Real Change Starts With The Words You Use
By Raelene Bergen, MAL
Real Change Starts With The Words You Use.
I’ve sat in a lot of meetings where people say they want to “decolonize their strategy.”
And then we open the documents.
“Stakeholders”
“Deliverables”
“Target populations”
“At-risk groups”
“Buy-in”
“Resources (used to refer to people)”
The language doesn’t just need a refresh; it reveals how the work is being framed.
Colonial systems rely on certain kinds of language: transactional, extractive, hierarchical. And even when the intent is good, those words quietly reinforce the same logic that communities are trying to heal from.
So here’s one small, practical way to start:
Review your language.
Open your latest strategy doc. Your funding proposal. Your policy manual. Look for language that treats people like units. That turns engagement into performance. That positions institutions as neutral observers.
Then ask: What would this sound like if it were written from a place of relationship?
If you want help getting started, I’m building a short resource for people inside organizations and practitioners who want to be more intentional with their language.
Want to see it?
Send me a message, add your name here: [Decolonizing Language Resource Request]
It’ll ask whether you work inside an organization or as a community-based practitioner, so I can tailor it to what you need.