Diversity: the presence of a wide range of human qualities and attributes within an individual, group or organization. Diversity includes such factors as age, sex, race, ethnicity, physical and intellectual ability, religion, sexual orientation, educational background and expertise.
Equity: A condition or state of fair, inclusive, and respectful treatment of all people. Equity does not mean treating people the same without regard for individual differences.
Inclusion: The extent to which diverse members of a group (society/organization) feel valued and respected.
Oppression: A pervasive system of supremacy and discrimination that perpetuates itself through differential treatment, ideological domination, and institutional control. Oppression depends on a socially constructed binary of a dominant group (though not necessarily more populous) as being normal, natural, superior, and required over the “other”. This binary benefits said group, who historically have greater access to power and the ability to influence the process of planetary change and evolution.
Privilege: Access to power enjoyed by a dominant group, giving them economic, political, social and cultural advantages at the expense of members of a marginalized group. It reduces the likelihood and/or provides more tools for someone from said dominant group from facing or to better cope with various forms of exclusion, marginalization and violence that would otherwise be guaranteed.
The Anti-Oppression Network, Terminologies of oppression
Ontario Human Rights Commission, Glossary of human rights terms
Canadian Race Relations Foundation, Glossary of terms
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