Why you should stop using the term ‘BAME’
BAME stands for “black, Asian and minority ethnic” a nifty acronym to help group all non-white people together. I’m the “A” in BAME as my ethnicity is Asian, but the first time I came across this term, I couldn’t help but feel “othered”. “Othering” is a phenomenon in which some individuals or groups are defined and labelled as not fitting within a social group’s norms. It is an effect that influences how people perceive and treat those who are viewed as part of the in-group versus those who are seen as part of the out-group (Cherry, 2023).
So… with the rise of diversity and inclusion groups, I ask you: how is this inclusion? If anything, it’s divisive. I started to seek out others who felt the same dismay as me and I was not surprised. Every single person — read that again — every single person (!) from a different ethnic minority background told me they hated the term. They would then say things like “This makes it easier for them” or “I hate it that they group us together”. Them? They? Of course, we were talking about the people who continuously group us together in history = white people. (If you are white, I urge you to continue reading — this is primarily for you.)
It felt wrong, and eventually, the government agreed. Its response to the Commission’s report, ‘Inclusive Britain’, was published on 17 March 2022. This set out an action plan intended to tackle negative disparities, promote unity and build a fairer Britain for all. It also includes a commitment to no longer use the term ‘BAME’ in government. You might be rolling your eyes, what are we coming to? We can’t say anything anymore. But here is why it is important to consider.
Using BAME disguises differences
‘BAME’ is a catch-all term, frequently used to group all ethnic minorities together. This can disguise huge differences in outcomes between ethnic groups. For example, we know that the picture of educational achievement across different ethnic groups is complex.
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 the possible underperformance by others (which should also be addressed separately, quite frankly — systemic racism anyone?).
Unintentionally divisive
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 in life. ‘BAME’ is often used as a generic term for ‘non-white’, which can be unintentionally divisive.
Recent research commissioned by the Cabinet Office Race Disparity Unit (RDU) during the pandemic reinforced my findings and confirmed what I already knew: Many ethnic minorities themselves say they dislike the term ‘BAME’. And besides, when did referring to colour as opposed to a culture or ethnicity ever seem considered clever?
Why did no one make me aware of this?
The reason why you may have been unaware of all of this is that people from ethnic minority backgrounds are too used to it. We live in a society where touching hair differently from ours is still happening every day. As an ethnically South Asian woman, I can tell you how many micro-aggressions I ignore in my day to day because it’s simply too tiring to try and fix every single one. On some days, I want to fight to smash the barriers and other times I just have to accept that my actions alone are not going to change anything. But here I am writing this article because it is needed. The conversation is needed.
The best thing for you to do if you are unsure is to ask. Just ask the question and then actively consider if the people from ethnic minority backgrounds you are speaking to are answering in your favour or saying they don’t mind because they are (a) tired of correcting you (most of us are!) or (b) there is a power imbalance in your relationship, ie: you’re the boss, they are your employee.
So what should be said instead?
In 2019, the Race Disparity Unit (UK government, 2022) issued guidance on how to write about ethnicity. This was updated in December 2021 and recommends that, wherever possible, we should use the specific ethnic classifications of the census. Where it is absolutely necessary to group together people from different ethnic minority backgrounds, we should say ‘ethnic minorities’ or ‘people from ethnic minority backgrounds’.
The government is not the only one to have reached this conclusion. In December 2021, the BBC and other UK broadcasters said they would no longer use the term BAME. This happened because research by the Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity (Malik et al., 2021) found a lack of trust around the term, with some arguing that it allowed organisations to ‘average out’ and hide a lack of representation or overlook issues faced by particular ethnic groups.
So the conclusion of all of this is, if you are an ally, actively trying to remove barriers or even a person from an ethnic minority background, then please STOP SAYING IT. Just stop. If you come across the term BAME in an invitation for an anti-racism workshop at work (that just happened to me!), tell them it’s no longer appropriate to use the term. Feel free to send them this article or to use any of the references below to explain.
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References:
Cherry, K. (2023, January 23). What Is Othering? /Verywell Mind/. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-othering-5084425#:~:text=Othering%20is%20a%20phenomenon%20in,part%20of%20the%20out%2Dgroup.
Malik, S., Ryder, M., Marsden, S., Lawson, R., & Gee, M. (2021). BAME: A report on the use of the term and responses to it. /Birmingham City University Research/. https://bcuassets.blob.core.windows.net/docs/csu2021325-lhc-report--bbchighres231121-132836254614117870.pdf
UK government. (2022, August 5). /Inclusive Britain action plan: updates/. GOV.UK. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/inclusive-britain-action-plan-updates
