The Amazigh people (22-40 million) inhabit a territory spanning most of North Africa, from the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts up to the Sahel. Since the 20th century, it also has had a substantial presence in Europe through the Amazigh diaspora. North Africa’s 25 million Amazigh (so-called Berbers) have long struggled to preserve their identity. Originally spread across the south of the Mediterranean, the majority have lived in Algeria and Morocco for thousands of years but have been denied the right to inhabit their culture and speak their language for centuries. Amid a long history of colonial suppression is the desire to no longer be referred to as Berbers but as Amazigh, meaning "free people,” and for their language to be known as Tamazight. Though these issues are still being hotly debated between the people concerned and those wielding power, progress has been made. Find more here.
Arabs are people who identify as being from one of the 22 Arab League Nations (see below) who share a common language, history and culture. Arabs are also one of many ethnicities that practice Islam. But not all Arabs are Muslim; 7% adhere to other religions (e.g., approximately 5% of Arabs are Christian; approximately 63% of U.S. Arabs are Christian, 24% Muslim, 13% are other or have no religious affiliation).
The centrally planned and systematically executed deportation and murder of 2 million+ Christian Armenians, Greeks, and Assyrians by the Ottoman Turkish government from 1915-1923.
The practice of alternating between two or more languages or varieties of language in conversation. For instance, Latinx Americans who speak a combination of Spanish, Indigenous/Native dialects, and English or Black Americans who speak African American Vernacular English (or Black English) and English. Code-switching is often used at home or among members of the same communities, and people don’t necessarily code-switch to someone who doesn’t speak their same language.
The practice of someone maintaining customs and values of two or more different cultures that make up their identity. In engaging with their separate cultures, someone can create a new hybrid identity that seeks to balance these multiple parts of them. Cultural hybridity is an ongoing, active, and fluid process that is shaped by history and background.
A community of people from the same homeland who have been scattered or have migrated to other lands. While most often associated with the Jewish people expelled from the Kingdom of Israel in the 6th century BCE, the diaspora of many ethnic groups is found around the world today.
1) A diaspora is a group of people who have been forced from or chosen to leave their homeland to settle in other lands;
2) People of a diaspora typically preserve and celebrate the culture and traditions of their homeland;
3) Diaspora may be created by voluntary emigration or by force, as in the cases of wars, enslavement, or natural disasters. For more.
The process of managing feelings and expressions in order to fulfill the emotional requirements of a job. More specifically, when workers have to regulate emotions to shape the minds of superiors, co-workers, and customers. Emotional labor more often falls on BIPOC people, especially women (e.g., swallowing down feelings about a racist or sexist comment so as not to make things awkward for another individual, having to fake positivity to placate a customer).
The long-term psychological effects of trauma (both personal and communal) that can be passed down through generations of families and cultures. Beyond psychological, these generational effects are also familial, social, cultural, neurobiological, and possibly even genetic.
A Hindu is a subscriber to Hinduism, which is one of the world’s oldest religions originating in India and comprising religious, cultural, and philosophical concepts such as Karma, Dharma, and reincarnation. Hinduism is the world’s 3rd-largest organized religion after Islam and Christianity, and India’s most practiced religion. Hinduism’s fundamental teaching, or Vedanta, is that a human being's basic nature isn’t confined to the body or mind. Beyond both is the spirit or the spark of God within the soul. For more. Hindi is the language spoken by 45% of India.
An intrinsic, embodied part of who someone is (e.g., race, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability), not to be confused with the various experiences, ideologies, and preferences they identify with (e.g., careers, politics, hobbies). Identity shapes our everyday life, psychology, culture, relationships, behavior, and shared history. Identity is deeply personal and language used to describe it is ever-evolving. We must be open to new language as understanding shifts; it’s vital to use the terms, names, and pronouns others use for themselves. Note: Avoid the phrasing “identify as” (e.g. “she is a woman” instead of “she identifies as a woman”; “they are non-binary” vs “they identify as non-binary”).
