AAPI
AAPI stands for Asian-American and Pacific Islander, and it is a term used to describe U.S. residents who originate from Asia or the Pacific Islands of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. The term AAPI recognizes the vastly differing cultures under its umbrella that are unified through the shared experience of immigration and cultural restructuring that moving to the United States would cause.
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is held annually during May to commemorate the achievements and celebrate the culture of Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans throughout history. It was officially recognized for the entire month of May through the Public Law 102-450 passed by Congress in 1992.
AAVE or BVE
African American Vernacular English (AAVE) or Black Vernacular English is a dialect of spoken English developed and used by many members of African American communities. It is characterized by its blend of multiple West African dialects and various English speaking patterns. The dialect came to be through enslaved Africans learning English through speech, conceptualizing it through the lens of their first language and carrying over various grammatical rules and tendencies. This resulted in a unique, multi-cultural origin for the dialect.
Today, AAVE is spoken all across the United States and Canada, by people across the African diaspora or otherwise. AAVE maintains its cultural relevancy, with key words and phrases used in Black communities being adapted and repurposed among other cultures.
Ableism
Ableism is the discrimination of and social prejudice against people with disabilities based on how closely they match the social construct of typicality. Ableist rhetoric often involves the notion that disabled people are in need of being “fixed” and that their disabilities make them abnormal. This rhetoric is harmful as it perpetuates the stereotypes of disabled individuals being “helpless”, which could minimize and dehumanize them.
Ableism can also include creating structures and institutions that favor able-bodied people. Architectural ableism can take the form of long or absent crosswalks, narrow sidewalks, and mandatory stairs in schools or public institutions. This sort of architecture is implicitly hostile towards people with disabilities when there are no alternatives (ramps, elevators, etc.) present.
Abortion
Abortion refers to a medical procedure that terminates a pregnancy via removal of the fetus. An abortion can be performed using medication or by going into a clinic to see a trained professional, like a doctor or nurse. Medical abortions are usually reserved for early in the pregnancy, for up to 11 weeks after the first day of one’s last period.
The legality of abortion depends on the state you live in. In the United States, abortion is no longer a federal mandated right, so states vary in how they handle abortion legally. Organizations such as Planned Parenthood can offer information on the legality of abortion in your state.