Many of us are watching the on-going protests against the brutality of racist police violence and excesses in state power. As we watch, some of us are wondering how we can respectfully show our support for the cause.  We are wondering: how we can actively participate? How we can stand and walk alongside those who are insisting that Black Lives Matter?

As conversations around anti-racism continue, I wanted to share a third article in this series about how we, as outsiders, can demonstrate our solidarity in the anti-racism movement.  To recap, here are the tips so far:

• Tip #1 is to reflect on your privilege and
• Tip #2 is to be humble.

So here’s tip #3: Understand the power of language.

The Power of Language

There is power in language.

Language has been used to disempower, to objectify, and to dehumanize Black, other racialized and Indigenous people throughout history. Language is used to divide people between us vs. them and to dehumanize communities of people. When people in power, including government officials, use dehumanizing language, it lays the groundwork to implement policies that divide.  Governments that encourage “us” vs. “them” mentalities and deliberately use dehumanizing language and implement dehumanizing policies create conditions that can lead to genocide.  In the context of slavery, slaveowners chose the names of their slaves, who were seen and treated as property. In Indian Residential Schools in Canada, Indigenous children’s names were taken away and they were assigned numbers instead.  Language is powerful and communicates important messages about what and who we value.

In light of the power of language, here are three specific tips for outsiders who are actively working on anti-racism about how to use language carefully and appropriately.

1. Learn and Use Respectful Terminology

Language is fluid – appropriate and respectful terminology changes over time. Communities fighting to dismantle systemic racism and colonialism have created and identified terminology to describe themselves. Communities have also identified terminology that is not respectful. Many communities have demonstrated their resistance by taking back negative terms and reinventing them in ways that defy White supremacy and the deep-seated racism that birthed those terms. In so doing, these communities have resisted the violent and harmful use of language and identified terms that speak to their power, strength, agency and resistance.

As outsiders we need to make a commitment to learn about what words are appropriate and those that are no longer understood as respectful. Terms that were once used have been exposed as extremely disrespectful. Terms that were once seen as respectful may no longer be used and may be criticized as no longer relevant or appropriate. If a person from that group tells you a term isn’t respectful, don’t use it.

Similarly, terminology to refer to those who stand in solidarity with members of the community being targeted by systemic racism has changed over time. In the context of Black Lives Matter, Black scholars, activists and community members have made clear that there are differing views of the appropriateness of the term “ally.” They have made clear that “performative allyship” – acts of allyship that are done to demonstrate one’s solidarity but that don’t move the needle on addressing systemic racism – are unhelpful. Many of these acts of allyship are criticized on the basis that they do not require any sacrifice on the part of White people or so-called “allies”. Rather, they seem to be aimed to benefit the person “performing” allyship. As a result, there has been criticism of the term “ally” and many Black leaders, academics and community members prefer the terms “accomplice,” “comrade in arms” or “co-resister.”

Two things to remember about this terminology:

1. these terms are specific to the Black Lives Matter struggle. Other racialized and Indigenous communities may have different terms and a different view of the terms used to refer to those who stand in solidarity with them.
2. as outsiders, we are not appropriately positioned to declare ourselves allies, (or accomplices, comrades in arms or co-resistors). That declaration can only come from those within the community resisting oppression.

As an outsider, it’s important to recognize that respectful language and terminology will change over time. This means that as outsiders, we need to avoid expressing frustration with the changing terminology or with differing views on appropriate terminology.   As an outsider, it’s also important not to center yourself or your experience in the anti-racism struggle. It’s not about you. It’s not about clarity and consistency for you. Rather, it’s about those who are experiencing and leading the fight to dismantle systemic racism. And in the end, it’s about abolishing racism.

As outsiders attempting to demonstrate solidarity, therefore, we need to make the effort to learn about appropriate terminology. And even if we do this work, we will undoubtedly make missteps or encounter those who do not like the terms we choose to use. When this happens, go back to tip #2 and be humble.

2. Use active voice and avoid softening language

There is nothing soft about racism. There is nothing gentle about racism. It is sharp, painful and dehumanizing.

As outsiders attempting to walk in solidarity with those fighting against racism, we need to use a critical lens with respect to language that describes Black, other racialized and Indigenous people. Racism has both pointed and soft edges. It may be overt or it may be very subtle. Both forms are extremely harmful.

