Learning more about racism, equality and diversity

Glossary

We understand that talking about racism and inequality is often difficult, not least because we may need to use new words and ideas with which we are not familiar with.  It is important to think about the words we use in these conversations. You may find new words to describe what you have experienced, and new ways to think about what you can do to tackle racism.

Below are some explanations of some words will are often used in conversations about. Because our experiences and perspectives are individuals, the explanations below are just a starting point. We encourage you to explore these ideas more outside of this web page.

Structural racism

Structural racism describes a system in which policies, practices, representations, and other norms and expectations work together to continue racial inequity.

Signs of structural racism in a workplace are:

• leadership teams which are dominated by white colleagues
• greater difficulties in accessing development opportunities for BAME colleagues

Structural racism is not something that a people or institutions choose to practice, but they nevertheless need to work hard to overcome it. The Southwark Stands Together programme is one way of tackling structural racism in Southwark.

The Southwark Stands Together pledges, we committed to work to address and prevent structural racial inequalities and structural racism within our organization, the organizations we partner with and within the service the service we deliver.

White privilege (based on existing comms)

White privilege is the social privilege that benefits white people over people of colour. Some examples of white privilege are:  

• feeling like you are “normal” most of the time, and not having to think about changing yourself to be included.  
• not having to deal with surprise or disbelief when you show that you are smart.  
• being able to show all of your emotions at work
• feeling safe when around the police and other authorities because you have not witnessed them use too much force when dealing with people who look like you

Where does white privilege come from  

White privilege has come from a system of inequality built through years of slavery, colonialism, and unequal politics. The effect of years in which some groups couldn’t access good jobs, education, and lived in the poorest areas with bad living conditions and lacking healthcare, is what we see today.  

The term ‘white privilege’ is often misunderstood and seen as an attack, but the term is not suggesting that being white means you have not dealt with struggles, poverty and hardships. It is about not having your life made harder because of the colour of your skin.  

Microaggressions 

A microaggression is an everyday behaviour which intentionally or accidentally shows hostility, discrimination or prejudice towards an individual and community. Racial microaggressions are constant stings and barbs; they often have to do with things we say.  

There are degrees of intensity within microaggressions, from microinvalidations (subtle denials of a person’s feelings, experiences or thoughts) to microinsults (verbal and non-verbal comments which demean or discredit) and microassaults (explicit verbal or non-verbal attacks). 

The Listening Circles have shown that microaggressions are a common concern for colleagues at Southwark. Here are some examples of microagressions, and some suggestions for what to say instead:  

Gaslighting 

Gaslighting often happens when someone discusses racism in general or points out a specific racist act, and this is not taken seriously.

Phases that could indicate gaslighting are:  

• what they said was not racist! 
• it was just a joke, calm down
• racism isn’t a problem here!
• why is it always about race? 

Racial gaslighting is taking someone’s experience and telling them they’ve imagined it, or that they’re over-emphasising something that isn’t a big deal. In doing this, we belittle their experience and we make them feel as if their view of the world is wrong. 

White fragility

White fragility describes the state in which white people find it difficult cope with or process the information they receive about racism, whether that be lived experiences or racial disparity data. This results in a range of responses, including:

• emotional: anger, fear, feeling insulted or attacked
• defensiveness: arguing, dismissing, explaining or diminishing the information presented to them or the person presenting the information
• detracting: speaking about other discrimination, talking about reverse racism
• disengaging: silence, or leaving the conversation altogether

It’s important to understand white fragility as this often derails open conversations about race. While it can be difficult and uncomfortable to discuss issues of race, it’s important that the conversations continue to take place. This will allow for the discomfort to ease in time and for progress to be made towards racial parity.

Anti-racism

To be anti-racist means to actively identify and oppose racism. People often believe that being “not racist” alone can prevent racial inequality. But because structural racism is all around us, not being racist is not enough to make a positive change and it allows racism to go on. Saying “I’m not racist” is like saying “racism not my problem”, without realising that all people, even those who are not racist, as impacted by the inequalities around them.

In contrast, the goal of anti-racism is to challenge racism and to change the policies, behaviours, and beliefs that allow racist ideas and actions to continue. This means that to be anti-racist, you need to take action. For example, Southwark’s Fairer Future Principles commit us to always work to make Southwark more equal and just, and to stand against all forms of discrimination and racism.

Ally

An ally is someone who makes the effort to recognize their privilege and works in solidarity with others to help them achieve justice. Allies aim to end all forms of oppression, even those from which they may benefit in concrete ways.

Examples of being ally are:

• calling out racist behaviour
• repeat good ideas and give credit to make sure that they are heard
• look critically at events, networks and project to which they contribute, and ensure that colleagues from all backgrounds are able to access them

Southwark’s Fairer Future values commit the council to always work to make Southwark more equal and just, and to stand against all forms of discrimination and racism. This means that everyone working for the council should be an ally.

Intersectionality

Intersectionality starts with the idea that people have more than one identity. Those identities are always combined, and they mean that people can be impacted by several inequalities at the same time.

For example:

• the experiences of Black men and black women may be very different, but there will also be differences depending on their age, social background, and so on

By doing this, intersectionality takes into account people’s overlapping identities and experiences in order to understand the complexities of their experience.

Page last updated: 04 February 2021