• Hegemony/Dominant Culture: power held by dominant group over a subordinate group regarding political, cultural, economical, and/ or ideological thought

• Whiteness: a social construction that upholds the ambiguity of a white race as inherently, or naturally  preferred/desired, superior, and normalized

*Madhushala offers a more in-depth explanation of whiteness:

Whiteness is a social construct, a definite part of institutionalized racism. It’s an attitude that comprises privilege and exclusivity. Whiteness is all about privilege. It’s a subset of privilege. It is not about individual white people. But it is about attitudes that colonize the minds of white people primarily. Occasionally it occurs in people of color as well who adopt white standards as the default or the norm or the ideal without regard for other viewpoints. These attitudes are perpetuated and reinforced in white culture, especially in the media and they are deeply entrenched in institutions of all kinds. They are very much based on unchallenged assumptions. It is sometimes referred to as a colonization of the mind.

It is a sociological descriptor of attitude and environment rather than something linked to one particular group of white people, unless they decisively choose that, or specific individuals alone. The most overt group manifestation of it presently would be in neo-Nazism as one decisively chosen. But there are many expressions which are subtle, covert and restrained so it is somewhat difficult to tease out. It is similar to the idea of corporate culture. The Zeitgeist (or atmosphere) of a given culture or institution carries on, once it has been built and accepted regardless of the individual participants.

• Blackness: raised racial consciousness that stands to combat internalized racism and white supremacy, encouraging a positive Black racial identity.

• Feminism/Feminist(s): political ideology and practice that seeks to (re) establish, protect, and defend the rights of all people, giving special attention to the marginalized, disenfranchised, and neglected/ignored, while combatting heteronormative and hegemonic constructions of race, sexuality, gender, bodies, and class.

• Heteronormative: a white, middle-class (or upper middle-class), heterosexual male/female lens used to portray culture, society, or political thought. For example: “Friends is a heteronormative construction of what 1990s New York City looked like.”