Important Announcements

Nondiscrimination Statement Update

Boston Medical Center Health System complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, national origin (including limited English proficiency and primary language), religion, culture, physical or mental disabilities, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation and gender identity and/or expression. BMCHS provides free aids and services to people with disabilities and free language services to people whose primary language is not English.

To see our full nondiscrimination statement, click here.

Campus Construction Update

Starting September 14, we’re closing the Menino building lobby entrance. This, along with the ongoing Yawkey building entrance closure, will help us bring you an even better campus experience that matches the exceptional care you've come to expect. Please enter the Menino and Yawkey buildings through the Moakley building, and make sure to leave extra time to get to your appointment. Thank you for your patience. 

Click here to learn more about our campus redesign. 

African-American

African-American

Adjective, Noun

Cultural, ethnic, and racial identity representing individuals whose heritage is rooted in the African diaspora. Historically, the term has been used to categorize descendants of enslaved Black people through the Transatlantic Slave trade between the 17th and 19th century, as most African Americans are descendants of enslaved persons. However, this is no longer a comprehensive grouping of individuals, for instance some recent Black immigrants or their children may also come to identify as African-American or may identify differently.

African-American is an example of self-defining identities. 

Note: African-American is not always synonymous with Black, and some who identify as African-American do not identify as Black and vice-versa.

Terms not to use: Colored, Afro-American, Blacks, Negro

Source

Adapted from multiple sources including the following: 

Negro, Black, Black African, African Caribbean, African American or what? Labelling African origin populations in the health arena in the 21st century | Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health (bmj.com)

The Glossary for Culture Transformation is a living document to be revised on an annual basis.

Suggested Citation: Office of Equity, Vitality, and Inclusion, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston Medical Center, and Boston University Medical Group. Glossary for Culture Transformation. 2021.

For questions or suggestions, please email wordsmatter@bu.edu