Source
Diversity Style Guide
The Diversity Style Guide
Publication details
Terms citing this source
- Indigenous Use
“While an official definition of Indigenous is not agreed on, the United Nations has developed an understanding of the term based on self-identification, historical continuity to pre-colonial and/or pre-settler societies, links to territories and resources, distinct social, economic and political systems and possession of distinct languages, cultures and beliefs.”
— Glossary entry 'Indigenous' (archived markdown lines 1896–1899)
- Latinx Evolving
“Pronounced 'La-teen-ex.' A gender-neutral word, increasingly used instead of Latino and/or Latina, to refer to people of Latin American cultural or ethnic identity. The -x suffix replaces the standard o/-a ending of nouns and adjectives, used to signify grammatical gender in Spanish.”
— Latinx entry (lines 2206–2209 in archived markdown)
- unhoused / homeless Use with care
“An individual who lacks a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence. Some people prefer the term unhoused. When possible, ask which term people prefer. Use person-first language: people experiencing homelessness; avoid homeless people or the homeless.”
— Glossary entry 'homeless' (archived markdown lines 1786–1790)
- Black Use
“African American and Black are both generally acceptable although some individuals may have a strong preference for one term or other. Black and African American do not necessarily mean the same thing and individuals may not identify with one term or the other. It's best to ask. If that's not possible, use either term. In a series of polls between 1991 and 2019, Gallup found that half to two-thirds of African American and Black respondents did not have a preference, and in the most recent poll in 2019 those who did have a preference were evenly split between the two terms.”
— Entry: African American, African-American, Black, black (lines 191–194 in archived markdown)
- Hispanic Use with care
“An umbrella term referring to a person whose ethnic origin is in a Spanish-speaking country, as well as residents or citizens of the United States with Latin American ancestry, except for those from Brazil, which is not a Spanish-speaking country. Federal policy defines 'Hispanic' not as a race, but as an ethnicity; it notes that Hispanics can be of any race. The term Hispanic is more commonly used in the Eastern United States and is generally favored by those of Caribbean and South American ancestry or origin. According to a 2013 Pew Research Center survey of Hispanic adults, 50 percent of respondents said they had no preference for either term. But among those who did express a preference, 'Hispanic' was preferred over 'Latino' by a ratio of about two to one. Among Hispanic Texans, however, 46 percent said they preferred the term Hispanic, while just 8 percent said they prefer the term 'Latino.'”
— Hispanic entry (lines 1736–1739 in archived markdown)
- Asian American Use
“Asian American is the proper term for people who come from Asia or descend from people who lived in Asia. Do not hyphenate. When possible, ask people how they identify (Asian American or Chinese American, Japanese American, etc.). You may use the umbrella term South Asian to refer to Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis. Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and others would be known as East Asians.”
— Asian American entry (lines 466–469 in archived markdown)
- BIPOC Use with care
“An acronym that stands for Black, Indigenous and people of color. The term is meant to unite all people of color while acknowledging that Black and Indigenous people face different and often more severe forms of racial oppression and cultural erasure as consequences of systemic white supremacy and colonialism. It is a noun and since it includes the word 'people' it would be redundant to say 'BIPOC people.' It is pronounced 'buy-pock' as opposed to saying each letter individually. BIPOC first came into use in the early 2010s but it became more prevalent in May 2020 during the protest movement against police brutality and institutional racism sparked by the May 25, 2020 killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. While BIPOC is commonly used by activists, it is not universally embraced. Some consider it redundant.”
— BIPOC entry (lines 606–609 in archived markdown)
- white Use
“People who share a lineage that can be traced directly or indirectly to Europe. Don't use Caucasian. There has been much discussion about whether the w in White and the b in Black should be capitalized. … Most media organizations still lowercase White. Some noted exceptions: The Washington Post, Fox News, D Magazine, The Conscious Style Guide. … In a June 2020 statement announcing its endorsement of the capitalization of Black, the National Association of Black Journalists wrote, 'NABJ also recommends that whenever a color is used to appropriately describe race then it should be capitalized, including White and Brown.' The Center for the Study of Social Policy also makes an impassioned case for the capitalization of White as well as Black. … The Diversity Style Guide has long advocated for the capitalization of White as well as Black.”
