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Suggested Citation:"Appendix D: Glossary." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. Advancing Antiracism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in STEMM Organizations: Beyond Broadening Participation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26803.
×

Appendix D

Glossary

American Indian or Alaska Native

a person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America, including Central America, and who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment.

Antiracist

to engage in an active, intentional, and dynamic set of actions that dismantle and disrupt the policies, practices, attitudes, cultures, and systems that confer power and privilege to White people over others.

Asian

a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent; for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam. These individuals remain citizens of their home countries in Asia.

Asian American

a person who has Asian ancestry and who is now a U.S. citizen or a U.S. permanent resident.

Black or African American

a person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix D: Glossary." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. Advancing Antiracism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in STEMM Organizations: Beyond Broadening Participation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26803.
×

Climate

refers to the participants’ perception of and experiences with the organization, leadership, and actions, including the policies, practices, and procedures that comprise its culture. Climate can help identify particular issues in an organization, notably when gaps exist between values and actions (see also Culture).

Colorblind

an ideology in which the evaluation, perception, and treatment of individuals is equal without the consideration of race and ethnicity information of those individuals. It assumes that all individuals are on a level playing field, and often ignores experiences of individual racism, structural racism, and other unique factors that occur on the basis of race.

Culture

broadly defined as “the historically, collectively evolving use of tools, practices, and norms.” Organizational culture is dynamic: “Culture is not best understood as a homogeneous, cohesive and causal force, but as something that people do; it is emergent, dynamic, situationally adaptive and co-created in dialogue.”

Discrimination

treatment of others based on stereotypic assumptions or emotional prejudices. This includes both active harm and passive harm, as well as active help and passive help.

Diversity

the fair representation of all different aspects of human characteristics, identities, and perspectives in the composition of a group. Diversity is contextual and benefits from specific definitions for the areas to which it applies. It can be a product of antiracist actions as well as a measure against racism.

Equality

the treatment of all individuals in the same manner regardless of their starting point.

Equity

an outcome from fair conditions (policies, practices, structures, cultures, and norms) in which all individuals and groups have the opportunities and resources they need for general well-being or success in specific metrics (such as pay or advancement).

Suggested Citation:"Appendix D: Glossary." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. Advancing Antiracism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in STEMM Organizations: Beyond Broadening Participation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26803.
×

Equity is aligned with justice and may require the systemic redistribution of power, access, and resources. Equity should not be confused with equality, which is the treatment of all individuals in the same manner regardless of their starting point.

Ethnicity

in contrast to race, has a stronger relationship to place: “a grouping of persons according to a shared geographic, national, or cultural heritage.” Ethnicity is a human-invented term used to describe people from a similar national or regional background who share common cultural, historical, and social experiences. An ethnic group likely contains a subgroup of people who share distinct beliefs, values, and behaviors. Race, even though as mentioned below is not a valid biological construct, does contain reference to biological features, while ethnicity addresses social, cultural, and historical commonalities (see also Race).

Explicit bias

blatant expressions of prejudice and explicit endorsement of stereotypes.

Gatekeeper

defined simply as any individual who possesses power in a given STEMM context or situation, where power includes the control over valued outcomes and resources. Gatekeepers in STEMM can exert their power across a range of everyday behaviors. For example, they can define boundaries, decide who does or does not get tenure, decide who should be hired, decide who gets recognition and praise, and direct the flow of and use of resources. Individuals such as managers, supervisors, admissions officers, principal investigators, heads of laboratories and research groups, deans, university presidents, and chief executive officers represent some of the most common gatekeepers in STEMM.

Hispanic or Latine

ethnicity categories referring to a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race. “Hispanic” does not include individuals of Brazilian heritage, whereas Latine refers to people from Latin America regardless of language. Both are gender neutral. The committee elected to use “Latine,” unless the data source specifically denotes Hispanic.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix D: Glossary." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. Advancing Antiracism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in STEMM Organizations: Beyond Broadening Participation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26803.
×

Ideal-worker framework

characterized by a culture where workers center their profession as the primary obligation and have additional support to attend to their domestic needs.

Implicit bias

stereotypic beliefs and negative evaluations about groups that pop into mind quickly, often with little awareness or intention.

Inclusion

the feeling or sense of belonging in an environment in which all individuals, regardless of and with respect to their backgrounds, feel that they have a voice and the support for full participation in that environment. An inclusive culture is reinforced with equitable policies, practices, programs, and structures. In an inclusive environment, leaders take an active role in reflecting, learning, and listening to all members of the community to sustain a culture of dignity, respect, and trust.

