Washington State Glossary for Inclusive & Equitable Workplaces
Welcome to the 4th version of the Glossary for Inclusive & Equitable Workplaces, previously known as the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging glossary!
The intent of this glossary is to provide state employees with a compilation of equity-related terms and their meanings. When we have a shared vocabulary and agree on the meaning of the words we use, we are better able to collaborate across departments, teams, and the communities that we serve.
Words carry meaning, power, and impact. It is important that we understand the meanings, recognize the power, and demonstrate reflection, continual learning, and accountability for the impact of the words we use in Washington State government. It is also important to understand that the human beings who are educating us about these terms are living the identities and experiences described in this glossary.
Because people are continually evolving, the words we use to describe them need to evolve as well. This resource is meant to support the work of improving access, advancing equity, and eliminating systemic racism and other forms of oppression from the work we do. This is not meant to serve as a primary resource in any specialized area such as law, medicine, or academia.
Thank you to the Washington State Business Resource Groups, the Washington State DEI Council Glossary Workgroup, The Department of Health, Department of Enterprise Services, Office of Equity, OFM Communications for your hard work and dedication to this body of work. The work that was poured into this version will directly impact those who experience disparities, exclusion, and systemic oppression in the workplace. Thanks to your vital contribution to this work our state will have a practical resource guiding us to maintain a growth mindset while affirming and embodying diversity, equity, inclusion, antiracism, and belonging every step of the way.
You may request a Glossary Edit if you would like a term added to or a definition edited in this glossary. Please note that the review committee meets quarterly to review these submissions and is committed to the shared-power process, so these edits make take several months to research and to respond to.
Term |
Definition |
|---|---|
| Self-Determination |
Right of Native American Tribes to manage their own affairs and make decisions that affect their people, lands, and resources without external interference. This principle is grounded in the recognition of Tribes as sovereign entities |
| Self-Governance |
The practical implementation of self-determination. It involves the actual administration and management of programs, services, and activities that are typically the responsibility of federal agencies but are carried out by tribes under self-governance agreements |
| Sexism |
Discrimination or prejudice against a particular sex or gender on the assumption that another sex or gender is the social and cultural norm. It typically has the most negative impact on women/females (both cis and trans women), feminine-presenting individuals, and individuals perceived as female regardless of actual gender. |
| Sexual Orientation |
A person’s physical, romantic, emotional, aesthetic, and/or other form of sexual attraction to others. Gender identity and sexual orientation are not the same. For instance, transgender people can be straight, bisexual, lesbian, gay, asexual, pansexual, queer, etc., like anyone else. |
| Shared Power |
Derives from Shared Power Principle and locates power withing the lowest appropriate entities both across and within organizations and creates the environment for this shared power to be used to develop effective and legitimate solutions. The four patterns that characterize the Shared Power Principle are:
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| Social Construct |
A social phenomenon or convention originating within and cultivated by society or a particular social group, as opposed to existing inherently or naturally. |
| Social Justice |
A practice within a society based on principles of equality and solidarity that understands and values human rights and recognizes the dignity of every human being. Such a practice would strive to provide basic human needs and comforts to all members of the society regardless of class, race, religion, or any other characteristic. |
| SOGIE |
An acronym, usually used in data collection, for addressing Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Expression, which captures all the ways people self-identify. SOGIE includes LGBTQ+ as well as heterosexual, cisgender, and non-questioning individuals. |
| Speech Disabled |
A person having a communication disorder that affects their ability to create or form the speech sounds needed for effective communication. A person who has a condition in which the mouth, jaw, tongue, and/or vocal tract do not work together to produce recognizable words. Manifestations may include stuttering, articulation errors, an inability to move the tongue, etc. |
| Stereotype |
Characteristics attributed to an individual or group based on generalization, oversimplification, or exaggeration that may result in stigmatization and discrimination. |
| Structural Racism |
A system in which public policies, institutional practices, cultural representations, and other norms work in various, often reinforcing, ways to perpetuate racial group inequity. It identifies dimensions of our history and culture that have allowed privileges associates with "whiteness" and disadvantages associated with "color" to endure and adapt over time. Structural racism is not something that a few people or institutions choose to practice. Instead, it has been a feature of the complex, social, economic, and political systems in which we all exist.
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