— Entry: White, white (lines 3941–3944 in archived markdown)
- African American Use
“Jesse Jackson popularized the term African American, which had already existed, in the 1980s. It mirrors hyphenated names for other American groups. Some people may identify themselves as African American to resist Black as a socially constructed category. Others may identify this way to assert their American identity. There are many reasons one might identify as African American. Some people may identify as Black because they do not feel connected to the American state. Others may identify as Black because they do not identify with the African continent.”
— Entry: African American, African-American, Black, black (lines 191–194 in archived markdown)
- Latine Use
“Latine is a gender-neutral or non-binary alternative to Latino and Latina. This term originated from LGBTQIA+, gender non-binary and feminist communities in Spanish-speaking countries. Latine replaces the 'a' and 'o' with the gender-neutral Spanish letter 'e'. The letter 'e' can be found in non-gendered Spanish nouns like 'estudiante' (student). Latine is pronounced la-TEEN-eh; it's similar to Latino, but replace the 'o' with the Spanish 'e' sound. Latine is increasingly used among Spanish speakers as it's more easily pronounced than Latinx and can be used in plural forms.”
— Latine entry (lines 2201–2204 in archived markdown)
- minority Non-preferred
“These terms have historically referred to non-White racial groups, indicating that they were numerically smaller than the dominant White majority. Defining people of color as 'minorities' is not recommended because of changing demographics and the ways in which it reinforces ideas of inferiority and marginalization of a group of people. Defining people by how they self-identify is often preferable and more respectful. The term 'minority' may be needed in specific cases (such as 'minority contracting' and 'minority-owned businesses') to reflect data that is collected using those categories. Avoid referring to an individual as a minority.”
— minority, racial minority entry (lines 2461–2464 in archived markdown)
- Latino / Latina Use
“Umbrella terms referring to residents or citizens of the United States with Latin American ancestry. Latina is the feminine form of Latino and means a woman or girl. Use Latina(s) for a woman or women; use Latino(s) for a man or men. Latino is principally used west of the Mississippi, where it has displaced Chicano and Mexican American. In 2011, the Los Angeles Times amended its style guide to advise journalists to use Latino over Hispanic in virtually all circumstances 'in keeping with the practices and sensibilities of residents of our region.' Federal policy defines 'Latino' not as a race, but as an ethnicity; it notes that Latinos can be of any race.”
— Latina/Latino entry (lines 2196–2199 in archived markdown)
- people of color Use with care
“People of color is a generally acceptable term to describe people of races other than White. While it can be useful to have an inclusive umbrella term, it is also important whenever possible to identify people by their specific racial/ethnic group as each has its own distinct experience. Be aware that the term evokes strong feelings among many people and some don't like the idea of lumping people of different racial/ethnic groups together. Avoid using POC.”
— people of color entry (lines 2896–2899 in archived markdown)
- Chicanx Reclaimed in community
“People of Mexican descent; Chicano refers to men and Chicana to women. The terms were originally considered derogatory. However the Chicano movement during the 1960s adopted these names in response to discrimination against Mexican Americans working under unfair labor and social conditions. These terms announce pride in indigenous ancestry, which was a significant ideological element of the Chicano movement.”
— Chicana, Chicano entry (lines 816–819 in archived markdown)
- Caucasian Non-preferred
“Avoid as a synonym for White, unless used in demographic data. Updated February 2021”
— Caucasian entry (lines 781–784 in archived markdown)
- multiracial Use
“Biracial refers to people of two races; multiracial refers to people of two or more racial backgrounds. Preferred terms include multiracial, biracial, multiethnic, polyethnic. Use mixed and mixed-race with caution as some people find these terms offensive; however, others embrace them.”
— biracial, multiracial, mixed-race, two or more races entry (lines 616–619 in archived markdown)