Global Inequality and Terrorism Vocab

United Nations

International body formed in 1945 to promote peace, security, and cooperation among nations

General Assembly

Main UN body where all member states vote equally on global issues

Security Council

UN group responsible for maintaining peace; can impose sanctions or military action

Secretariat

Administrative branch of the UN led by the Secretary-General

Peacekeeping

UN deployment of troops to stabilize conflict zones and maintain ceasefires

World Health Organization (WHO)

UN agency focused on global health and disease control

Doctors Without Borders

NGO providing emergency medical care in conflict/disaster areas

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

1948 UN document outlining basic human rights for all people

Human rights

Basic freedoms and protections all humans are entitled to

UNICEF

UN agency providing aid to children worldwide

International Court of Justice

UN court that settles disputes between nations

Segregation

Forced separation of races in public and private life

Double V Campaign

WWII movement demanding victory abroad and racial equality at home

Rosa Parks

Activist whose bus protest sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott

W.E.B. Du Bois

Intellectual who advocated for African American rights and co-funded NAACP

Martin Luther King Jr

Leader who promoted nonviolent protest for equality

Marcus Garvey

Advocated Black pride and return to Africa movement

Plessy v. Ferguson

1896 case that upheld “separate but equal” segregation

Brown v. Board of Education

1954 case that declared school segregation unconstitutional

Montgomery Bus Boycott

protest that ended segregation on public buses

Jim Crow Laws

Laws enforcing racial segregation in the US South

Redlining

Discriminatory housing policy denying loans to minority neighborhoods

Civil Rights Act (1964)

Law banning discrimination in public places and employment

Voting Rights Act (1965)

Law protecting minority voting rights

Apartheid

System of racial segregation in South Africa (1948-1994)

Pass Laws

South African laws restricting movement of Black citizens

Nelson Mandela

Anti-apartheid leader who became South Africa’s first Black president

African National Congress (ANC)

Political party that fought apartheid

F.W. de Klerk

Leader who helped end apartheid

Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC)

Post-apartheid body to address past abuses

Desmond Tutu

Leader of TRC and anti-apartheid activist

Stephen BIko

Leader of Black Consciousness Movement

Me Too Movement

Campaign against sexual harassment and assault

Black Lives Matter

Movement protesting police brutality and racial injustice

Occupy Movement

Protest against economic inequality ('“99% vs 1%”)

Battle of Seattle (1999)

Protest against globalization at WTO meeting

Indymedia

Independent media network for activist reporting

Internationalism

Cooperation between nations for common goals

Transnationalism

Connctions and interactions across national borders

Ethnic Nationalism

National identity based on shared culture/ethnicity

Negritude

Movement celebrating Black culture and identity

Liberation Theology

Religious movement emphasizing social justice for the poor

Roma

Ethnic group (often called “Gypsies”) historically marginalized in Europe

Dalits

Lowest caste in India, historically oppressed (“untouchables”)

Limited Citizenship

Restricted tights for certain groups within a state

Stateless

People without recognized citizenship in any counrty

MNU (Movimento Negro Unificare)

Brazilian Black rights organization

CONAIE

Indigenous rights organization in Ecuador

Rigoberta Menchu

Indigenous rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner

World Food Program (WFP)

UN agency providing food aid worldwide

Human Rights Watch (HRW)

NGO monitoring human rights abuses

Amnesty International

NGO advocating for prisoners of conscience and human rights

Red Cross

Organization providing humanitarian aid during disasters/war

UNHCR

UN agency aiding refugees

NGO (Non-Governmental Organization)

Independent group working on social or political issues

9/11

2001 terrorist attacks on the US by Al-Qaeda

Osama bin Laden

Founder of Al-Qaeda

Taliban

Islamist group controlling Afghanistan (1990s, 2021-)

George W. Bush

President during 9/11; launched War on Terror

Islamism

Political ideology seeking to base government on Islamic law

Saam Hussein

Dictator of Iraq, removed in 2003

Gulf War

1991 war to expel Iraq from Kuwait

Operation Enduring Freedom

US military response in Afghanistan after 9/11

ISIS

Extremist group aiming to create an Islamic state

Boko Haram

Terroist group in Nigeria opposing Western education

Patriot Act

US law expanding surveillance after 9/11

Department of Homeland Security

US agency for domestic security