Racism and Antiracism We can be led to believe that racism is only about individual mindsets and actions, yet racist policies also contribute to our polarization. While individual choices are damaging, racist ideas in policy have a widespread impact by threatening the equity of our systems and the fairness of our institutions. To create an equal society, we must commit to making unbiased choices and being antiracist in all aspects of our lives. Being antiracist is fighting against racism. Thus, the first step is learning what racism and antiracism are, what it means to be antiracist, and how to take action (Hoffower, 2020). Defining antiracism can be a difficult task, given that most individuals do not possess a firm grasp on what racism is. White discourse on racism has historically relied on the part of the dictionary definition that says one must believe a particular race is superior or inferior to be racist. Under this definition, someone is racist, for example, if, in one-to-one interactions, they intentionally mistreat someone or deny them an opportunity (a job or promotion, housing, a seat at a restaurant) based on their race. Under this definition, someone is racist if they use slanderous terms to refer to another race. In the past, Merriam-Webster defined racism as “a belief that race is a fundamental determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.” Nevertheless, because of public criticism, they revised the definition of racism to include other variables. Signifying the more significant cultural shift felt around the U.S., Merriam-Webster will now include systemic oppression in its latest definition of racism. The dictionary, which has long served as a gatekeeper of the English lexicon, made plans for the update after Kennedy Mitchum - an African American female - emailed editors frustrated about the current definition’s inadequacy. Mitchum, who hails from Florissant, Missouri, a city just north of Ferguson, wanted the dictionary to provide a more detailed definition that explains systemic oppression. She grew tired of having conversations about racial injustice to have people point to the dictionary to defend why they are not racist. In its revision of the definition of racism, Merriam-Webster will attempt to show how racism is not just about discrimination or prejudice from one person to another but also about how long- standing institutions and laws and regulations buttress notions of supremacy and inferiority between the races. Moreover, the new definition may help us better see how White people benefit from racism since systemic oppression is ingrained in the fabric of American society. Merriam-Webster’s (2022) current/revised definition of racism reads as follows: “A belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race. a. the systemic oppression of a racial group to the social, economic, and political advantage of another. b. a political or social system founded on racism and designed to execute its principles.” Racism is both a system of advantage (for White people) and a system of oppression (for people of color). The system was created to concentrate social and institutional power among those designated as “White” and to exclude all others from receiving these benefits. Again, because these systems are self-perpetuating, they will continue to produce differential outcomes according to race regardless of the action or inaction of individual people within the system unless and until the system itself is changed. It is problematic to define racism as interpersonal prejudice or bias based on race. When we define racism as personal rather than institutional, our conversations about what is racist often devolve into a discussion of “what is in a person’s heart” rather than the impact of their beliefs and behaviors. This limits racism only to intentional and conscious acts and erases the impact of unintentionally harmful behaviors and large-scale systemic oppression and discrimination. Systemically defining racism does not ignore individual instances of overtly hateful behavior but instead expands
our understanding of what is racist to include less conscious, unconscious, and institutional manifestations. Self-Assessment Question 3 ____________ speaks to how little it takes to move White individuals out of their racial comfort zones. It describes how the reaction of White individuals is to lash back in ways that end up being punitive to whoever challenged them, but highly effective to repel the challenge.
a. Marginalization b. Intersectionality c. White fragility d. Oppression Effects of Racism
Research has shown that racism has wide-reaching adverse effects on individuals, families, communities, and entire societies (Cherry, 2021). Racism impacts areas you may not have considered, including healthcare, education, employment, and housing. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2021, the median pay for White workers was about 23% higher than for Black and Latino workers (Cherry, 2021). Ethnic minorities are less likely to be offered jobs than their White counterparts. Black workers are twice as likely to be unemployed as White workers. Statistics also show that Black employees are more likely to be underemployed than their education and skill levels indicate. Statistics show significant disparities in how the criminal justice and legal system treats White versus non-White defendants. People who belong to an ethnic minority receive longer, harsher sentences. For example, Black men receive almost 20% longer sentences than White defendants for the same crimes (WTKR, 2022). Studies have also found that people of color are less likely to receive adequate healthcare because of reduced access to healthcare. Data reveals that African American patients who visit physicians of the same race rate their medical visits as more satisfying and participatory than those who see physicians of other races (Cooper et al., 2003). When individuals feel appreciated and understood they will be more likely to be satisfied with their treatment experience. Redlining, a process by which banks and other institutions refuse to offer mortgages or offer worse rates to customers in certain neighborhoods based on their racial and ethnic composition, is one of the clearest examples of institutionalized racism in the history of the U.S. Although the practice was formally outlawed in 1968 with the passage of the Fair Housing Act, it continues in various forms to this day. Redlining remains one of the most well-known forms of racism in the U.S. and one early example of the role of race in data-driven urban governance. The term “redlining” may have been expedient at times, but it is only one element in a broader examination of the impact of racism across all facets of society. The utility of data for categorization is powerful. However, to understand spatial racism in an urban setting, one must understand how the data is produced and distributed in both informal decision-making and official policy. Racial minorities are less likely to be offered financial services, including loans and insurance. They are also less likely to be shown available homes for sale. They are less likely to receive job offers and are frequently paid less than their non-racialized counterparts for the same work. The impact of redlining goes beyond the individual families who were denied loans based on the racial composition of their neighborhoods. Many neighborhoods that were labeled “Yellow” (meaning the Home Owner’s Loan Coalition (HOLC) considered these areas risky due to the “threat of infiltration of foreign-born, negro, or lower grade populations) or “Red” (described by the HOLC as having an “undesirable population” and ineligible for FHA backing) by the HOLC in the 1930s are still underdeveloped and underserved compared to nearby “Green” and “Blue” neighborhoods with predominantly White populations. Blocks
Page 17
Book Code: PYMA2024
EliteLearning.com/Psychology
Powered by FlippingBook