There are many glossaries that can help inform facilitators' work and are useful to suggest to learners. Some have been listed below. These descriptions are referred to as ‘working definitions’ as people can be more comfortable with some terms and definitions than others. 

Working definitions

It is important to acknowledge that language and terminology keeps evolving and every individual will have different preferences. Some terms used to describe different groups of people, as of 2024 include:

BME: Black and Minority Ethnic  

BAME: Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic

Guidance from the UK Government explains that we do not use the terms ‘BME’ and ‘BAME’. This is because these terms are frequently used to group all ethnic minorities together. This can disguise differences in outcomes between ethnic groups.

Minority ethnic (ME): Minority Ethnic. The term “ethnics” should not be used on its own.

Black people: heterogeneous group of people who have African or Caribbean ancestry and who may experience anti-Black racism. In the British trade union movement, this term has also been used to describe anyone at risk of experiencing racism.

Mixed ethnic background: is used to refer to people with mixed or multiple ethnic identities. We don’t say ‘Mixed people’ or ‘Mixed race people’. 

People of colour (PoC): a heterogeneous group of people who may experience racism because of their skin colour. Please note the term “coloured” is not acceptable.

B(I)POC: Black people, (Indigenous), and people of colour. Another version of this is "Black and brown people."

Gypsy, Roma, Traveller (GRT): a heterogeneous group of minority ethnic people with a heritage of nomadic lifestyles and unique languages.

White people: a heterogeneous group that tends to refer to a socially-constructed-identity based on skin colour. Some research and people choose to use the term “non-white” to describe those who aren’t white.

Racialised identity or racialised minority: a term which reflects the process of society placing people in set categories and the subsequent negative effects of that categorisation.

Global Majority: a collective term for people of Indigenous, African, Asian, or Latin American descent, who constitute approximately 85 percent of the global population.  

People with lived experiences of racism / at risk of experiencing racism: this term is sometimes used to be inclusive of a wide variety of groups who might experience racism.

Race

The equality act definition of 'race' includes race, ethnicity and nationality.

Race: Race is a social construct, and not a biological reality. It is a system of categorisation invented by Europeans used to privilege some groups and exploit others. Generally based on skin colour and physical features but can be influenced by other features such as religion. Rooted in history and power, fluid and constantly reinventing itself.  (https://www.theantiracisteducator.com/race)  

Ethnicity: An ethnic group is a group of people who are bound together by certain characteristics. These typically include language, culture, history, folklore, ideology, national origin, nationality or ancestry.

Nationality: Typically refers to the legal right to belong to a country, as stated on passports.

Professional learning

For further support, please consider using the two professional learning activities to support conversations about race:

• Talking about Racism, Professional Learning Activity on Education Scotland

• Talking about Diversity from Education Scotland’s Inclusion, Wellbeing and Equalities Professional Learning Framework.

Glossaries of terms

Glossary (theantiracisteducator.com)

CRER Glossary (Prepared for the Sheku Bayoh Inquiry)

Glossary | Racial Equity Tools

Anti-racism in Education Programme: factsheet - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)