Where Is Racism?

If America is going to end racism, we need to identify where racism is embedded in ourselves and society. Once we know where racism is embedded, we need to consider the social process that protects and preserves racism. Finally, we need to develop the skills of being involved in addressing racism.

Types of racism

There are three types of racism in America. They permeate all aspects of American life. These are structural racism, institutional racism, and personal racism. On the diagram, each type is listed in the left column. The environment of each type determines what anti-racist activity is possible and necessary to eradicate racism. Columns to the right of each type indicate how racism works for that type.

The first type includes the structures of the government and the economy. Put simply, the distribution of power in America results in white people, particularly white men, being able to claim and exercise privileges. And with control of the government, they are able to manage the economy. These privileges are justified by white racism. Rules in this type of racism are particularly important because they are backed up by law enforcement. The most powerful rules are those established by the Constitution. But the stories of the nation called history and the stories that accompany national celebrations also sustain racism. Usually addressing structural racism requires political action.

The second type of racism is institutional. Many institutions are voluntary associations like businesses, religious organizations, and any other way Americans organize themselves into groups. The structure of society, particularly the Constitution, provides general rules for how these groups can organize themselves. For example, the First Amendment protects the freedom to have religious organizations. Congress establishes business laws and regulations as well as business taxes and subsidies. But all of these associations depend on individuals deciding to create or sustain them as a group. Even a sole proprietorship depends on customers who support the business. Individuals who participate in these organizations make it possible for them to support and preserve racism. Addressing institutional racism requires participants in the organization to initiate changes.

The third type of racism exists in the minds of individuals. Every American regardless of racial identity carries conscious and unconscious racial biases. We all have habits of behavior that contain remnants of racial expectations. While we will never be able to root out the racism in every American individual completely, we can begin with ourselves. And we can join others who are serious about understanding and addressing racism. It will probably be a long time before every American has abandoned racism. There are still a very small number of Americans who say they believe that the earth is flat. But only if we take individual racism seriously can we address the other two types of racism.

The role of stories

The process used to sometimes hide and other times blatantly preserve and promote racism share the same strategies in all types of racism. These are stories and rules. 

Stories are often the most subtle perpetrators of the ideas of white supremacy and justification for white privileges. At the individual level, we internalize stories so they become part of our worldview. Some stories claim to describe reality like the stories we call history. But our personal experiences become our own stories and these can uncritically support racism.

Stories are part of the life of every organization. An organization has its founding story and often there are stories about the heroes of the organization. Religious organizations use stories to provide a shared experience for participants. Businesses have what is sometimes called their culture which depends in part on shared stories. 

At the systemic level stories are often very conservative. Their role is to make it seem that the existing system based on racism is righteous, or common sense, or the only possible way things can be. Other stories about the system are about how bad a particular politician is, or how bad socialism is, or how much worse another country is. But other stories celebrate the way things are, as if they can't be changed.

The role of rules

Rules are the second way that racism is protected and sustained in all three types of racism. Sometimes if we look carefully we can see how particular rules produce racist outcomes. A good example is the justice system where white people are less likely to be incarcerated for the same crime, and where some crimes are defined so that they are more likely to be committed by people of color. Systemic rules are particularly powerful when the Supreme Court chooses to define rules so that they give political power to white men. The Constitution and its implementation by Presidents, Congress, and the Supreme Court is the foundation for our system of rules.

Organizations have by-laws and business practices that establish rules that support and preserve racism. Some organizations like faith-based groups take rules very seriously as core to the reason for their existence. Thus, some religious organizations make rules that enforce racism.

Finally, and very importantly, racism at the individual level is filled with racist rules. Individuals internalize the rules that come from organizations or structures. Consciously or unconsciously these rules are followed. Culture is another source of individual rules which may have roots in racism. And habits can become personal rules that are followed unthinkingly.

What skills are needed to address racism?

Addressing racism involves two steps. These steps have parallels in all types of racism. The first step is to develop a sense of racism. The second step is to become an interrupter.

A sense of racism begins with intentionally looking at what happens in one's life through the lens of "is this racist." People of color talk about entering a new environment and doing a scan to check "is this a safe place for me?" For white people, there is a parallel of consciously checking in a new environment "what is the racial dynamic here? Is there a reason that only older white men are sitting at the table talking about playing golf at the country club last weekend? How does that play into the discussion that follows?" For white people taking time to read books, talk with others about racism, or intentionally attend cultural events where the audience is not all white are some strategies to develop a sense of racism. All Americans can increase their sense of racism by intentionally engaging with people who have identities other than their own.

Watching for racism is a critical step in developing a sense of racism. Like a sense of humor, a sense of racism recognizes racism without analysis. When we hear something funny we laugh without going through an analytical process of asking "is that funny?" or "why is that funny?" Like humor, different cultures find different things funny. Children learn what is funny. Anyone who has tried to introduce knock-knock jokes to a child has experienced an undeveloped sense of humor. Like racism, humor is a social construct. Humor is very serious for some people, particularly professional comedians. They analyze and practice developing their sense of humor. Everyone can work on developing the habit of recognizing racism by applying the strategies of habit formation. It means setting goals for intentionally paying attention to the environment until the racism lens is applied without thinking.

Just recognizing racism will change nothing unless we interrupt. Interrupting is the foundation of all anti-racism activism. Unless questions are raised about the system, the institutions, and our personal beliefs and actions, racism will never be addressed and America will continue to be a race-based society. Interrupting can be very difficult. It can have serious consequences. People are fired. Supposed friendships are destroyed. Organizations are disrupted. People become polarized. Whole books have been written about how white people avoid being interrupters. Developing group support for interrupting is one way to facilitate interrupting. That is exactly what Ending Racism USA is all about.