8 Guidelines for Conscientious Communications (2025)
Daria Schubert
I found the way the material was presented on the TOA website. helpful. Tips are broken down into bullet points and are easy to digest, or go back and find what you’re looking for. I appreciate the positive attitude they convey through the way the tips are worded using terms like lift, prosperity, and respect. They share some phrases and metaphors that can be hurtful and give alternatives.
Guidelines for Conscientious Communications
Advancing a social justice agenda starts with being smart and deliberate in how we frame our discourse. The Social Justice Phrase Guide is your go-to tool to craft inclusive messages. Whether developing language for your organization, communicating through media platforms, or engaging in personal discussions, follow these guidelines to successfully communicate across communities.
This guide is a collaboration of Advancement Project, a multi-racial civil rights organization, and The Opportunity Agenda, a social justice communication lab.
5 Tips at a Glance:
- Talk about policies and solutions in realistic and accurate ways that spur the action social justice advocates want.
- Lift up unity, participation, and cooperation over division, extreme individualism, and competition.
- Reinforce prosperity over scarcity.
- Accurately and respectfully talk about people’s identities, situations, and roles in society.
- Retire outdated and problematic phrases and metaphors.
