Ethnicity and Racial Identity
Ethnicity, Racial Identity, Indigenous Heritage, and National Origin
- Race refers to “physical difference that groups and cultures consider socially significant” (APA, 2020, p. 142).
- Ethnicity refers to “shared cultural characteristics such as language, ancestry, practices, and beliefs” (APA, 2020, p. 142).
- Indigenous is defined as “of or relating to the earliest known inhabitants of a place and especially of a place that was colonized.”
- National Origin refers to the self-identification of one’s geographical and cultural lineage.
- Any list of cultural identities, including this one, will not be comprehensive and will be ever-evolving. For this reason, it is critical that writers stay apprised of current language standards.
- Precision and clarity are key values in bias-free language; note that this is specifically called out in some terms.
- When talking about indigenous people, use the terms people or nation rather than tribe.
- Per APA (2020), it is important to “ask people from the group about which you are writing to read and comment on your material or consult self-advocacy groups to determine appropriate terminology” (p. 131). Writers should also consider consulting with professional organizations when possible. In addition to consulting this resource, writers should also consult with the communities they’re describing. When the two are in conflict, defer to the preference of the community.
Aboriginal
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: Aboriginal People (“when referring to a specific group” [APA, 2020, p. 142]; e.g., Aboriginal People in Australia), Aboriginal people (“when describing persons who are…Aboriginal” [APA, 2020, p. 142-143]). Aboriginal Australians, Torres Strait Islander People, Torres Strait Island Australians, or specific names (Anangu Pitjantjatjara, Arrernte)
NOTE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PRECISION: More specific is generally preferred when possible:
- Aboriginal Australians; People of the First Nations of Canada, People of the First Nations, First Nations People
- Métis; Inuit; Torres Strait Islander People; Torres Strait Island Australians; Anangu Pitjantjatjara; Arrernte
Related search terms: n/a
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: Aboriginals
Date of last revision: September 3, 2021
African
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: people of African origin, people of African ancestry, people of African descent
Per APA (2020), it is important to “ask people from the group about which you are writing to read and comment on your material or consult self-advocacy groups to determine appropriate terminology” (APA, 2020, p. 131). Writers should also consider consulting with professional organizations if applicable.
NOTE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PRECISION: use the specific country of origin when accurate and available: Nigerian, Kenyan, Jamaican, Bahamian
Related search terms: n/a
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: Oriental
Date of last revision: May 6, 2022
African American
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: African Americans (for individuals)
NOTE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PRECISION: use the specific country of origin when accurate and available (e.g., Nigerian American, Kenyan American)
Related search terms: n/a
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: African American (when used “as an umbrella term for people of African ancestry worldwide because it obscures other ethnicities or national origins, such as Nigerian, Kenyan, Jamaican, or Bahamian” APA, 2020, p. 143), negro, Afro-American, black (lowercase), people of the African American race
Date of last revision: September 2, 2021
Alaska Native
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: Alaska Natives, Indigenous Peoples in Alaska
NOTE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PRECISION: (e.g., Inuit, Iñupiat)
Related search terms: n/a
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: unknown
Date of last revision: September 2, 2021
Discouraged: See Native American
Arab American
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: Arab Americans, Americans of MENA (Middle Eastern and North African) descent, Americans of Middle Eastern origin
Per APA (2020), it is important to “ask people from the group about which you are writing to read and comment on your material or consult self-advocacy groups to determine appropriate terminology” (APA, 2020, p. 131). Writers should also consider consulting with professional organizations if applicable.
NOTE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PRECISION: (e.g., Iranian American, Iraqi American, Egyptian American, Lebanese American, Israeli American)
Related search terms: n/a
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: unknown
Date of last revision: September 2, 2021
Asian
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: people of Asian origin
NOTE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PRECISION: More specific is generally preferred when possible:
- South Asian
- Japanese
Related search terms: n/a
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: Oriental
Date of last revision: September 7, 2021
Asian American
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: Asian Americans
NOTE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PRECISION: More specific is generally preferred when possible:
- East Asian American
- Japanese American
Related search terms: n/a
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: Oriental American
Date of last revision: September 2, 2021
Asian Canadian
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: Asian Canadians
NOTE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PRECISION: More specific is generally preferred when possible:
- East Asian Canadians
- Japanese Canadians
Related search terms: n/a
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: unknown
Date of last revision: September 2, 2021
Black
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: Black people (always capitalize Black)
NOTE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PRECISION: “Black” is not synonymous with “African American,” so writers should take care to use these racial and ethnic terms precisely when speaking about the participants or identities in question.
