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Systemic racism today creates structural/institutional racism tomorrow.
Structural racism - ongoing overall social disadvantage of a racialized group as a result of previous policies or social norms based on widely held beliefs of their inferiority in socially valued contexts.
Structural racism - ongoing overall social disadvantage of a racialized group as a result of previous policies or social norms based on widely held beliefs of their inferiority in socially valued contexts.
While systemic racism is about currently existing beliefs of inferiority, structural racism reflects structures that are now "baked in". Let's say you create a race and deny that race the opportunity to earn wealth for 300 years. Structures that now depend on wealth enforce that
A lot of instances of structural racism are defensible if you ignore racial impacts. Schools being funded by income is defensible. Black neighborhoods being poorer, and that school funding system being rooted in that fact, makes it structural.
I believe this view of institutional/structural racism is in line with how Kwame Ture defined the term in 1967.
Past systemic racism outlasts the beliefs and policies and become baked in.
Past systemic racism outlasts the beliefs and policies and become baked in.
Structural racism can also feed systemic racism.
The belief that black Americans *naturally* can't swim very well, are examples of structural racism feeding systemic racism
Very few remember the racial history of public pools and their lack of availability in black communities.
The belief that black Americans *naturally* can't swim very well, are examples of structural racism feeding systemic racism
Very few remember the racial history of public pools and their lack of availability in black communities.
How to fix structural racism?
I have bad news. Because it's structural, it won't fix itself. It takes explicit steps. This was LBJ's justification for Affirmative Action.
You can aim to take those steps in a supposedly colorblind way, but the impact must be clearly racial.
I have bad news. Because it's structural, it won't fix itself. It takes explicit steps. This was LBJ's justification for Affirmative Action.
You can aim to take those steps in a supposedly colorblind way, but the impact must be clearly racial.
Fixing structural racism has trade-offs. This is something I do wish more people would admit. If black folks are 5% of a group and we think they should be 10%, then it does mean someone who otherwise would've fit in that 5% now won't. They won't like it. We can admit that.
Do I think these trade-offs are fair? Absolutely. I have no problem admitting that. If you can give me a colorblind way to reach the goal cool, but the real benchmark is the goal.
I was asked if I thought it was fair a college had openings only for indigenous profs. Yes.
I was asked if I thought it was fair a college had openings only for indigenous profs. Yes.
This thread is long. I had meant to write it as an article but couldn't find time to settle down. If you stuck around. Thanks for reading.
It's important that we're willing to define and defend our terms. We don't have to agree, but we should be able to say what we disagree with
It's important that we're willing to define and defend our terms. We don't have to agree, but we should be able to say what we disagree with
