Guidelines for eliminating ethnic and racial stereotypes

• Avoid irrelevant references to the race or ethnicity of a person or group.
  
  Example: Greek man, 32, charged with aggravated assault.
  Revised: Man, 32, charged with aggravated assault.
• Use the appropriate terminology to describe ethnically and racially diverse groups.
  
  Example: Iranians, not Arabs
  (The majority of Iranians are Persian and speak Farsi.)
• Use the current self-identification preferences of racial and ethnic groups.
  
  Example: black(s) or Black(s), not Negro(es)
  Mexican, not Latino/a
• Use specific terms to identify a particular individual or group.
  
  Example: The traditions of Canada's Cuban community are often showcased in urban areas.
  
  Cuban, Colombian, etc., not Hispanic
  
  (There is not a dominant Hispanic community in Canada.)
• Avoid overgeneralizations.
  
  Example: Iraqis are a determined people.
  
  (Does this statement apply to all Iraqis?)
• Avoid ethnic clichés.
  
  Example: fiery Spaniards, beautiful Swedes, soft-spoken Chinese
• Avoid backhanded praise and gratuitous modifiers.
  
  Example: Ahn is a well-spoken Korean professor.
  
  (The modifier "well-spoken" may suggest that the fact the professor is well spoken is an exception to the rule.)
• Identify two or more persons of equal significance in a text in the same manner.
  
  Example: Mr. Williams and his Chilean driver were injured in the accident.
  Revised: Mr. Williams and Mr. Gonzales were injured in the accident.
• In general, capitalize the names of races and peoples.
  
  Example: Caucasian, Hispanic, Indian, Arabic

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