Related search terms: African American
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: African American (when used “as an umbrella term for people of African ancestry worldwide because it obscures other ethnicities or national origins, such as Nigerian, Kenyan, Jamaican, or Bahamian” [APA, 2020, p. 143]), negro, Afro-American, black (lowercase), people of the Black/black race, Black/black in noun form
Date of last revision: December 1, 2022
Caucasian
Discouraged: See White and European American.
Chicano
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: Chicanos
Related search terms: n/a
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: unknown
Date of last revision: September 2, 2021
Chinese American
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: Chinese Americans
Related search terms: n/a
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: unknown
Date of last revision: September 2, 2021
Cuban American
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: Cuban Americans
Related search terms: n/a
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: unknown
Date of last revision: September 2, 2021
East Asian
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: East Asians
NOTE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PRECISION: More specific is generally preferred when possible:
- East Asian Americans
- Japanese Americans
Related search terms: n/a
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: unknown
Date of last revision: September 2, 2021
Eskimo
Pejorative. See Alaska Natives
European American
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: European Americans
NOTE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PRECISION: More specific is generally preferred when possible:
- Regional origin (e.g., Southern European American, Scandinavian American)
- National origin (e.g., Italian American, Irish American, Swedish American, French American, Polish American)
Related search terms: n/a
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: Caucasian
Date of last revision: September 2, 2021
Hawaiian Native
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: Hawaiian natives, Native Americans, Indigenous People of the Hawaiian Islands, Pacific Islanders
NOTE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PRECISION: Native American is less precise than Native Hawaiian
Related search terms: n/a
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: unknown
Date of last revision: September 2, 2021
Hispanic
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: Hispanics, people of Hispanic ethnicity
NOTE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PRECISION: Hispanic is “not necessarily all encompassing” (APA, 2020, p. 144); Hispanics and Latinos have different connotations (APA, 2020); Hispanic refers to people who speak Spanish; some people in countries in Latin America, like Brazil, do not speak Spanish. Generational considerations also complicate this descriptor, as Hispanic parents may have non-Hispanic children.
Related search terms: n/a
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: unknown
Date of last revision: December 1, 2022
Hispanic American
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: Hispanic Americans
NOTE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PRECISION: see Hispanics
Related search terms: n/a
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: unknown
Date of last revision: September 3, 2021
Indian
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: Indians
Related search terms: n/a
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: unknown
Date of last revision: September 2, 2021
Indigenous
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: Indigenous People (“when referring to a specific group” [APA, 2020, p. 142]; e.g., Indigenous People in Alaska), Indigenous people (“when describing persons who are Indigenous” [APA, 2020, p. 142-143]), Indigenous group, Indigenous Peoples (when referring to Indigenous People of Latin American and the Caribbean, the Hawaiian Islands [APA, 2020])
NOTE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PRECISION:
- Alaska Natives, Indigenous Peoples in Alaska, Indigenous Peoples in Canada, Indigenous Peoples in Siberia, Indigenous Peoples in Greenland, Indigenous Peoples in Australia; Indigenous People of Latin America, Indigenous People of the Caribbean, Indigenous People of New Zealand, Indigenous Peoples of the Hawaiian Islands, Pacific Islanders
- Inuit, Iñupiat, Quenchua, Aymara, Taino, Nahuatl, Māori, Māori people
Related search terms: n/a
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: Indigenous tribe
Date of last revision: September 3, 2021
Japanese American
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: Japanese Americans
Related search terms: n/a
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: unknown
Date of last revision: September 3, 2021
Latin American
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: Latin Americans
Related search terms: n/a
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: unknown
Date of last revision: September 3, 2021
Latin@
See also Latinx, Latina/Latino, Latino/a
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: Latin@s, Latinos, Latinos/as, Latinos/Latinas, Latinxs
Related search terms: n/a
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: unknown
Date of last revision: September 3, 2021
Latina/Latino
See also Latinx, Latin@, Latino/a
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: Latinos/Latinas, Latin@s, Latinos, Latinos/as, Latinxs
Related search terms: n/a
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: unknown
Date of last revision: September 3, 2021
Latino/a
See alsoLatinx, Latin@, Latina/Latino
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: Latinos/as, Latin@s, Latinos, Latinos/Latinas, Latinxs
Related search terms: n/a
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: unknown
Date of last revision: September 3, 2021
