whose first language is not English (or not French in Quebec).
• Avoid generalizations based in race or ethnicity, including common expressions with a history rooted in oppression.
• Do not define a person’s appearance based primarily on their nationality or cultural background.

• University of Chicago, Office for Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Support.
• National Domestic Violence Hotline
• World Health Organization, Violence Against Women: Key Facts, 2017.
• United Nations, What is Domestic Abuse, 2020.

Rape culture –through pervasive, implicit and explicit, social conditioning that tells us it’s ok to joke about, threaten, and condone rape –incubates sexual and domestic violence. We need to call out sexual and domestic violence everywhere we see it, including when it is being alluded to in social interactions and when it is unconsciously present in laws and court rulings. To end rape culture,we need to create something to take its place –global consent culture. At its core, consent culture relies on spoken language to ensure complete, timely, and informed consent. To root out a culture that fosters sexual and domestic violence, use language that promotes enthusiastic, verbal consent, that respects individuals’ personal boundaries, that fosters vocal anti-rape discussions instead of shutting them down, and that acknowledges and supports vulnerable sharing of personal stories.

• Rape or sexual assault is in no way associated with normal sexual activity. Rape or assault is not “sex.” A pattern of abuse is not an “affair.”
• Trafficking in women is not the same as prostitution.
• People who have suffered sexual violence may not wish to be described as a victim, unless they choose the word themselves. Many prefer the word survivor.
• Do not assume that rape happens in only one way, and avoid language that reinforces a dominant narrative that rape is only being attacked by a stranger leaping from the bushes.
• Be wary of taking words verbatim from press releases and/or police reports. Keep language as neutral as possible.
• During conflict, rape by combatants is a war crime. Describing it as an unfortunate but predictable aspect of war is not acceptable.
• When describing an assault, try to strike a balance when deciding how much graphic detail to include. Too much can be gratuitous; too little can weaken the survivor’s case.
• Content warnings should be used whenever you’re including an explicit description of the motivation for, events during, or immediate impact on the survivor after an attack.
• Understand that covering a story about someone who killed or abused their partner is a domestic violence story.
• Do not report from the lens of the abuser. Reporting from the lens of the abuser is the same as victim blaming.
• Resist the narrative that sexual and domestic violence is a “women’s issue.” It’s a human issue.
• Whenever possible, mention where survivors of sexual and domestic violence can get help.
• “Domestic violence” has also been used interchangeably to talk about violence from a survivor’s partner when that term could erroneously imply that they’re in a domestic (family or marriage) setting. “Intimate partner violence” is suggested as more accurate and inclusive.
• Intimate partner violence occurs within a spectrum of relationships (not just family, home, or marriage) and different aspects of a relationship.