Grassroots Glossary

33 Social justice terminology terms

The People's Safety Coalition know that everyday people are out ready to take their power back and fight the fight. Some might be new to activism, and some might be long-time fighters. There is a place for everyone. This glossary will hopefully help you become acquainted with common terms used in activist spaces.

abolition: abolition is a political vision with the goal of eliminating imprisonment, policing, and surveillance and creating lasting alternatives to punishment and imprisonment. From where we are now, sometimes we can’t really imagine what abolition is going to look like. Abolition isn’t just about getting rid of buildings full of cages. It’s also about undoing the society we live in because the PIC both feeds on and maintains oppression and inequalities through punishment, violence, and controls millions of people. Because the PIC is not an isolated system, abolition is a broad strategy. An abolitionist vision means that we must build models today that can represent how we want to live in the future. It means developing practical strategies for taking small steps that move us toward making our dreams real and that lead us all to believe that things really could be different. It means living this vision in our daily lives. http://criticalresistance.org/about/not-so-common-language/
accountability: a process or journey in which an individual takes responsibility for harms they have caused, and when possible, makes restitution or amends to those of whom they have harmed, while also taking responsibility to prevent the harm.; Example: "After accidentally causing a car accident, John Doe took accountability by paying for the repairs of the other driver at Burn's Car Shop."
autonomy: the ability to act on one's own behalf, without coercion or control.
cisgender (cis): someone of whom identifies as the same sex or gender in which they were assigned at birth. a man who has a penis that was born with a penis is a cisgender man. a woman who has a vagina that was born with a vagina is a cisgender woman.; Example: Beyonce' is a cisgender woman. Laverne Cox is a transgender woman. Joseph Biden is a cisgender man. Chaz Bono is a transgender man.
coercive: the utilization of threats, or the utilization of actual injury to one's psychological, economic, or physical well-being, or the well-being of a loved one, with the intent of forcing an individual to comply with demands. non-coercive means to invite someone to comply with a demand or request solely upon their own consent and self-determination.; Example: "After accidentally running a red light, I was coerced by the state to pay a $500 fine, or they would suspend my driver license, and I would not be able to pick up my kids from school."
conflict: a dispute between two or more individuals in which has created a disruption either interpersonally, or among the community.; Example: "Mom and Dad had to get a divorce because they could not solve a conflict."
consent: non-coerced and direct permission granted by another in relation to their being. Consent requires one's ability to make a decision that is fully informed, that is autonomous, and in order to consent, one must have the full capacity of mind to consent.; Example: "When I came in the room, I asked her if it was okay to give her a hug, and say gave me consent by saying yes and opening her arms."
crime: a violation of a law imposed by a government, often interchangeably used to describe harm, although a crime may or may not be a harm.
empathy: the ability to share the feelings, and understand the feelings of another, to the best of your ability.; Example: "Watching them struggle with mental illness, I felt a bunch of empathy, because I have been there myself."
excuse: an exception from accountability, or an exoneration from blame for the underlying explanation or cause for a harm, or unfavorable action, or event. an excuse is something that could not be prevented, or that a reasonable person would believe would cause another to do or not do something otherwise that they should or shouldn't have.; Example: if you were on your way to work, and then got into a car accident, and became unconscious, causing you to miss work, a reasonable person would understand that it was an unforeseen tragic accident, and it would not be fair, just, or reasonable to expect you to take accountability.
fatphobia: thoughts, sayings, actions, or representations with intent to injure, marginalize, or oppress an individual solely based upon their body size being considered outside of the normal accepted body size within their community. a guide to fatphobia
harm: an action of which causes injury to one's physical or psychological well-being. these may be micro-harms, or macro-harms.
harm causer: an individual who has caused harm to someone.
heteronormative: thoughts, sayings, actions, or representations designed to fit in with the normal roles and social norms considered dominate and universal, based solely upon the lived experience of heteroromantic and heterosexual communities.
