What Not to Say

Clinical psychologists and intersectional diversity trainers Stephanie Pinder-Amaker and Lauren Wadsworth ’09 are on a mission to build better workforces. They are the co-authors of Did That Just Happen?! Beyond “Diversity”—Creating Sustainable and Inclusive Organizations, which Booklist calls “a next-level standout” in the evolving realm of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) titles.

New to DEI work? Pinder- Amaker and Wadsworth have some tips for getting started. A sampling:

AVOID saying “ethnic” to refer to anyone who isn’t white or food that isn’t associated with European American/American culture. All people have ethnicities, not just people of color.

AVOID saying “I don’t see race/color,” because let’s face it, you do. Saying you don’t invalidates the oppression experienced by people who identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color.

DON’T APPROPRIATE African American Vernacular English (AAVE) by using terms like “woke” and/or Black gay/queer culture by saying things such as “Yas Queen.”

DID THAT JUST HAPPEN?!
Stephanie Pinder-Amaker and Lauren Wadsworth ’09
Beacon Press, June 2021

This story appears as part of the Smithies Create column in the Fall 2021 issue of the Smith Alumnae Quarterly.

Stephanie Pinder-Amaker and Lauren Wadsworth ’09