An anti-racist’s dictionary: 19 words on race, gender, and diversity you should know

From “BIPOC” to “white fragility,” you’re likely to hear a lot more of these 18 terms given the nationwide calls to address racism.

Nationwide protests in the wake of the killing of George Floyd have ushered in a new era in corporate America. Photo: John Minchillo/AP

By Marguerite Ward

America is undergoing a transformation. Calls for racial equity, diversity, and inclusion can be heard from protesters and corporate executives alike. People who were once silent on issues of racial justice and inequality are speaking up, in the office, at home, and online.

In in our nation’s capital, President Joe Biden has picked the most diverse cabinet in history. And on his first day in office, he signed a flurry of executive orders, including one that instructed his government to conduct equity assessments of its agencies and reallocate resources to “advance equity for all.”

In an effort to further promote equity, Biden also signed an order reversing former President Trump’s crackdown on some diversity trainings for government agencies and companies receiving federal funding. Equity is different from equality. Equity achieves fairness by treating people differently based on need, while equality achieves fairness by treating everyone the same, regardless of need.

As a reporter who focuses on diversity and inclusion, I have a lot of conversations…