heterosexism (homophobia): thoughts, sayings, or actions in which regardless of intent injure, oppress, or marginalize an individual who is apart of, or perceived as, a marginalized romantic or sexual orientation.. thoughts, sayings, or actions in which regardless of intent depict members of a marginalized romantic or sexual orientation to be less than, or inferior to those who are, or perceived as, heteroromantic or heterosexual.
marginalization: treatment of an individual to be of a lower status than the dominate status in a social hierarchy
mediation: a dialogue facilitated between two or more individuals in dispute, or in conflict, in which is designed to create appropriate, balanced, and accountable resolutions.
needs: tools, resources, or supplies that an individual must have to live at their highest physical or psychological well-being; Example: food, water, shelter, love, community, transportation are examples of needs.
oppression: “being oppressed means the absence of choices. It is the primary point of contact between the oppressed and the oppressor” bell hooks prolonged exposure to conditions in which an individual is subjected to persistent psychological, economical, and physical distress, solely due to their actual or perceived identity, or status within a social hierarchy.
punitive (punishment): an action or result with an intent to discipline an individual by intentionally depriving another of a physical and/or emotional need in which negatively impacts their well-being
queer: an individual whose romantic or sexual orientation, or whose gender identity, is considered to be outside of the norms accepted in society. the term may sometimes be perceived as a slur, especially among older individuals. the term is considered "reclaimed" by many, but not all. therefore, you should respect an individuals choice to identify as queer, or to not do so.
racism: thoughts, sayings, or actions in which regardless of intent injure, oppress, or marginalize an individual who is apart of a marginalized race. thoughts, sayings, or actions in which regardless of intent depict members of a marginalized race to be less than, or inferior to the dominate identity. an individual or action that perpetuates racism is known as racist.
reason: the cause behind why something happened or did not happen, the root or underlying explanation. reason is not the same thing as an excuse. uncovering the reason helps you create an accountability plan that will address the root, and prevent the cycle from repeating. it still does not exonerate an individual from repairing the harm, even if the reason is valid.; Example: "the reason John Doe hit Jim Doe was because he was angry, and does not know how to manage his anger. We are going to help John take accountability for his actions."
restorative: a thought, saying, or action by its intent designed to foster healing, accountability, and wholeness within an individual, absent coercive or punitive demands or results.
restorative justice: an approach to justice, resolving conflicts, and repairing harms in which one of the responses to a conflict/situation is to organize a process between the victim/survivor(s), the harm causer(s), and the impacted community.
self-determination: when one has the autonomy, the competence, and feels connected through the relatedness, to make a clear decision that is in the best interest of themselves, and/or their specified goals.
sexual orientation: sexual orientation is an identity that defines which gender or sex an individual is sexually attracted to. romantic orientation is an identity that defines which gender or sex an individual is romantically attracted to, such as wanting to date, or marry individual(s) of a certain gender or sex. see also split attraction.; Example: "Mary is a woman who exclusively enjoys relationships and sex with men. Her romantic and sexual orientation is heterosexual, or straight. Lamar is a man who exclusively enjoys relationships and sex with men. His romantic and sexual orientation is homosexual, or gay. Patrick is a man who enjoys relationships with only women, but enjoys sex with all genders. His romantic orientation is heterosexual or straight, but his sexual orientation is pansexual."
split attraction: an individual whose romantic orientation does not match their sexual orientation.; Example: a woman who is romantically attracted exclusively to men is heteroromantic. if she sexually attracted to people of multiple genders, she is bisexual/pansexual. therefore, she is heteromantic bisexual, and her romantic orientation and sexual orientation do not match.
sympathy: to feel pity or sorrow for another, or their situation.
toxic stress: an excessive amount of stress in which long-term exposure may have lasting negative impact on one's neurological and psychiatric development, as a result of an abundance of stress hormones in the body, such as cortisol.
transgender (trans): an individual who identifies as a gender or sex that is different than the gender assigned upon them at both. transgender people may be men, women, or non-binary. transgender people may be of any romantic or sexual orientation, and may or may not conform to the gender binary or gender roles.; Example: Elliot Page is a transgender man, Caitlyn Jenner is a transgender woman, Indya Moore is a non-binary individual.