Glossary 

Advocate

A person who publicly supports or recommends a specific cause, or policy.

 

Ambassador

A person who acts as a representative of a group, cause, or specific activity. 

 

Antiracism (Network Value)

The work of actively opposing racism by advocating for changes in political, economic, and social life. Antiracism tends to be an individualized approach and set up in opposition to individual racist behaviors and impact. Race Forward | Race Reporting Guide, 2015

• Network Context:   Racism is present in every aspect of our community. Individual, institutional, and systemic racism are at the root of the policies, practices, and resource flows that produce inequitable results for residents. The inequities that are present in Jackson County disproportionately affect people of color and other traditionally marginalized populations. Achieving equity, specifically racial equity, requires an antiracist approach. To be anti-racist is to actively oppose racism by advocating for changes in political, economic, and social life.

 

Authentic Engagement (Network Value)

Engaging diverse perspectives in all aspects of work. Authentic engagement requires genuine relationships. Genuine relationships require mutual trust and accountability.

• Network Context:   We authentically engage diverse perspectives in all aspects of our work. We understand that we must create and maintain equitable, meaningful, and welcoming opportunities for community members to be involved in identifying root causes and co-designing, evaluating, and improving solutions to systems issues throughout the community. We actively pursue the elimination of barriers to authentic engagement, so all residents have meaningful opportunity to engage in, and inform collaborative efforts. We cannot assume we know the root causes of problems, nor can we assume we know what strategies are needed to address them. Authentic engagement requires genuine relationships. Genuine relationships require mutual trust and accountability.

 

Bias

An attitude you have that makes you treat someone in a way that is unfair or different from the way you treat other people. UC Berkeley | E&I Language Guide

 

Champion

Someone who has a strong belief in a cause and a willingness to dedicate time and effort to it.

 

Collective impact

A collective impact network is a network of community members, organizations, and institutions who advance equity by learning together, aligning and integrating their actions to achieve population and systems level change. Collective Impact Forum | What is collective impact?

 

Consensus

A process of open dialogue and discussion where everyone’s concerns are heard and addressed, leading to a collective decision that all involved agree to abide by and actively support.

• Network Context:  A Fist to Five approach to reaching consensus is used to support all Network Council decision-making.    

 

Continuous Learning (Network Value)

Proactively investigating new perspectives, approaches, and behaviors, and taking steps to evaluate and improve performance. Learning is a priority, it is culture, it is a norm.  The Three Elements of Continuous Learning: Priorities, Plans, and Culture - Collective Impact Forum

• Network Context:  We are on a constant learning journey to grow, develop, and strengthen collaborative work in the Jackson community. This learning journey is focused on helping to build the individual and collective capacity of Network Partners and partner organizations to lead for equity in all things. We embed a culture of continuous improvement throughout our work, always taking time to reflect on our actions and behaviors to ensure alignment with our shared values and principles, and to help improve the effectiveness and efficiency of implementation.

 

Culture

The ways of life or working of a group of people – the behaviors, beliefs, values, and symbols that they accept, generally without thinking about them, that are passed along through communication, socialization, and imitation from one generation to the next. 

 

Dominant culture refers to the prevailing set of beliefs, values, and practices within a society or group based on the power, privilege, and social status held in a society, not necessarily a majority in terms of number.  Attributes of this group are accepted as the ‘norm’ by which other groups are measured or compared, often to their detriment. Notes on a Cultural Strategy for Belonging | Othering & Belonging Institute       

 

Diversity

Having a variety of racial identities or characteristics (e.g., race, gender, age, ethnicity, etc.). It’s a quantitative measure of representation. What is Racial Equity? | Race Forward

 

Empathy

The ability to understand and share the feelings of another. 

 

Equity (Network Value)

A measure of justice that recognizes each person’s different circumstances. It ensures that resources and opportunities are allocated in a way that allows everyone to reach an equal outcome (e.g.: marginalized groups get support so that their wellbeing matches that of others). What is Racial Equity? | Race Forward 

• Network Context:  We pursue and promote equity in all aspects of our work. We constantly seek to understand who is most disadvantaged by existing systems and why. We actively work to create a culture of equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging across all Network groups and Network-hosted spaces.

 

Inclusion

Full access, authentic representation, empowered participation, true belonging, and power sharing. It is the qualitative measure of representation and participation.  What is Racial Equity? | Race Forward

 

Implicit bias

The attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner.  These biases encompass both favorable and unfavorable assessments and are activated involuntarily without an individual’s awareness or intentional control.

 

Intent vs. impact

Intent refers to the purpose or meaning behind a person’s actions or words, while impact refers to the effect or result those actions or words have on others. Intent is the motivation or goal, while impact is the consequence, and these two may not always align and may result in harm. 

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Potential Life Lost

This is the years of life lost when people die prematurely (before age 75). This helps to show how early deaths affect a community, it can highlight health issues, safety concerns, and inequities that may not be as clear when only looking at death rates. 

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Root cause

The fundamental reason for an action or condition.  Something that is holding the problem in

place.

 

Systems change

Systems change is both a process and an outcome.  It is about shifting the conditions that are holding the problem in place. FSG | Water of Systems Change.  Systems thinking can help people understand why changes in multiple sectors are necessary to make genuinely sustainable progress towards racial equity in particular spheres such as education, health, or economic security.  Racial Equity Tools | Fundamentals, Core Concepts, Systems Thinking

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Violent Crimes

Offenses that involve face-to-face confrontation such as aggravated assault, homicide, rape, and robbery. 

 

Unless a specific source is noted, the definitions above have been adapted from a variety of sources including Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Racial Equity Tools Glossary of Terms, Collective Impact Forum, and What is Racial Equity? | Race Forward.