Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity, Access & Sustainability
in policy and practice at KCAI
The IDEAS Council, alongside the Diversity Working Group of the Faculty Assembly, is the official body dedicated to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access, and Sustainability. The Council is comprised of a broad cross-section of faculty, staff, and students working collaboratively to inspire, develop, and promote an IDEAS-centric culture through advocacy, education, action-oriented initiatives, open dialogue, and information-sharing among the KCAI community.
Interested in learning more?
>> Information about the I.D.E.A.S. Council can be found on the college’s website HERE.
The U.S. Census Bureau defines Asian as "a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, India, China, the Philippine Islands, Japan, Korea, or Vietnam" and Pacific Islander as "a person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands."
The U.S. Census Bureau defines Black as "a person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa. It includes people who indicate their race as "Black or African American," or report responses such as African American, Jamaican, Haitian, Nigerian, Ethiopian, or Somali. The category also includes groups such as Ghanaian, South African, Barbadian, Kenyan, Liberian, Bahamian, etc."
Black culture refers to the diverse range of customs, traditions, beliefs, practices, art forms, languages, and social behaviors that have emerged from the experiences and contributions of people of African descent. It encompasses the shared experiences, history, and identity of Black people, which have been shaped by their interactions with various societies, including Africa, the Americas, the Caribbean, and Europe.
“Native Americans” is a phrase used to describe a diverse array of Indigenous peoples in North, Central, and South America. Additionally, “First Nations” is a term that refers to any of the many groups of Indigenous people of Canada, though it may also be used to refer to the Indigenous peoples of any country or continent. Though referring to Native people by their specific tribal name is preferred, the terms “Native American,” “First American,” “American Indian,” “Native,” and “Indigenous” are considered acceptable and are used interchangeably to describe Indigenous communities in what is now the continental United States. Generally, Alaskan Natives and Native Hawaiians are named explicitly. Because racial and ethnic identities are deeply personal and are constantly evolving, terminology is a matter of individual preference and should be treated as such.
The Latino culture is extremely diverse, and there is no singular Latino experience. The identities of Latinas and Latinos are filled with many layers, shaped by factors such as geography, heritage, race, and gender. Latinas and Latinos have spent centuries expressing and preserving these identities, which have all contributed to the culture of the United States.
In the United States the terms "Hispanic" and "Latino" (or "Latina" for a woman; sometimes written as "Latinx" to be gender-neutral) were adopted in an attempt to loosely group immigrants and their descendants who hail from this part of the world. The terms are often used interchangeably, though the words can convey slightly different connotations. It is important to clarify that the categories refer only to a person's origin and ancestry. A Latino/a[/x] or Hispanic person can be any race or color.
LQBTQAI+ : Abbreviation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual. The additional “+” stands for all of the other identities not encompassed in the short acronym. An umbrella term that is often used to refer to the community as a whole.