FAQ Category: Equity

Intersectionality holds that the classical models of oppression within society, such as those based on race/ethnicity, gender, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, class, species or disability do not act independently of one another; instead, these forms of oppression interrelate creating a system of oppression that reflects the ‘inter-section’ of multiple forms of discrimination … ” (Ritzer, 2009, p. 1). There is  not one theory of intersectionality, but different conceptualizations and theoretizations of it, including different terms/phrases such as “multiple jeopardy” (King, 1988); “vectors of oppression and privilege” (Ritzer, 2009); “interlocking system” (Combahee River Collective, 1977). (MPA)

Institutional racism refers specifically to the ways in which institutional policies and practices create different outcomes for different racial groups. The institutional policies may never mention any racial group, but their effect is to create advantages for whites and oppression and disadvantage for people from groups classified as people of color.  (MPA)

Indigenous populations are composed of the existing descendants of the peoples who inhabited the present territory of a country wholly or partially at the time when persons of a different culture or ethnic origin arrived there from other parts of the world. Indigenous populations were overcome, by conquest, settlement or other means and reduced them to a non-dominant or colonial condition. Many  today live more in conformity with their particular social, economic and cultural customs and traditions than with the institutions of the country of which they now form part and live under a state structure which incorporates mainly national, social and cultural characteristics of other segments of the population which are predominant. 

Implicit Bias known as unconscious or hidden bias,  are negative associations that people unknowingly hold. They are expressed automatically, without conscious awareness. Many studies have indicated that implicit biases affect individuals’ attitudes and actions, thus creating real-world implications, even though individuals may not even be aware that those biases exist within themselves. Notably, implicit biases have been shown to trump individuals’ stated commitments to equality and fairness, thereby producing behavior that diverges. (MPA)

Gender Identity is how an individual feels about themselves, intuits, and then writes themselves into the world. Gender identity is how some-one wants to be seen and legitimated through the eyes of another in the world—just as someone is. Understood and fashioned in these ways, gender identity can be the embodiment of gender, or lack thereof, and any expressions of the self that are reinforced by how we think and want others to see and think of ourselves. Gender identity can therefore be the physical, emotional, and/or psychological embodiment that rejects gender- (a)gender- altogether. (sM)

• Diversity includes all the ways in which people differ, and it encompasses all the different characteristics that make one individual or group different from another. It is all-inclusive and recognizes everyone and every group as part of the diversity that should be valued. A broad definition includes not only race, ethnicity, and gender, but also age, national origin, religion, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, education, marital status, language, and physical appearance (etc.). It also involves different ideas, perspectives, and values.

It is important to note that many activists and thinkers critique diversity alone as a strategy. For instance, Baltimore Racial Justice Action states: “Diversity is silent on the subject of equity. In an anti-oppression context, therefore, the issue is not diversity, but rather equity. Often when people talk about diversity, they are thinking only of the “non-dominant” groups.” It carries  the connotation that something is being either implicitly, or explicitly, compared to and/or contrasted with some real or imagined ‘norm’ “and is  signifier of everything and yet nothing; it is conveniently unspecific” (Morrishand O’Mara , 2011) 

While diversity efforts on college campuses have brought attention to the vast differences among students—including gender, religion, sexual orientation, etc.—the term diversity fails to address issues surrounding race/ethnicity and does not account for the different histories, needs, interests, and issues affecting distinct groups of students on campus. (Occasional Paper, 2013)

The Critical Race Theory movement considers many of the same issues that conventional civil rights and ethnic studies take up but places them in a broader perspective that includes economics, history, and even feelings and the unconscious. Unlike traditional civil rights, which embraces incrementalism and step by step progress, critical race theory questions the very foundations of the liberal order, including equality theory, legal reasoning, Enlightenment rationalism and principles of constitutional law. (MPA)

Cisgender/cis or Cissexual is a person who by nature or by choice conforms to gender-based expectations of society. Cisgender individuals tend to have a gender identity that is aligned with their birth sex, and thereby have a self-perception and gender expression that tends to match behaviors and roles considered appropriate for their birth sex. Cisgender people are also on a continuum of gender identities, and there is no one way that a cisgender person must be. It is important to recognize that even if two people identify as men (one being cis and the other being trans*+), they may lead very similar lives but deal with different struggles pertaining to their birth sex. The prefix cis is of Latin origin, meaning “on the same side (as),” and evolved from the use of the term transgender as a recognition and signifier that there are different types of gender identities.  (sM)

An anti-racist is someone who is supporting an antiracist policy through their actions or expressing anti-racist ideas. This includes the expression or ideas that racial groups are equals and none needs developing, and is supporting policy that reduces racial inequity. (MPA)

Anti-Racism is defined as the work of actively opposing racism by advocating for changes in political, economic, and social life. Anti-racism tends to be an individualized approach and set up in opposition to individual racist behaviors and impacts. (MPA)

Inclusion is the active, intentional, and ongoing engagement with diversity- both within and outside the curriculum, and in communities (intellectual, social, cultural, geographical) where which individuals might connect in ways that increase awareness, content knowledge, cognitive sophistication, and empathetic understanding of the complex ways individuals interact within systems and units. (MPA)

Equality is about sameness or uniformity while equity addresses universal fairness. When systems are built on equality, they assume that everyone is starting from the same point. Equity assures conditions for optimal access and opportunity for all people, with particular focus on promoting policies, practices and procedures that do not advantage one group of people over others.

Disablism is a set of assumptions (conscious or unconscious) and practices that promote the differential or unequal treatment of people because of actual or presumed disabilities. (stopableism.org)

• Culturally responsive assessment  is mindful of the student populations the institution serves. It draws from language that is appropriate for all students when developing learning outcomes, acknowledging students’ differences in the planning phases of an assessment effort, developing and/or using assessment tools that are appropriate for different students, and being intentional in using assessment results to improve learning for all students. It calls for student involvement throughout the entire assessment process including the development of learning outcome statements, assessment tool selection/development process, data collection and interpretation, and use of results 

(Montenegro,  & Jankowski, 2017, p. 10). It is  “an action-based, urgent need to create contexts and curriculum that responds to the social, political, cultural, and educational needs of students; it is affirmative and seeks to identify and institutionalize practices that affirm [Indigenous]; and,  authentic cultural practices of students” (Khalifa, Gooden, & Davis, 2016, p. 1278).

Culturally Responsive Pedagogy draws from  aspects of students’ cultures in an asset-based approach as opposed to deficit-based to make the course material relevant to them, and to increase their skill acquisition, engagement, and learning outcomes (Ladson-Billings, 1995).