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Health justice aims to dismantle barriers to healthcare and improve outcomes for all communities. Health justice recognizes and takes into account existing health inequities and focuses on those affected most by it.

Culture refers to a way of life of a (very small to very large) group of people–the behaviors, beliefs, values, and symbols that they accept, generally without thinking about them, and that are passed along by communication and imitation from one generation to the next.

Civil rights are personal rights for all US citizens protected by the U.S. Constitution and federal laws.

Social and racial justice is the systematic fair treatment of diverse groups, resulting in equitable opportunities and outcomes for all. This involves confroting and directly addressing both current and historical social and racial injustices.

At the individual level, racism is prejudiced or otherwise biased thoughts, feelings, and actions directed towards members of marginalized racial groups by individuals from more privileged racial groups.

This term is sometimes used similarly to systemic and structural racism but also describes racism within a particular institution. This term is relevant to the institution of UW Medicine.

Describes how laws, policies, practices, and norms within different systems produce racially inequitable outcomes. These structures are relevant to UW Medicine.

Systemic racism is the broadest level of racism. Systemic racism refers to how whole systems and often all systems in our society—for example, political, legal, economic, health care, school, and criminal justice systems—collectively produce racially inequitable outcomes.

According to Executive Order 31, discrimination is conduct that treats a person less favorably because of the person’s protected class.

According to Executive Order 31, Harassment is conduct directed at a person because of the person’s protected class that is unwelcome and sufficiently severe, persistent, or pervasive that:

It could reasonably be expected to create an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work or learning environment, or

It has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s work or academic performance.