SECTION 3: SOCIAL JUSTICE GLOSSARY
We see Media Education as one way to promote social justice. As an organization Wide Angle seeks to deepen its understanding of systemic oppressions, move towards a more equitable society and dismantle white supremacy. This is an ongoing transformative process - the work is never complete. This list is not exhaustive - these are the terms we use in our classrooms when engaging youth and within our organization when we discuss how to spark systemic change.
Power
Power exists at the individual, social and institutional levels. For us, it means having access to adequate (or abundant) resources; an ability to influence behavior in others; being given access to decision makers, having decision making autonomy and being given assumed authority. Power is connected to importance (within a social hierarchy) and can be leveraged to do harm (eg: uphold white supremacy by endorsing racist policing policies) or to promote good (eg: to dismantle white supremacy by supporting fair school funding). As an organization, we try to use our institutional power to open new opportunities for our youth; resource share with other organizations; advocate on behalf of our young people; share decision making power with our youth in classrooms and during the creative process; and open doors for youth, alumni, parents and community to help shape our programs.
Oppression
The systematic subjugation of one social group by a more powerful social group for the social, economic, and political benefit of the more powerful social group. Rita Hardiman and Bailey Jackson state that oppression exists when the following 4 conditions are found:
the oppressor group has the power to define reality for themselves and others,
the target groups take in and internalize the negative messages about them and end up cooperating with the oppressors (thinking and acting like them),
genocide, harassment, and discrimination are systematic and institutionalized, so that individuals are not necessary to keep it going, and
members of both the oppressor and target groups are socialized to play their roles as normal and correct.
Oppression = Power + Prejudice (credit: DR Works)
Prejudice
A positive or negative attitude toward a person or group, formed without just grounds or sufficient knowledge, and not likely to be changed in spite of new evidence or contrary argument. Prejudice is an attitude. All social groups can possess them. They are often expressed through code words and symbolic issues rather than overtly offensive language. (Adapted from: Baltimore Racial Justice Action)
Race
An unscientific term and classification system for differences between people, created by Europeans during a period of world-wide colonial expansion, that used themselves as the model for humanity. The purpose of its creation was to assign and maintain white skin access to power and privilege. Although race is a social reality which shapes one’s experiences of the world as a social construct, it has no scientific or biological basis. (Adapted from: Dr. Maulana Karenga)
Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC): We use this term when speaking broadly about the impact of white supremacy/white supremacist systems on all non-white people. When talking about an individual or particular demographic group, the intention is to be specific and clear. (Eg: “Redlining and racist neighborhood covenants were intended to keep Black people out” or “this movie portrays stereotypes of Mexican women”). When citing a more general statement/statistic, then it may be appropriate to reference its impact on BIPOC people (Eg: “COVID-19 has had a disproportionate impact on BIPOC youth unemployment rates.”). We do not use this term to characterize an individual’s identity (EG: “she is Black/Indian-American/Honduran”, not, “she is BIPOC”).
Intersectionality: Each person moves through the world with layered, individual experiences, based on intersections of race, gender, sexual orientation, ability, class, religious background, etc. Some aspects of one’s identity may give them access to power as part of a dominant group (eg: masculinity, whiteness), while others may be a source of discrimination or disempowerment (immigration status, class). The overlapping vulnerabilities created by different systems of power and access can create specific kinds of challenges. (Adapted from: Kimberle Crenshaw).
Racism
An action, belief, behavior, expression, or ideology that impacts people unequally because of their racial identity, resulting in disparities on a personal, institutional, and societal scale, and/or that reinforces an existing system to control and exploit on the basis of race. It is expressed culturally (beliefs, values, and norms), personally (individual acts), and institutionally (policies and practices). (Adapted from: DR Works)
Structural, systematic, institutional: (I.E. structural racism): An element of societal fabric characterized by subtle but deeply embedded norms. When racism is embedded into the very institutions and organizations of society, such that laws, rules, public policy, the education system, law enforcement, etc. are influenced by and perpetuate racism—and typically in ways that are invisible to the white dominant culture, which in many cases (as in the US) consists of white people.
White Supremacy: A state/ideology in which society (laws, institutions, and social 'norms') is designed to prioritize the power, safety, and interests of white people, as a group, to the exclusion/detriment of non-white people. A belief that white people (and their ideas, thoughts, beliefs, and actions) are more important/superior to any other race and should benefit over others because of this. Media sources often promote white supremacy by forwarding negative stereotypes of Blackness and perpetuating Anti-Blackness. Wide Angle student projects have the ability to call attention to and dismantle white supremacy. (Adapted from: DR Works).
Implicit Bias: Refers to the attitudes or stereotypes that affect an individual’s understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner. These biases, which encompass both favorable and unfavorable assessments, are activated involuntarily and without their awareness or intentional control. (Credit: Kirwan Institute at Ohio State University).
Anti-Blackness: A two-part formation that both voids Blackness of value, while systematically marginalizing Black people and their issues. The first form of anti-Blackness is overt racism. Beneath this anti-Black racism is the covert structural and systemic racism which categorically predetermines the socioeconomic status of Blacks in this country. The structure is held in place by anti-Black policies, institutions, and ideologies. The second form of anti-Blackness is the unethical disregard for anti-Black institutions and policies. This disregard is the product of class, race, and/or gender privilege certain individuals experience due to anti-Black institutions and policies. This form of anti-Blackness is protected by the first form of overt racism. (credit: The Council for Democratizing Education)
Anti-racist: A belief system that opposes the ideal that one race is better than another by engaging in the actions needed to overcome racist policy; an active methodology to dismantling white supremacy. Individuals, actions, and structures that work to reduce and eliminate racial disparities and improve or achieve equity within a specific frame of reference (income inequality, for example). (Adapted from: Ibram X. Kendi)
Anti-Racism, Anti-Oppression (ARAO)
Wide Angle continues to work towards integrating anti-racism, anti-oppression at all levels of the organization (staff, leadership, board, and participants), while also acknowledging that the work towards anti-racism is ongoing. Strategies since 2015 have included: Staff professional development with external facilitators on racial justice/racial oppression, restorative practices, mindfulness, accessibility, and trauma informed care; a deepened workforce focus through additional high school supports for college readiness; increased program focus on entrepreneurship and financial literacy to address frequent barriers expressed by youth; strengthened Board pathway opportunities for Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) individuals, alumni, and parents of Wide Angle students past or present; Board ARAO trainings; strengthening board-staff relationships for consistent and authentic feedback loops; and building a list of BIPOC-led businesses to engage as vendors and/or amplify via media services.
