Anti-racism Resources

Stereotype is a generalized perception ascribing particular traits, characteristics, values, aspect, appearance or behavior to a group or a member of a group without regard to accuracy or applicability (Corsini, 2016)

• Explicit stereotype refers to stereotypes that an individual is aware that they hold, and they are aware that they are using to judge people.
• Implicit stereotypes are those that na individual is not aware of, that is it is unconscious, and they are not aware of how they employ the stereotype in how they judge people

Racial stereotypes are reflexive and exaggerated mental pictures that we hold about all members of a particular racial group. These stereotypes are so rigid, we tend to ignore or discard any information that is not consistent with the stereotype that we have developed about the racial group (University of Notre Dame, 2020)

Tokenism is the practice of making only a perfunctory or symbolic effort to do a particular thing, especially by recruiting a small number of people from underrepresented groups in order to give the appearance of sexual or racial equality within a workforce (Lexico.com, 2020)

Tokenism is the word used to describe when a person who is a member of an oppressed group is used as the token of diversity iat an institution or organization. This person is often made visible in advertising /outreach materials from the organization. The problem with tokenism is that  no further action is taken to improve the diversity and inclusion policies of the organization (Duma, 2018). 

Further Reading: 

• Stereotype Threat, Tokenism, and Implicit Racism
• Tokenism, Racial Stereotypes & Why We Need More Directors of Color
• 'This Diversity Is Not Real': How To Tell If Your Program's Diversity Is a Hologram
• Demythologizing Diversity in Higher Education
• The Real Cost of Being the POC 'In the Room' Required to Shut Down Obviously Racist Products
• The Dangers Of Mistaking Diversity For Inclusion In The Workplace