Who Are The Racially Marginalised?
Apr 29, 2025
As the question about terminology frequently arises, I thought it best to make this the topic of my next article.
Let’s start by clarifying the difference between race and ethnicity. In simple terms, race is associated with categorising people based on physical characteristics such as skin colour, hair texture, and eye shape. Ethnicity, however, relates to ancestry and culture, and often refers to language, geographical origins, traditions, and customs.
It is important to remember that everyone has an ethnicity. While this may be common knowledge to some, it is often misunderstood. I recall a visit to my local Asda supermarket, where I noticed a section labelled "ethnic haircare." As a Black person living in the UK, I am sadly accustomed to being seen as someone with "ethnicity", as though it were a marker of difference rather than a universal human trait. I’ll say it again for the people at the back, “We all have an ethnicity!”. I recognised that the brands were aimed at people with African hair textures, yet the label itself was misleading.
In everyday use, however, the term "ethnic" is frequently reserved for Black, Brown, and non-mainstream British communities. It bears repeating: everyone has an ethnicity.
It is also vital to recognise that race is not a biological fact but a social construct, an idea developed to categorise and stratify human beings.
So, who are the racially marginalised?
For some, the answer may seem straightforward:
"It’s all the people who aren’t white."
"They are the Black and Brown people."
However, when we delve deeper, more questions emerge:
"What about people of mixed heritage? Where do they fit, especially if part of their ancestry is white? What about white-presenting people?”
"Are there white racially minoritised groups?"
Indeed, there are. In the UK, the term racially marginalised refers to individuals from Black, Brown, and white ethnic minority backgrounds. This includes African, African-Caribbean, South Asian, Chinese, Filipino, and dual-heritage individuals, among many others. White ethnic minority groups include Jewish communities, Roma and Gypsy Travellers, South Americans, and Eastern Europeans (and more).
While useful, the term racially marginalised is not without flaws. It risks homogenising a rich diversity of communities, masking the unique needs, experiences, and challenges of different groups. In this respect, it shares limitations with the now-abandoned acronym BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic).
The UK Government officially moved away from the use of BAME in 2021, citing several concerns, including:
- It homogenises a wide range of distinct groups.
- It overlooks critical differences between ethnic communities.
- It prioritises the experiences of Black and Asian people, often at the expense of others.
- It confuses references to skin colour, nationality, and ethnicity.
- It was a label imposed rather than chosen.
- It led to problematic usage, with individuals referred to as "a BAME person."
- Some people included under the term did not recognise or identify with it.
In explaining its decision, the Government stated:
"'BAME' is frequently used to group all ethnic minorities together. This can disguise huge differences in outcomes between ethnic groups.
In 2019, a higher than average percentage of children in state-funded schools from Chinese, Indian and Bangladeshi groups achieved strong passes in English and Maths GCSEs. But looking at these results from a 'BAME' perspective would have skewed the picture, masking the success of those particular groups and under-performance by others.
The term 'BAME' emphasises certain ethnic minority groups (Asian and Black) and excludes others, such as the 'mixed', Gypsy, Roma and Traveller, and 'other white' ethnic minority groups that also face negative disparities. 'BAME' is also often used as a proxy for 'non-white', which can be unintentionally divisive."
Where do we go from here?
While acknowledging the limitations of collective terminology, there remains a practical need for language that identifies groups facing racial and ethnic disadvantage. Listing every group individually in every instance is not always realistic or necessary, particularly when audiences have a shared understanding of the disparities being referenced.
With this in mind, I choose to use the terms racially marginalised and racially minoritised, but with an awareness that no term is perfect. I am also mindful that the word minority can be problematic, suggesting inferiority or a lack of value. These terms highlight the impact of the systems and structures on these groups of people. Because of racial discrimination, many people are pushed to the edge of society and are deemed less important than the white majority.
Nonetheless, many experts and practitioners agree: perfect terminology does not yet exist. In an ideal world, we would always reference specific cultures and communities for greater accuracy. Yet for clarity and brevity, particularly within the UK context, racially marginalised or racially minoritised remains the most suitable choice for now.
You may also encounter other terms such as Black and Brown people or the global majority. Each of these, too, carries its own complexities, but they are part of the evolving language we use to describe the rich tapestry of human experience. Just so you know, ‘Global majority’ is not a direct alternative to racially marginalised as it does not include white racially marginalised people – a fact many organisations are yet to realise.
As always, language is powerful, and the words we choose shape the world we are trying to build. It’s always worth having a conversation about your organisation’s choice of language so that you stand by it, rather than be caught tongue-tied with pitiful poor defence mechanisms.
Share to help others self-educate.
Learn more about how we at Strawberry Words can help to educate your workforce on racism and discrimination at: www.strawberywords.co.uk
Talking about racism can seem difficult and uncomfortable. This CPD accredited course provides a foundational education on racism to help to increase racial literacy which includes building confidence to speak about and deal with issues concerning race. It provides a language through which meaningful conversation can take place (particularly in the workplace).
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