Language, Power, and the Global Majority.

In Britain and around the world, people are rethinking the words we use to describe identity. Terms like “ethnic minority” or BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) have long been used to label Black and brown communities. But today these terms are being challenged and a new phrase, “Global Majority,” is gaining ground.

Coined by Black British educator Rosemary Campbell-Stephens MBE, “Global Majority” flips the script on old labels. It’s about decolonising language and reclaiming power through words.

Origins of the Term Global Majority.

The term global majority was introduced to acknowledge a simple but powerful fact: collectively, people of African, Asian, Middle Eastern, Latin American, Indigenous and mixed heritage represent the vast majority of humanity. In fact, roughly 85% of the world’s population comes from these backgrounds.

This concept of Global Majority was brought to prominence by Rosemary Campbell-Stephens in the early 2000s. As part of a London education initiative, she began using “Global Majority” in 2003 to help reframe how we see leadership and diversity.

Campbell-Stephens wanted those who had been minoritised by society to realize their numerical and cultural strength. By adopting this term, she aimed to empower Black and brown communities with a mindset of belonging and confidence on a global scale.

Rejecting “Minority” and “BAME” Labels.

Why move away from terms like “minority” or BAME? For one, these old labels carry a negative weight. Being called an “ethnic minority” in a predominantly white country can make people feel less important or outside of the norm. It frames white people as the standard and everyone else as “other”. Using a blanket acronym like BAME has also proven unsatisfactory – it lumps diverse groups into one vague category.

Many individuals feel that BAME is not representative of their identity or experiences. It’s a catch-all that hides real differences. Crucially, such terminology hints at a white/non-white divide and keeps whiteness as the implied default standard

As Campbell-Stephens wrote, continuing to use acronyms like BAME “limits the capacity to have honest, authentic, non-coded conversations about race and racism”.

In other words, these labels can cloud the discussion and even create a “limiting mindset” for those who are labelled minorities. People can internalise the idea of being minor or marginal when in truth their communities are globally prevalent and vibrant.

Change is underway. In 2020, Rosemary Campbell-Stephens penned a think piece arguing that we must decolonise the language around race. She vowed to keep using the “demographically accurate and empowering” term Global Majority until everyone else caught up. And indeed, others have begun to catch up.

In November 2022, Westminster City Council in London officially announced it would stop using “BAME” and instead adopt “Global Majority” in its communications. This was a landmark move by a local government to be more inclusive, and it echoed the call that Campbell-Stephens made nearly two decades earlier. It shows that what starts as a radical idea can eventually become new common sense.

Decolonising Language, Changing Perspectives.

The push to use global majority is part of a broader effort to decolonise language. Decolonising language means actively challenging old terms imposed by colonial histories and replacing them with words that centre the perspective of Black and Indigenous peoples and other communities of colour. It recognises that language is deeply connected to power. When we change the words, we change the narrative. For people who have long been labelled minorities, adopting the term global majority can be a profoundly liberating shift.

Language and Power.

Words shape our reality. They influence who holds power and who feels visible or invisible. Referring to Black and brown communities as the global majority is an intentional act of empowerment.

It tells young people from these communities that they are inheritors of the world, not just a footnote in it. Rosemary Campbell-Stephens’s work illustrates the impact of this change. By reframing language in education and leadership, she has helped dispel the myth of minority inferiority and replace it with a narrative of majority strength. In the end, embracing the term global majority is about more than political correctness – it’s about power and pride.

It’s about recognising that the people once called “minorities” are in fact the majority of the globe, with rich histories and contributions. Decolonising language in this way helps to break down the old hierarchies that language upheld. It allows for more honest conversations about race, racism, and equity, and it invites everyone to see the world from a truly global perspective.

In summary, language is power.

The words we choose can either reinforce old colonial ideas or help dismantle them. By rejecting terms that diminish and embracing terms that empower, we change the story. The rise of “global majority” shows how a radical Black perspective on language can spark a wider change in mindset. When people start calling themselves (and each other) the global majority, they reclaim dignity and strength. They also send a message: we will define ourselves, rather than be defined by a legacy of colonisation. This shift in language – from minority to majority, from othered to empowered – is a small revolution of words that can lead to a bigger revolution in how we understand identity, power, and belonging. As Rosemary Campbell-Stephens and others have taught us, changing our language can indeed change how we see ourselves and the world around us.

Origins of the Term Global Majority.

Rejecting “Minority” and “BAME” Labels.

Decolonising Language, Changing Perspectives.

Language and Power.

In summary, language is power.

Further Reading.

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