Indigenous

a term that represents the racial categories of American Indian or Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander.

Individuation

a cognitive process whereby a person consciously considers the unique beliefs, perspectives, and intentions of another individual.

Institutional racism

policies and practices within and across institutions that, intentionally or not, produce outcomes that chronically favor White individuals and put individuals from minoritized racial and ethnic groups at a disadvantage.

Meritocracy

a system in which individuals advance based on their ability alone.

Minoritized individuals

Black people, Indigenous people, Latine people, and people from groups that have been historically and systemically marginalized based on their race or ethnicity.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix D: Glossary." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. Advancing Antiracism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in STEMM Organizations: Beyond Broadening Participation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26803.
×

More than one race

respondents who select one or more racial designations on forms or surveys in which race is asked.

Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander

a person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific islands.

Norms

are a set of behavioral expectations within an organization or group. “Often unspoken, these norms offer social standards of appropriate and inappropriate behavior, governing what is (and is not) acceptable and coordinating our interactions with others.”

Policies

the documented structure and guidance for decisionmaking in organizations.

Postsecondary

referring to formal education taking place after high school.

Practices

the formal and informal ways in which an organization completes a task.

Prejudice

an evaluative and affective bias of groups of people. This can range from simple negative-positive attitudes to complex emotions, such as envy, resentment, scorn, pity, and fear.

Race

a human-invented, shorthand term used to describe and categorize people into various social groups based on characteristics like skin color, physical features, and genetic heredity. Race, while not a valid biological concept, is a real social construction that gives or denies benefits and privileges.

Racial bias

refers to the collective of stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination, and how they can unfairly advantage or disadvantage individuals based on race.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix D: Glossary." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. Advancing Antiracism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in STEMM Organizations: Beyond Broadening Participation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26803.
×

Racialized

the extension of racial meaning to resources, cultural objects, emotions, bodies and organizations that have previously been seen as non-racial.

Racism

the combination of policies, practices, attitudes, cultures, and systems that affect individuals, institutions, and structures unequally and that confer power and privilege to certain groups over others, defined according to the social constructions of race and ethnicity.

Stereotype

refers to a generalized belief regarding the characteristics and traits of a group of people.

Structural racism

cultural values in society that are so ingrained in daily life that they are seen simply as the way things are. This includes the wider political and social disadvantages within society.

Systemic racism

perpetuated discrimination within a system that was founded on racist principles or practices. Systemic racism focuses on the involvement of whole systems, and often all systems—for example, political, legal, economic, healthcare, school, and criminal legal systems—including the structures that uphold those systems.

Team

a small number of individuals with different roles and responsibilities that interact independently to perform tasks and accomplish shared goals.

Values

a set of priorities amid multiple interests. Values may vary based on individual judgement, biases, prejudices, and shape personal behavior.

White

a person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix D: Glossary." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. Advancing Antiracism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in STEMM Organizations: Beyond Broadening Participation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26803.
×
Page 301
Suggested Citation:"Appendix D: Glossary." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. Advancing Antiracism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in STEMM Organizations: Beyond Broadening Participation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26803.
×
Page 302
Suggested Citation:"Appendix D: Glossary." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. Advancing Antiracism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in STEMM Organizations: Beyond Broadening Participation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26803.
×
Page 303
Suggested Citation:"Appendix D: Glossary." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. Advancing Antiracism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in STEMM Organizations: Beyond Broadening Participation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26803.
×
Page 304
Suggested Citation:"Appendix D: Glossary." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. Advancing Antiracism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in STEMM Organizations: Beyond Broadening Participation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26803.
×
Page 305
Suggested Citation:"Appendix D: Glossary." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. Advancing Antiracism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in STEMM Organizations: Beyond Broadening Participation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/26803.
×
Page 306
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Individuals from minoritized racial and ethnic groups continue to face systemic barriers that impede their ability to access, persist, and thrive in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) higher education and workforce. Without actively dismantling policies and practices that disadvantage people from minoritized groups, STEMM organizations stand to lose much needed talent and innovation as well as the ideas that come from having a diverse workforce.

A new report from the Board on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences examines the backdrop of systemic racism in the United States that has harmed and continues to harm people from minoritized groups, which is critical for understanding the unequal representation in STEMM. The report outlines actions that top leaders and gatekeepers in STEMM organizations, such as presidents and chief executive officers, can take to foster a culture and climate of antiracism, diversity, equity, and inclusion that is genuinely accessible and supportive to all.

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