Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Resources
At ASI, being committed to EDI means more than issuing a statement or forming a committee. It means working hard to be an inclusive, welcoming organization at every level, both internally with our membership and externally in our roles in the publishing industry and with readers at large.
In our work as indexers, we know language matters. As Devon Thomas wrote in Key Words, “The act of being seen and being named is empowering; it confirms the basic right to exist.” That’s why we’re sharing the following resources to help indexers understand the complex meanings behind the words used in a text and offer ways to approach inclusion in our work.
The best text is a living one; we would like to continually expand and modify this list as our understanding, our language, and our society grows. We’d love to have YOUR suggestions for additional resources—if you know of a good one, please drop us an email at edi@asindexing.org.
African Names, Indexing
How to Record Names of Persons (HURIDOCS).
Willett, Shelag. “Khoe-San names (African click languages).” The Indexer, v. 25 (4) (Centrepiece).
Disability Terminology
APA Style Guide’s "Bias-Free Language" section on Disability.
National Center on Disability and Journalism. “Disability Language Style Guide.”
National Center on Disability and Journalism. “Terms to Avoid When Writing About Disability.”
Gendered Language and Sexual Identity
Anderson, Lee. "What Does It Mean to Be Nonbinary?"
APA Style Guide’s "Bias-Free Language" sections on Gender and Sexual orientation.
Bongiovanni, Archie, and Tristan Jimerson. A Quick and Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns.
Conrad, Kirby. Old 'They,' New 'They'–Language Change in Action
GLAAD. An Ally’s Guide to Terminology.
GLAAD. Explore the Spectrum: Guide to Finding Your Ace Community.
Grey, Sarah. “The State of Gendered Language.” Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP).
Human Rights Campaign. Glossary of Terms.
The Juniper Center. “What’s in an Acronym ... LGBTQIAP (and other inclusive language discussions).”
Native Americans in Philanthropy. Intersectional Indigenous Identities: Two-Spirit People.
Trans Journalists Association Style Guide.
LatinX
Hispanic Network. “The Difference Between Hispanic and Latino.”
Mother Jones. “Digging Into the Messy History of ‘Latinx’ Helped Me Embrace My Complex Identity.”
Pew Research Center. “About One-in-Four U.S. Hispanics Have Heard of Latinx, but Just 3% Use It.”
Native American / American Indian / First Nations
The Aspen Institute. “Native Language: Modern Terms for Understanding Native America.”
Britannica. “Tribal Nomenclature: American Indian, Native American, and First Nation.”
Native American Journalists Association (NAJA). “Reporting and Indigenous Terminology”
(downloadable from NAJA’s Reporting Guides page).
Native Americans in Philanthropy. Intersectional Indigenous Identities: Two-Spirit People
Native Governance Center. “How to Talk about Native Nations: A Guide.”
Younging, Gregory. Elements of Indigenous Style: A Guide for Writing By and About Indigenous Peoples.
Further Reading
Spanier, Jennifer. Capitalization: A Case of Black and White. Key Words, Fall 2020, p. 14.
Inclusive Language Guide, from Northwestern University’s online Master of Arts in Counseling program.
Writing with Color. Description Guide: Skin Color.
Project Implicit, created by Harvard University, offers a range of online tests that can help a person become aware of unconscious biases of all sorts.