The word "stakeholder" has to go

Let's use other language to describe our engagement work

Photo description: a wooden fence post with barbed wire.

This word is everywhere, especially in the nonprofit world. We are enjoined to consult the community and engage our constituents, and this is the main word used to describe our members, clients, partners, donors, volunteers…the people who are affected by our work and/or care about our mission and organization. But this is an area where we need new language. I am committed to using other words because of the racist history this word evokes. We can do with out it. While I have not found a ideal synonym, I am generally using “constituent” or naming the specific groups (participants, partners, etc). Either works fine.

There seem to be different possible derivations of the word stakeholder, including some related to gambling stakes. But however the term originated, it clearly evokes for some our settler colonial history of claiming stolen indigenous land for homesteaders who “stake a claim.” For some, it may also evoke women being burned at the stake. Overall, it seems wise to avoid the term as a small step toward decolonizing our language.