When we read news articles or comments about Black, other racialized and Indigenous people, notice where language has been softened to minimize the role of the government, the system, and the actors within that system in constructing and maintaining racism and colonialism. Softening language relating to systems of racist violence and oppression only serves to perpetuate systemic racism. As an outsider, we need to resist the temptation to soften language about racism and we need to recognize when others are doing this as well.

To make this point clearer, here are two examples that pull from articles written about Mr. George Floyd’s death that demonstrate how the softening of language minimizes the existence of individual and systemic racism.

“A black man in Minneapolis died on Monday after being handcuffed and pinned to the ground by law enforcement, which has led to the firing of four police officers.” Vox

Here we read that Mr. Floyd “died…after being handcuffed and pinned to the ground.” This sentence softens the horrific violence of Mr. Floyd at the hands of police. This sentence also mentions Mr. Floyd’s race but fails to mention the fact that Derek Chauvin, the police officer who killed Mr Floyd, is White.

By contrast, here is another excerpt from a news article that acknowledges Derek Chauvin’s deliberate and violent actions that resulted in Mr. Floyd’s death:

“Floyd, a Black man who was handcuffed, died on May 25 after Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes as Floyd said he couldn’t breathe.” CBC News

This second description acknowledges the deliberate actions of Derek Chauvin and his role in causing Mr. Floyd’s untimely death. It also acknowledges the races of both Derek Chauvin and Mr. Floyd, which immediately raises questions about whether the actions may have been influenced by racism. It’s not perfect, however, because this example uses the softer description that Mr. Floyd “died” rather than the stronger language that he was “killed” by the police officer.

(If you are interested in reading more about the power of language, there is a good article in The Atlantic.  It talks about the use and harm of softened language by media to cover the protests in the United States in relation to police brutality and systemic racism in the context of Black Lives Matter.)

Softening language by erasing the actors who perpetuate systemic racism minimizes the fact that people are involved in maintaining the system of racism.   Doing this also has the potential to deepen inaccurate and harmful negative stereotypes about Black, other racialized and Indigenous people.  This is so because if the language fails to name the systems, institutions or actors who perpetuate systemic racism, people reading/hearing the language may inappropriately link the racist treatment to an inherent attribute of or negative stereotype about Black, Indigenous or other racialized communities.  The softening of language therefore has a harmful and dangerous impact both on how people understand and how they fail to understand systemic racism.

As outsiders, we need to be careful to name the systems, institutions, and/or actors that perpetuate and maintain systemic racism. We also need to critically consider the ways language is being used to deflect responsibility away from and minimize the role of those systems, institutions, or actors.  We need to notice when language is being used to take the violence out of racism.

3. Recognize the Difference between In-Group and Out-Group Terms

There are in-group terms and out-group terms. In-group terms are those that people who are members of the community use to refer to themselves and members of their community. In-group terms may include terms that have been historically used to discriminate against that group but have been reclaimed, redefined, and are being used commonly within the community. Outsiders to the community should not use in-group terms . All of us can think of these types of terms. One common example arises in the lyrics in rap music, which contain in-group terms that would not be appropriate for outsiders to use.

Out-group terms are those words and identifiers that outsiders to the community can use that are seen as generally respectful. These may include general terms like “Indigenous Peoples,” “Black people,” and “racialized communities”. This doesn’t mean that various people who are members of those communities will always find those terms perfect, however, they are generally considered respectful terms.

With respect to out-group terms, you may hear from a member of the in-group that the general terms you are using aren’t being experienced as respectful. If that is the situation you find yourself in, stop and listen, be open to learning, and be humble. Avoid insisting that that is the respectful term because someone told you it was or you read that it was a respectful term somewhere.  If a member of that community is correcting you, listen and demonstrate your respect by using the terminology that that person is asking you to use. As outsiders, it’s important to understand that within every community and society, there are differing perspectives on many things, including respectful terminology.

As outsiders attempting to demonstrate our solidarity in anti-racism movements, remember these three tips about the power of language:

• Learn and use respectful terminology;
• Use active voice and avoid softening language; and
• Recognize the difference between in-group and out-group terms

These are just a few tips for outsiders on how and why to be careful with language.  Look for our next article on the importance of educating yourself quietly.

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

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