“We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.” —Toni Morrison

Compassion, grace, and empathy are essential to successful communication. The words we use influence our intent, impact, actions, and reactions. At their best, words can inspire us, build bridges, and strengthen relationships. But careless or thoughtless words can just as easily cause harm. Without understanding the impact of our words, even the best intentions can wound. 

In recent years, there has been greater intentional focus on equitable language and communication. That focus has led to noticeable, positive change. The arts and culture field is uniquely positioned to help reinforce and advance this movement, particularly through the literary work of playwrights, novelists, poets, journalists, dramaturgs, editors, scholars, and critics. 

Equitable language opens dialogue and invites more people to the conversation. The words we use and the way we approach language can be the difference between diverse storytelling and empowered representation, or failed attempts to establish equity. The ripple effect of creating and adopting equitable language is limitless. That’s why language banks and similar tools are so crucial to navigating conversations, communications, and storytelling, and why these tools are essential to how we move forward together. 

In 2020, a wave happened. This wave—the result of decades of social justice and civil rights work—rose in the wake of inequities illuminated by the pandemic, murders of Black and Brown bodies at the hands of police, and anti-Asian violence. Organizations across the country made declarations of solidarity, including Americans for the Arts. The Cultural New Deal was released. The strength of numerous voices called out that the time for change was here. Because if not now, then when? Artists, creative workers, and arts and culture organizations are answering that call.

Inside Americans for the Arts, we began dissecting and crafting how we could leverage our reach and resources in support of the work happening in communities across the county. We know that every organization, every individual, is on their own journey with equity and while we can’t bring everyone to the same level in one swoop, we could build tools to assist the work. 

First, the board re-affirmed the Statement on Cultural Equity, originally released in 2016. The next tool was the Cultural Equity Resource Center, which houses available resources and context to the social justice issues percolating in the moment. And in May 2021, we formalized an external facing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion framework to unify and guide programming efforts. Simultaneously, Americans for the Arts launched an online language bank. This glossary grew out of the one released in 2016 that organized the terms used to craft and implement the Statement on Cultural Equity. But as we know, times change, words evolve—and over the last six years, vocabulary has become more commonly used and recognized.

There is no perfect way to approach equitable language use. As an organization, we commit to act with intention and care when considering how we talk about our work, our members, and our partners and we remain open to learning and adapting as part of this journey. 

Because our work supports arts and culture in communities around the country in myriad ways, unifying our language across departments means that we can show up consistently with constituents and speak a shared language. It also means that as we continue to grow in our work, we can maintain consistency in the terms we use and clarity around why we use them. 

In our conversations around word use and phrasing, we are interrogating even seemingly innocuous words for the weight they may carry. For example, using terms such as “traditionally” or “historically” implies a past tense when referring to or focusing on communities that are still experiencing the negative effects of racist policies, practices, and systems. We know these structures have ongoing implications. As a result, we recommend using the term “intentionally” to more accurately represent the impact of such policies. 

The compilation of this language bank aims to advise and guide Americans for the Arts board and staff in using and sharing language that surrounds our equity work. It shapes the organization’s intent in how we speak about the work and how that informs the approach as well. Our hope is for this to inform or guide organizations in the field to a deeper understanding of how language affects your work and shapes narratives.

We acknowledge this is not an exhaustive list. We will review it twice annually to ensure we remain thoughtful, reflect on the field, and acknowledge how individuals wish to be seen. As language evolves, so will this list, so will we all. 

We welcome feedback and hope this tool will assist practitioners in the field with your own efforts. Please email Vice President of Equity and Local Arts Engagement, Ruby Lopez Harper, at [email protected] or Editorial and Creative Manager, Linda Lombardi, at [email protected].