To BAME or not to BAME – Do we need an alternative term?

When I was asked to write this blog, I had two trails of thoughts, 1. How do we at Inclusive Employers use the words Black Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) and 2. How do I use it? It was a case of putting on my authentic professional hat when writing this piece and then taking it off when thinking about how that word and term makes me feel as someone who is categorised within this group.

History

If we look back at history and think of the earliest mention of the Black, Asian Minority Ethnic groups in the UK, the first group we need to consider would be the Romans, who arrived in the 1st century AD. Since then, people from a range of ethnic backgrounds have arrived in the UK, including Huguenots and Jews in the 10th century and South Asian and African people in the 19th century.  

During this period, several laws were aimed at limiting the rights of Black, Asian and Ethnic people, such as the Aliens Act of 1905, which sought to restrict the entry of ‘undesirable’ immigrants. 

In the 20th century, we had the ‘colour bar’, which limited the access of Black and Asians to specific jobs. The same group were also prevented from owning property in certain areas and in some cases, were subjected to physical violence. Despite these obstacles, these communities have made significant contributions to the UK. For more information, the Celebrating the life of my black hero, Roy Hackett MBE blog.

These include the contribution of African & South Asian people during both world wars, as well as their contribution to the arts, music, literature and science. 

Today there has been an increased focus on the rights of Black Asian Ethnic people in the UK. This has included the introduction of anti-discrimination laws, such as the Equality Act of 2010, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, and religion. There has also been the introduction of initiatives to promote diversity in the workplace, such as the Race at Work Charter, which encourages employers to promote racial equality. Inclusive Employers partners with organisations and supports them during their Inclusion and Diversity journey.

When you hear the acronym BAME or see the words Black Asian Minority Ethnic, what does it make you think of?  

As a woman whose heritage stems from The West Indies, it brings up the connotations of grouping everyone that’s not white British into one group. It says ‘you are them and not one of us’. It says you are not a part of the UK (even if you were born here). For me, I am constantly reminded of how I do not fit in and often made to feel like ‘I’m lucky to be here.’ That was actually said to me in a previous workplace. 

The makeup of Black Asian Minority Ethnic groups is estimated to be around 14% of the population. And even though the Black, Asian and Ethnic communities have made many positive contributions to the UK, they still face significant adversity. 

But what’s in an acronym?

I have to admit that I have my own bias about the word Minority. I can deal with the words, Black, Asian and Ethnic, but there is something about the word Minority that makes me feel less than. 

Growing up in a world where you are surrounded by negative images of your community and are constantly described as being a minority, whether that be on a form, or being called it in the workplace or school, has its own psychological toll. It works in the same way as a microaggression. If you hear it enough, you end up thinking that this is what you are. It’s that self-fulfilling prophecy – and if I, as confident as I am, feel like that, then what impact does this have on the rest of the community? 

It appears I’m not the only one who feels this way.

Inclusive Employers stopped using the acronym BAME in 2021 when we published our Anti-racism tool kit.

On 7 December 2021, The BBC reported that UK broadcasters commit to avoid BAME acronym wherever possible following publication of industry report

On 21 January 2022, The Pro Vice Chancellor of UWE Bristol Professor Paul Olomolaiye, who is Equalities and Civic Engagement, said he strongly disliked the term BAME “because it doesn’t represent anyone” Click here for the full interview Dropping the BAME acronym

On April 7 2022, The Race Disparity Unit wrote a blog entitled Why we no longer use the term ‘BAME’ in government which is a complete account of why they no longer use the acronym.

On 24 November 2022, The Daily Mail reported that Westminster Council ditches the term ‘BAME’ and will start using the phrase’ global majority’ to refer to black and Asian people as part of drive to be more ‘inclusive and diverse

Some communities are happy with the BAME acronym, and I see no problem with that. Still, I do understand that the experiences of each subgroup within the umbrella of BAME all have their own identities, they all have their own voices and traditions, and they all deserve to be seen and heard. So, when watching the video by the BBC Don’t Call Me BAME, I can truly identify with all of the comments made.

This also can be detrimental to each of the groups as when it comes to prioritising often some groups profit more than others and companies are able to tick that box of inclusion for all when actually only one group see’s any benefit.

Minority or Majority

In different regions of the world, this group has different names. The USA has the acronyms POC/BIPOC (People of Colour/Black Indigenous People of Colour). In Australia, there is the term Indigenous Australians, which is used to describe Black Australian, Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islander) and in the UK we are used to seeing BAME or BME (Black Asian Ethnic). These all work on a regional basis to some degree. In the Metro 9 January 2021, Marcus Ryder MBE said ‘We have to stop thinking of ourselves as “minorities” – we are the majority when discussing his book, which he wrote with Sir Lenny Henry CBE called ‘Access All Areas‘. 

The term Global Majority which refers to all people in the world who are non-white is becoming increasingly popular. This group is around 80-85% of the global population and refers to people who are Black, Asian, Brown, dual-heritage, indigenous to the global South, and or have been racialised as ‘ethnic minorities’. 

6 tips on language and terminology

1. It’s okay to have a conversation about race, ethnicity and culture, but always be led by the individual.

2. When talking to an individual, try to think about their racial or ethnic groups and ensure the terms you’re using accurately reflect who they are and what terms they would like you to use.

3. Using umbrella terms should be avoided because they do not refer to a singular, homogenous ethnic group. Accept and acknowledge that ethnicity is an integral part of a person’s identity and treat it as such; avoid describing a person’s identity as ‘BAME’.

4. Understand your data, and ensure you are collecting as much as you can so that you can gather insights wherever possible. This will help you better recognise, support, understand and reflect on the experience of different identities/cultures within your organisation.

5. When doing staff surveys, engagement surveys or pulse surveys, respect people’s preferences and allow options to self-identify when asking questions. It’s always important to be as transparent as possible when collecting any data from any survey.

6. Keep on learning; we all have a responsibility to educate ourselves for each other because the terminology is constantly evolving.  

At Inclusive Employers, we run training on anti-racism, racial equity and inclusion, and inclusive language.

Contact your account manager if you need support with racial equity and inclusion in your workplace. If you are not yet a member, contact us today to learn how Inclusive Employers can support your organisation.