In support of BLM and the civil rights movements throughout America, I explore some of the different types of racism that exist and their disastrous effects on the lives of black Americans. 

In my previous post, I examined casual racism, chiefly how racism is about impact as much as intention. Though sometimes people don’t mean harm by their racially charged comments and seemingly benign jokes, all forms of racism are harmful and contribute to enforcing stereotypes and creating damaging discourse. While casual racism belies farm more harm than its name suggests, different types of racism exist to hold certain groups back from succeeding and receiving equal treatment. Though most forms of racism create similar outcomes for minority groups, systematic racism puts discrimination into policy. At the same time, individual racism also plays a role in creating this division in society that holds some groups back while making it easier for others to succeed.

Individual racism occurs on an interpersonal level between individuals. However, this form of racism runs rampant throughout institutions and organizations, in turn affecting policies and procedures. Individual racism accounts for the racial beliefs of the individual due to his or her prejudice. It is both reinforced and supported by systematic racism and is present throughout systems, organizations, and institutions. This form of racism can be witnessed by derogatory slurs and statements or exhibited through hate crimes and acts of violence. Though these acts of racism occur on an individual basis, racism does not exist in a vacuum. Racist sentiments and actions are a direct result of something wrong with society, as these beliefs, actions, and attitudes are perpetuated, enforced, or excused by society at large.

Systemic racism refers to the practices and policies of established institutions that exist to promote or exclude groups based on race. Unlike individual racism, systematic racism lacks individual intent. Systematic racism leads to the emergence of both institutional racism and structural racism. Institutional racism involves individually carried out racial discrimination as dictated by prejudiced people or the prejudices of society. Structural racism reveals societal and systematic inequalities that exclude a significant number of people from certain groups. It involves major social institutions and systematically prevents certain groups from having the privileges and opportunities of other groups. Often privileged groups can fail to see the prevalence and harm of systematic racism, but it plays a prominent role in holding back certain groups and allowing others to succeed.

Systematic racism contributes to many critical areas of livelihood. It affects the wealth gap, unemployment rate, housing discrimination, surveillance, incarceration, arrests, immigration, and infant mortality. Black Americans account for 13% of the nation’s population, yet comprise only 2.7% of its wealth. Likewise, the unemployment rate for black Americans is nearly twice as much as the unemployment rate for white Americans. Black Americans face housing discrimination that prevents them from moving into more favorable neighborhoods coupled with better education systems and higher rates of safety. They are subject to a higher rate of government surveillance, garnering suspicion simply due to the color of their skin. Additionally, black Americans receive higher rates of incarceration and are subject to more drug arrests. People of color in America also experience higher rates of immigration discrimination and infant mortality, in addition to being on the receiving end of everyday discrimination, racism, and prejudices.

There is a reason why black Americans systematically experience less success and more legal issues than white Americans. It is not because, as racists like to infer, black people commit more crimes and are less educated. Black Americans are simply not subject to the same privileges and leniency that white Americans are. We exist in a system that is hell-bent on holding black Americans back while allowing white Americans to succeed. The same “get out of jail free card” and privileges that white Americans experience are seldom extended to people of color. It is undeniable that black and minority groups are targeted far more, with law enforcement acting on preconceived assumptions and prejudices that contribute to the imprisonment of minority groups. And this is a system we help to foster when we express racism, no matter how “casual” the intent.

In 2020, it is difficult to believe that some people could still be denying the existence of white privilege and racism in America, but the reality is that there are uneducated people who have not been exposed to any life outside of their own. They lack the intelligence, perspective, and empathy to fathom what life could be like for anyone apart from people raised like them. However, white privilege, racism, discrimination, and systematic oppression are real even in you don’t choose to believe in or acknowledge them. The world experienced by privileged groups is not representative of the world that exists for the vast majority of people, and people must educate themselves and recognize the way we operate as a society is contributing to the oppression of people based on the color of the skin.