8 Terms Used in Anti-Racism Explained

There is a major conversation happening globally between those affected by racism and those with the privilege not to be affected. The latter have an opportunity and a responsibility to learn about it.

If you’re white, this work might feel uncomfortable. It’s supposed to. It forces you to confront systems you might have once thought were fair and just, that have allowed you to get ahead in the world, only to now realize that this has come at the cost of non-white lives. 

Canada is not immune to racism. Though this has always been clear, the pandemic has demonstrated very visibly to Canadians that people of colour are disproportionately impacted. And beyond the current crisis, police brutality and surveillance disproportionately impact Black Canadians, and many other manifestations of systemic anti-Black racism are very much alive north of the border. 

If you’re looking for a place to begin engaging in anti-racism work, here are 8 key terms you might have heard throughout the global conversation on racism, and what they mean. 

An Additional Glossary of Anti-Racism Terminology Taken from Two Sources

Robin DiAngelo. White Fragility: Why It's so Hard for White People to Talk about Racism. London: Allen Lane, an imprint of Penguin Books, 2019.

Layla F. Saad. Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor. Sourcebooks, 2020.

Educate yourself. It’s time.