Latino
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: Latinos
NOTE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PRECISION: “might be preferred by those originating from Latin America, including Brazil” (APA, 2020, p. 144); see gender neutral options Latin@s, Latinos, Latinos/as, Latinos/Latinas, Latinxs
Related search terms: n/a
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: unknown
Date of last revision: September 3, 2021
Latinx
See also Lationo/a, Latin@, Latina/Latino
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: Latinxs, Latin@s, Latinos, Latinos/as, Latinos/Latinas, people of Latinx ethnicity
Related search terms: n/a
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: unknown
Date of last revision: September 3, 2021
Maori People
Current, culturally-sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: Indigenous People, Maori People, Maori
Related search terms: n/a
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: Natives, tribe
Date of last revision: March 15, 2022
MENA (Middle Eastern and North African)
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: people of MENA (Middle Eastern and North African) descent, Imazighen [for indigenous North Africans]
NOTE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PRECISION: More specific is generally preferred when possible (e.g., Iranian, Iraqi, Egyptian, Lebanese, Israeli)
Related search terms: n/a
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: unknown
Date of last revision: December 1, 2022
Mexican American
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: Mexican Americans
Related search terms: n/a
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: unknown
Date of last revision: September 7, 2021
Middle Eastern
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: people of Middle Eastern origin, people of MENA (Middle Eastern and North African) descent, Imazighen [for indigenous North Africans]
NOTE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PRECISION: More specific is generally preferred when possible: (e.g., Iranian, Iraqi, Egyptian, Lebanese, Israeli)
Related search terms: n/a
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: unknown
Date of last revision: September 7, 2021
Minority
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: minority groups
Related search terms: n/a
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: minorities
Date of last revision: September 7, 2021
Native American
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: Native Americans
NOTE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PRECISION: More specific is generally preferred when possible:
- Native North Americans, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, Hawaiian Natives
- Navajo, Cherokee, Sioux
Related search terms: n/a
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: American Indians, Indians (when referring to people from places other than India)
Date of last revision: September 2, 2021
Native Hawaiian
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: Native Hawaiians, Hawaiian Natives, Indigenous People of the Hawaiian Islands, Pacific Islanders, Native Americans
NOTE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PRECISION: More specific is generally preferred when possible:
- Native American is less precise than Native Hawaiian
Related search terms: n/a
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: unknown
Date of last revision: September 2, 2021
Negro
Pejorative. See African American and Black
Oriental
Pejorative. See Asian
Pacific Islander
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: Pacific Islanders, Native Hawaiians, Hawaiian Natives, Indigenous People of the Hawaiian Islands, Native Americans
NOTE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PRECISION: Native Americans, Hawaiian Natives, Indigenous People of the Hawaiian Islands – Native American is less precise than Native Hawaiian
Related search terms: n/a
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: unknown
Date of last revision: September 7, 2021
People of Color
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: people of color
NOTE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PRECISION: More specific is generally preferred when possible: Native Americans, Black people, Asian Americans, Cherokee
Related search terms: n/a
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: unknown
Date of last revision: September 7, 2021
South Asian
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: South Asians
NOTE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PRECISION: More specific is generally preferred when possible:
- Nepali
Related search terms: n/a
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: unknown
Date of last revision: September 10, 2021
Southeast Asian
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: Southeast Asians
Per APA (2020), it is important to “ask people from the group about which you are writing to read and comment on your material or consult self-advocacy groups to determine appropriate terminology” (p. 131). Writers should also consider consulting with professional organizations if applicable.
NOTE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PRECISION: More specific is generally preferred when possible:
- Cambodians
Related search terms: n/a
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: unknown
Date of last revision: September 10, 2021
Underprivileged
Pejorative. See Underrepresented
Underrepresented
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: underrepresented groups
Related search terms: n/a
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: underprivileged
Date of last revision: September 10, 2021
White
Current, culturally sensitive term(s) when writing about members of the community: White people
Related search terms: n/a
Inaccurate, outdated, or pejorative terms: white people (lower case), white race, Caucasian
Date of last revision: September 10, 2021