Inclusive Language

Include racial or ethnic details only when they are clearly relevant. From the AP stylebook: “Consider carefully when deciding whether to identify people by race. Often, it is an irrelevant factor, and drawing unnecessary attention to someone’s race or ethnicity can be interpreted as bigotry.”  As per the NIH, “Avoid using Black and White as standalone nouns. Instead of Blacks, use Black people, etc.

Capitalize all references to race, including White. This is a divergence from AP style. Writing white in the lowercase could give the impression that it is the default, neutral, or a standard. The capital letter for a racial identity is not intended to elevate, but to situate."

Avoid collective reference to racial and ethnic minority groups as non-White unless it was a formal category in a database or research document. Instead, indicate the specific groups.

Avoid using race/ethnicity because the slash implies that these are interchangeable terms. Instead use race and ethnicity or race or ethnicity, as appropriate.

Include context when writing about race and other people-related language. Populations should be described specifically whenever possible, and we should not default to using minorities or racial and ethnic groups when writing about specific populations. If the language cannot be made more specific (e.g., Black Americans, Asian Americans), then writing racial and ethnic minority groups is preferred over minorities alone; there are also sexual and gender minority communities, etc.

If race is pertinent to the story, ask your source for their preference on what term(s) to use.

See also: minoritized populations.

Black and African American

• Black and African American are not always interchangeable. Some individuals prefer the term black because they do not identify as African and/or American.
• An African American is a person whose origins are in any of the Black racial groups of Africa. If appropriate, specific terms such as Kenyan or Nigerian may also be used. Black is broader and more inclusive than African American; someone within your target audience could be born in Jamaica and live in the U.S. and identify as Black but not African American. Use of the capitalized Black recognizes that language has evolved and, especially in the United States, the term reflects a shared identity and culture beyond skin color.
• When discussing scientific data, use the term that was used when the research (the source of the data) was being conducted. Capitalize the word Black when referring to race. Do not hyphenate African American or other dual-heritage terms.

• Consider the necessity of using race within your text. Ask yourself: “Would I mention ‘white student’ or ‘white faculty member’ when discussing others?”

Asian, Asian American, Pacific Islander

• A person whose origins are in any of the original populations of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, Bangladesh, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Do not use the word oriental.
• Use specific terms whenever possible. If race is pertinent to the story, ask your source for their preference on what term(s) to use. Do not hyphenate Asian American or other dual-heritage terms.
• AAPI, which stands for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, is an acronym widely used by people within these communities but may not be familiar to readers outside of them; spell out the full term and define when used in quotations.

• Refer to groups as Asian students, Asian faculty members, etc., not Asians.
• Consider the necessity of using race within your text. Ask yourself: “Would I mention ‘white student’ or ‘white faculty member’ when discussing others?

Hispanic

• A person descended from Spanish-speaking populations. People who identify their origin as Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish may be of any race. Most people with origins in Brazil are considered Latino but not Hispanic because most Brazilians speak Portuguese. Similarly, Spanish people may be considered Hispanic but not Latino. Because the terms are vague, use the more specific geographic origin (Colombian, Honduran, Argentinian), if possible.

• People from Mexico, Cuba, and Guatemala who speak Spanish are both Hispanic and Latin(o/a)/Latinx.
• Brazilians who speak Portuguese are Latin(o/a)/Latinx but not Hispanic.
• Spanish-speaking people in Spain and outside Latin America are Hispanic but not Latin(o/a)/Latinx.

Latino/a, Latinx, Latine

• A person whose origins are in Latin America, including Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South America, or Central America. If appropriate, specific terms such as Brazilian or Honduran may also be used. Latino is reserved for men and Latina for women. The plural Latinas is for a group of women and Latinos is for a group of men. A mixed gender group of Latin American descent, however, would use the masculine Latinos.
• Latinx is a gender-neutral term used primarily by English-speaking people in the U.S. Latinx is a research-based designation, rather than community-based language. Only use Latinx if someone has said they identify that way; it is not accepted or used by many Latinos.
• Latine, a term created by LGBTQI+ Spanish speakers, uses the letter "e" to illustrate gender inclusivity within existing Spanish pronunciation.
• Not everyone with Latin American heritage uses Latine or Latinx, many continue to use Latino as a gender-neutral default. Use specific language (e.g., Guatemalan American, if appropriate) and ask for personal identity preferences whenever possible.

Native American, American Indian, Alaska Native

• Native American is preferred unless the individual or group specifies otherwise.
• Occasionally some prefer American Indian; however, this is not universal.
• American Indians and Alaska Natives, abbreviated as AI/AN, are people belonging to any American Indian or Alaska Native Tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village, or community. When describing an AI/AN person, always use their preferred Tribal affiliation. When unsure, ask. Use people to describe a single Tribe and peoples to describe multiple Tribes.
• Many AI/AN Tribes have multiple names, some of which they did not choose for themselves. To learn a Tribe’s preference, check their government website or ask a Tribal member directly. Always capitalize the names of AI/AN Tribes. Examples: Cherokee Nation, Nooksack Indian Tribe, Oglala Sioux Tribe, Anvik Village.

• Do not use the term minority to refer to individuals/students from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. Instead, use “people of color/students of color."

• Do not use the term minority to describe students from diverse backgrounds.
• When referring to multiple groups of students from diverse backgrounds, use “Underserved/Under Represented students”; however, use the specific group title when possible.

• Do not hyphenate national origins even if they are used as adjectives. The use of the hyphen is rooted in the history of the “hyphenated American’—an epithet used during the late 19th century to the early 20th century to ridicule Americans of foreign birth or origin.
• Additionally, identifiers such as African American, Native American, Asian American, are never hyphenated—even if they are used as adjectives.

• Do not use the word “illegal immigrant” or “illegal alien” to refer to individuals who are not U.S. citizens/permanent residents, who do not hold visas to reside in the U.S., or who have not applied for official residency. 
• These words dehumanize the individual by stripping their identity down to a legal status. Instead of saying “illegal immigrant” or “illegal alien”, use “undocumented.”