Those who move to take permanent residence in a new country.
A person from Iran, with Iranian citizenship, and/or self-identifying as from or connected to the nation of Iran. For political, religious, and cultural reasons, some refer to themselves as Iranian and others as Persian. Iranians/Persians are not Arabs.
The term MENA (for Middle East and North Africa) recognizes differences between two sweepingly large regions. “Middle East” is a colonial designation, comprising a region stunning in its magnitude for diversity of cultures, languages and religions, ethnicities, and races. There are many variations on what the region includes, but it most commonly encompasses the following countries: Afghanistan, Armenia, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Yemen, along with North African countries of Algeria, Egypt, Libya Morocco, and Tunisia.
MENA ethnicities, languages, and religions: 50+ ethnic groups in the region, the largest being Arabs, Persians, and Turks. Others include Amazigh, Armenians, Druze, Greeks, Jews, Yazidis, etc. Within these ethnic groups, all races are represented. Arabic and Farsi are the most-spoken languages among 60+; there are multiple Arabic dialects, which vary country to country, city to city. The MENA region is also the birthplace of the three Abrahamic faiths (Islam, Christianity, and Judaism), and many other religions are also practiced.
Chronically high levels of stress endured by members of stigmatized communities (e.g., BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disabled, religious minorities, HIV+) caused by the prejudice, discrimination, and systemic oppression they face. This leads to a number of negative mental and physical health disparities among these groups (e.g., internalized racism, transphobia, homophobia; increased risk-taking behavior; anxiety; high blood pressure).
Indigenous Black tribe in Northern Sudan and Southern Egypt.
A pattern of exclusion and marginalization based on having identities that are different from the perceived “norms” of a community, social group, nation, etc. It relies on an “us vs. them” mentality.
A race-related stressor is something that causes psychological or emotional distress that an individual or group of people experience as a result of being a target of a racial discriminatory action (e.g., microaggressions, hate crimes, institutionalized racism). These stressors impact how individuals or racial and ethnic populations age (e.g., African Americans have higher rates of dementia and Alzheimer’s due to chronic stress; Arab Americans report high levels of depression and anxiety due to bias-motivated violence; Asian Americans’ health conditions often go untreated due to a lack of culturally and linguistically accessible care; Latinx Americans have high rates of negative mental health outcomes due to bigotry and prejudice; Native Americans and Alaskan Natives have a lower life expectancy because of disproportionate poverty, discrimination in the delivery of health services, and cultural differences).
Overall, older people among ethnic minorities report poorer health outcomes than white older people no matter their social and economic conditions. More on African Americans here and here, and more on Arab Americans here.
The conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age. These are shaped by the distribution of money, power, and resources at global, national, and local levels. Conditions (e.g., social, economic, physical) in these various environments and settings (e.g., school, church, workplace, neighborhood) have been referred to as “place.” In addition to the more material aspects of “place,” patterns of social engagement and sense of security and well-being are also affected by where people live.
Resources that enhance quality of life can have a significant influence on population health outcomes (e.g., safe and affordable housing, availability of healthy foods, toxin-free environments). How population groups experience “place” directly impacts the specific social components of SDoH (e.g., access to educational, economic, and job opportunities; public safety; language and literacy) and public components of SDoH (e.g., natural environments, built environments). See here for more details.
Refers to art or media that exploits the pain, suffering, and brutalization of marginalized people for the sake of entertainment. These depictions cater to non-marginalized viewers and characters rather than exploring the experience, situation, or POV of the person(s) being victimized. These kinds of depictions are harmful for all viewers as they deny the life and livelihood of those being victimized, devaluing their existence in our communities and society, granting no opportunity for empathy and deeper understanding.
The U.S. Constitution mandates that America gets only one chance every 10 years to count its population. The U.S. Census counts every resident in the United States. The data collected determine the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives (a process called apportionment) and is also used to distribute billions in federal funds to local communities. Find more here.