18 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • JULY 2021
PEOPLE-FIRST TERMINOLOGY
HIGHLIGHT EQUALITY, DIGNITY
BY RANDI SHUBIN DRESNER
President and CEO, Island Harvest Food Bank
Language is a powerful and consequential
tool.
The words we use to shape our
messages impact the way people
perceive what we’re trying to convey.
Our words can create positive
messages—or cause harm, especially
when talking about people who are
“different.”
We may not realize that comments can
be demeaning when, in most instances,
they weren’t meant to be. Yet the
intent has no bearing on the person
who was hurt by it.
People-first terminology focuses on
using language reflecting that we are
people first. Rather than talking about
“the hungry,” let me suggest that we
say “people who are hungry.”
By using phrases such as“the uninsured”
or “the disabled,” perhaps we’re
“Let’s speak thoughtfully and respectfully”
using words to distance ourselves
from something we don’t understand.
Or maybe we use these words because
we refer to someone different than
ourselves in terms of race or sexual
orientation or something we haven’t
experienced, such as a lack of food or
a disability.
When I was growing up, my mom
was disabled. Diagnosed with
multiple sclerosis and eventually
losing her mobility, she would often
call on us to reposition her legs,
asking, in a way that made us laugh,
to “move the leg” to make her more
comfortable.
Years later, it struck me. Maybe saying
“the leg” instead of “my leg” disassociated
her from the legs affected by the
debilitating disease.
Perhaps seeing her legs as inanimate
objects helped to separate her from
what was happening to her beautiful
body. Comparatively, perhaps when
we say “the hungry” or “the disabled”
we too distance ourselves from what
we don’t understand.
Differences allow us to be the individuals
we genuinely are, and
sometimes acknowledging that is
good. However, intentionally or not,
we often highlight a difference when
it doesn’t matter. Language is a tool
that can either create connections or
separate us from each other. It can be
affirming or disparaging. When it
comes to describing people who may
be marginalized, the words we choose
definitely matter.
At this seminal moment in our society,
let’s speak thoughtfully and respectfully.
Let’s take the time to recognize
the power of our words and how using
them is tied into our collective work
of building a new culture of diversity,
equality, and inclusion. We all bear
the responsibility of using our words
to build bridges of connection, not
burn them down.
We can start by remembering to always
refer to the person first before
naming race, disability, sexual orientation,
need for food support, or
another descriptor. Use people-first
terminology as a tool of respect and
dignity.
As taught by my mother, a person who
struggled most of her life, “Be kind,
for everyone you know is fighting a
hard battle.”
POINT OF VIEW
Good things come to
those who work hard.
© 2021 PEOPLE’S UNITED BANK, N.A. | MEMBER FDIC | EQUAL HOUSING LENDER
At People’s United Bank, we believe there’s only one way to
get something done right: By giving 100%. That’s the level
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John Mast
New York Market President
516-443-7865
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