Acronyms dictionary

ABAR

[ ey-bahr ]

What does ABAR mean?

ABAR stands for anti-bias anti-racism. It is principally used to refer to educational programs, notably implemented in Montessori schools, that instruct young children about social justice and racial inequality.

The acronym ABAR gained greater use and attention outside of education during the George Floyd protests in 2020.

Related words

BIPOC, Black Twitter, Antifa, woke, #OscarsSoWhite, #MeToo, Karen

Where does ABAR come from?

Anti-bias, also written as antibias, refers to a belief or practice that recognizes various social biases (especially in the form or racial prejudice and discrimination), and actively combats biases for a more just, equal society.

Anti-racism (or antiracism) entails “a belief or practice that recognizes pervasive racism in society, and actively combats racial prejudice and discrimination in order to promote racial justice and equality.”

While ABAR theories and practices are much older, anti-bias anti-racist has been specifically abbreviated as ABAR since at least the mid-2010s.

In ABAR education, teachers and staff—after first learning about their own forms of prejudice, privilege, and oppression—instruct young children about social identity and how to live in and cultivate inclusive, respectful communities. The goal of ABAR education is not only for students to counteract biases in their thoughts and behaviors, but also to oppose systemic racism in society.

Want to learn more about systemic racism? Read about it here, where we also break down the differences between systemic and systematic. 

A leading scholar and educator on ABAR schooling and training is Louise Derman-Sparks, whose 2010 book, Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves, informs and guides many ABAR education programs.

ABAR education is especially prominent in Montessori education, a hands-on, self-motivated system for teaching students that emphasizes values of peace, justice, diversity, and inclusion.

The acronym ABAR notably spread outside of educational settings in 2020 amid historic protests—sparked by the killing of George Floyd, a Black man, by police—against systemic racism in society. From calling to defund police departments to taking down statues of Christopher Columbus, activists have demanded people (especially white people), governments, and businesses to do the work of opposing bias and racism not only in heart and mind, but also in institutions.

Examples of ABAR

I sent some funds to those on twitter and Instagram who provide valuable ABAR resources for free, and continued to work on my curriculum to make sure it is truly anti-biased and anti-racist. And that's how I'll celebrate the 4th of July from now on, to be uniquely American.
@SeanBuildsMinds, July 4,  2020
Major law firms, national and local, are requiring anti-bias, anti-racism (or ABAR) training for their attorneys and all their employees. Their clients are demanding truly diverse representation, and the firms are working to improve their cultures so their minority attorneys can thrive.
George W. Draper III, The St. Louis American, September 25,  2019

Who uses ABAR?

ABAR education and training—and demand for it in more schools, workplaces, and communities—notably increased in 2020, particularly in the US during a national discourse that stressed the importance and responsibility of white people and white-dominant institutions to combat racism.

 

ABAR is generally used as a modifier, e.g., ABAR resources for middle school.

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Note

This is not meant to be a formal definition of ABAR like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of ABAR that will help our users expand their word mastery.

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