Racism
Race is a social construct that artificially divides people into distinct groups based on characteristics such as physical appearance (especially skin color), ancestral heritage, and cultural history. Racism then can be defined as the subordination of a group based on race. Often, people define racism as prejudice plus power. Prejudice and power work together to maintain racism, creating power imbalances between groups. Racism can be enacting individually, institutionally, and culturally.
Individual racism refers to the attitudes, beliefs, and actions of individuals that perpetuate biases, stereotypes, and prejudices against people of different races. An example of individual racism would be a white man holding the idea that he is biologically superior to people of color, or an employer choosing not to interview employees with more ethnic names.
Institutional racism refers to the decision-making and work of institutions that exclude or harm people of color. This looks like giving more resources, power, and opportunities to white people over people of color. These institutions include housing, employment, legal system, education, religion, media, government, and health services. An example of institutional racism is how black people are 12 times more likely to be wrongfully convicted of drug-related crimes than white people.
Cultural racism shows up in many ways. White people are the dominant group in the United States and have more power/authority to shape the culture in this society. They define the norms, values, morals, standards of beauty, holidays, and social expectations. Culture is then used to defend racist ideas and policies. An example of this would be how in the 1950s, Native American children were sent to schools off of their reservations where they were made to speak only English, prevented from and punished for speaking their own language.
Racism exists in the United States, and its violence is perpetrated and condoned by culture, institutions, and individuals. As Ruth Wilson Gilmore analyzes, this violence has a real material impact on the bodies of people of color, which puts their lives at risk and leads to, as scholar Ruth Wilson Gilmore analyzes, “premature death.” Racism prevents people of color from living their fullest lives and potential.
​
Sources:
“Racism” by Racial Equity Tools
“The Many Types of Racism: 5 Terms to Know” by DeEtta Jones
“Study: Black People More Likely to be Wrongfully Convicted” by Tanzina Vega
“Tree of Oppression” by Danny Alvarez