UBFARE: Focusing on the Views, Issues, and Opportunities of the Most Overlooked
Shifting Focus to the Margins
Indigenous and Pre-Colonial Communities
Black, Black African, Black Diaspora Communities
Religious and Targets of Ethnic Scapegoating
Displaced and Refugee Communities
Political Adversary (Past and Present) Communities
LGBTQIA2S+ People and Communities
People Living With Disabilities
Women of all Backgrounds
Social Marginalization
Social marginalization, also known as social exclusion, is a process that occurs when a group or individual is systematically disadvantaged in their interactions with institutions of society.
Compound Impacts
Social Marginalization Amplifies Local and Global Challenges
Societies worldwide face a profound challenge—a challenge that worsens and intertwines with every other issue we face, from poverty and health disparities to environmental crises and educational inequities. This challenge is the pervasive marginalization of certain social groups across the globe—a marginalization that isn’t confined by borders but instead exists within and across communities, organizations, and institutions worldwide. As Kimberlé Crenshaw articulates, intersectionality serves as “a prism for seeing the way in which various forms of inequality often operate together and exacerbate each other.” (UN Women) Understanding these intersecting systems of political, economic, and social marginalization is crucial for creating effective strategies to address the complex hierarchies of oppression, bias, and hate.
Kimberle Crenshaw, Law Professor at Columbia University, describing Intersectionality
Intersectionality: “It’s basically a lens, a prism, for seeing the way in which various forms of inequality often operate together and exacerbate each other.”
A Resource for Change
DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) efforts often aim to address these disparities, but many fail to reach those most severely impacted. This page is a resource for UBFARE, DEI, and JEDI professionals—a starting point to help identify and address the barriers and exclusions that deeply affect globally marginalized groups. These intersecting systems of political, economic, and social marginalization create complex hierarchies of oppression, bias, and hate. This page doesn’t have all the answers, but as Shannon Bartlett, Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer of the National Geographic Society, says, ‘There are rarely DEI answers—what there are are a lot of questions that can help us make better-informed and more inclusive decisions.’
Here is a beginning. A resource for those committed to transformative change.”
Shannon P. Bartlett, Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer of the National Geographic Society
The Power of DEI: “a lot of questions that can help us make better-informed and more inclusive decisions.”
A Framework for Understanding Social Exclusion
Groups Marginalized Around the World
A Note on Scope and Intention
This is not an exhaustive list of every marginalized group. Rather, it highlights several groups that experience widespread, consistent marginalization across multiple regions and societies. These groups often face compounded barriers and exclusion, creating deep and lasting impacts on access to resources, recognition, and rights. The goal of this page is to help DEI, UBFARE, and JEDI professionals make space to address these systemic exclusions and work toward removing these barriers in meaningful ways.
Highlighting Communities Facing Systemic Inequities and Injustice
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Indigenous and Pre-Colonial Communities
Example Groups: The Maori, Maasai, Lakota, Inuit, Bontoc, Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau, Pitjantjatjara
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Black, Black African, Black Diaspora Communities
Example Groups: African Americans, Afro-Caribbeans, Afro-Latin Americans, Black Canadians, Afro-Europeans
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Religious and Targets of Ethnic Scapegoating
Example Groups: Jewish Communities, Muslim Communities, Non-Dominant Religious Groups
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Displaced and Refugee Communities
Example Groups: Refugees, Unhoused Populations
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LGBTQIA2S+ People and Communities
Example Groups: Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, Two-Spirit people
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People Living with Disabilities
Example Groups: People living with visual impairment, autism, hearing impairment, chronic illnesses, ADHD, down-syndrome, language disorders, orthopedic impairment, developmental delays, PTSD
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Political Adversary (Past and Present) Communities
Example Groups: Middle Easterners, Arabs, Japanese Americans, Korean Americans, Mexican Americans
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Women of All Backgrounds
Example Groups: Indigenous women, Black women, Muslim women, Arab women with disabilities, Japanese women, Korean women, Latinas, LGBTQIA+ women
An Invitation to Engage in Transformative Equity
The work of UBFARE, DEI, and JEDI practitioners is critical to creating a world where every person feels a genuine sense of belonging. We invite you to use this resource to deepen your understanding, challenge traditional approaches, and commit to a vision of equity that reaches those most affected by systemic exclusion. Transformative change requires the courage to see these intersecting struggles and the dedication to address them with empathy, intentionality, and purpose
