CRRF Glossary

Title	Definition
Racist	Refers to an individual, institution, or organization whose beliefs and/or actions imply (intentionally or unintentionally) that certain races have distinctive negative or inferior characteristics. Also refers to racial discrimination inherent in the policies, practices and procedures of institutions, corporations, and organizations which, though applied to everyone equally and may seem fair, result in exclusion or act as barriers to the advancement of marginalized groups, thereby perpetuating racism.
Racist slurs	Insulting or disparaging statements directed towards a particular racial or ethnic group. Racist incidents express racist assumptions and beliefs through banter, racist jokes, name calling, teasing, discourteous treatment, graffiti, stereotyping, threats, insults, physical violence or genocide.
Segregation	The social, physical, political and economic separation of diverse groups of people, particularly referring to ideological and structural barriers to civil liberties, equal opportunity and participation by minorities within a majority racial, ethnic, religious, linguistic or social group. Segregation may be a mutually voluntary arrangement but more frequently is enforced by the majority group and its institutions.
Sins of Omission	In generic terms, the failure to speak out or act, thereby causing harm to individuals or groups by maintaining silence or lack of action. The term may also refer to the omission of minority groups from the media, educational or religious curricular materials and from cultural and political foci. The effects of “sins of omission” may be similar to the actual commission of blatantly hostile acts or even covert racist or sexist acts.
Social Justice	A concept premised upon the belief that each individual and group within society is to be given equal opportunity, fairness, civil liberties and participation in the social, educational, economic, institutional and moral freedoms and responsibilities valued by the society.
Status Indian	An Aboriginal person who is designated an “Indian” by the Indian Act, determining who can or cannot receive various rights or benefits conferred by the Act.
Stereotype	A preconceived over generalization of a group of people, ascribing the same characteristic(s) to all members of the group, regardless of their individual differences. An overgeneralization, in which the information or experience on Stereotyping may be based upon misconceptions, incomplete information and/or false generalizations about race, age, ethnic, linguistic, geographical or natural groups, religions, social, marital or family status, physical, developmental or mental attributes, gender or sexual orientation.
Systemic Discrimination	The institutionalization of discrimination through policies and practices which may appear neutral on the surface but which have an exclusionary impact on particular groups, such that various minority groups are discriminated against, intentionally or unintentionally. This occurs in institutions and organizations where the policies, practices and procedures (e.g. employment systems – job requirements, hiring practices, promotion procedures, etc.) exclude and/or act as barriers to racialized groups. Systemic discrimination may also result from some government laws and regulations.
Tolerance	Usually meant as a liberal attitude toward those whose race, religion, nationality, etc. is different from one’s own. Since it has the connotation of ‘put up with’, today the term acceptance is preferred. That is, through anti-racism and equity work we aim to counter intolerance, and to achieve acceptance for all.
Visible Minority	Term used to describe people who are not White. Although it is a legal term widely used in human rights legislation and various policies, currently the terms racialized minority or people of colour are preferred by people labelled as ‘visible minorities’.

Racist

Refers to an individual, institution, or organization whose beliefs and/or actions imply (intentionally or unintentionally) that certain races have distinctive negative or inferior characteristics. Also refers to racial discrimination inherent in the policies, practices and procedures of institutions, corporations, and organizations which, though applied to everyone equally and may seem fair, result in exclusion or act as barriers to the advancement of marginalized groups, thereby perpetuating racism.

Racist slurs

Insulting or disparaging statements directed towards a particular racial or ethnic group. Racist incidents express racist assumptions and beliefs through banter, racist jokes, name calling, teasing, discourteous treatment, graffiti, stereotyping, threats, insults, physical violence or genocide.

Segregation

The social, physical, political and economic separation of diverse groups of people, particularly referring to ideological and structural barriers to civil liberties, equal opportunity and participation by minorities within a majority racial, ethnic, religious, linguistic or social group. Segregation may be a mutually voluntary arrangement but more frequently is enforced by the majority group and its institutions.

Sins of Omission

In generic terms, the failure to speak out or act, thereby causing harm to individuals or groups by maintaining silence or lack of action. The term may also refer to the omission of minority groups from the media, educational or religious curricular materials and from cultural and political foci. The effects of “sins of omission” may be similar to the actual commission of blatantly hostile acts or even covert racist or sexist acts.

Social Justice

A concept premised upon the belief that each individual and group within society is to be given equal opportunity, fairness, civil liberties and participation in the social, educational, economic, institutional and moral freedoms and responsibilities valued by the society.

Status Indian

An Aboriginal person who is designated an “Indian” by the Indian Act, determining who can or cannot receive various rights or benefits conferred by the Act.

Stereotype

A preconceived over generalization of a group of people, ascribing the same characteristic(s) to all members of the group, regardless of their individual differences. An overgeneralization, in which the information or experience on Stereotyping may be based upon misconceptions, incomplete information and/or false generalizations about race, age, ethnic, linguistic, geographical or natural groups, religions, social, marital or family status, physical, developmental or mental attributes, gender or sexual orientation.

Systemic Discrimination

The institutionalization of discrimination through policies and practices which may appear neutral on the surface but which have an exclusionary impact on particular groups, such that various minority groups are discriminated against, intentionally or unintentionally. This occurs in institutions and organizations where the policies, practices and procedures (e.g. employment systems – job requirements, hiring practices, promotion procedures, etc.) exclude and/or act as barriers to racialized groups. Systemic discrimination may also result from some government laws and regulations.

Tolerance

Usually meant as a liberal attitude toward those whose race, religion, nationality, etc. is different from one’s own. Since it has the connotation of ‘put up with’, today the term acceptance is preferred. That is, through anti-racism and equity work we aim to counter intolerance, and to achieve acceptance for all.

Visible Minority

Term used to describe people who are not White. Although it is a legal term widely used in human rights legislation and various policies, currently the terms racialized minority or people of colour are preferred by people labelled as ‘visible minorities’.