Beyond Black and White: The Far-Reaching Consequences of Racism – Part 1

“It will take more than individual acts of kindness to eliminate systemic racism.”

Luiza Dreasher

 Racism – A Historical Perspective

 First, let us define racism.

 In the book, Race Dialogues: A Facilitator's Guide to Tackling the Elephant in the Classroom, the authors make a distinction between three types of racism. They are:

1. Individual Racism

Beliefs, attitudes, feelings, and values of individuals that support or perpetuate racism. For example, the belief that Black men are inherently more dangerous than White men. Individual racism can occur at both unconscious and conscious levels.

 2. Interpersonal Racism

Actions, behaviors, and language that support or perpetuate racism. It refers to how an individual treats other people across races. For example, using racial slurs, crossing the street if a person of color is walking toward them, or punishing a student of color who misbehaves in class more harshly than a White student.

 3. Institutional or Systemic Racism

Policies, rules, laws, procedures, and practices enacted by organizations and social institutions that disadvantage People of Color and advantage White people. For example, in 1790, Congress declared that only White immigrants could become naturalized citizens. It wasn’t until after the Civil War (1865) that naturalization was extended to persons of African descent. That was 75 years later.

 Clearly, the racism we see today has been around for centuries.

In fact, it was the racist views of the European explorers who propelled them to question the humanity of the racially distinct natives they encountered. Racism was one of the mechanisms they used to justify slavery and extermination.

Looking back at the history of this country, race has always been used to fuel the notion that there are two distinct groups: Whites and all others. As mentioned above, The Constitution of the United States asserted this notion by declaring that only free, White immigrants could become naturalized citizens.

Why was citizenship so important? It afforded those who were citizens numerous advantages including the right to vote, the ability to sit on juries, and the eligibility to be elected to public office. Simply put, being White meant you had access to better jobs and resources.

What took place in this country after WW II is a prime example. When the war ended, thousands of GIs came home ready to start families and achieve the American dream of home ownership. The Federal Housing Administration made that possible by guaranteeing them long-term, low-payment mortgage loans.

Black GIs, on the other hand, were faced with a much different reality. They were denied access to the same types of loans; in addition, many housing development owners stipulated that their houses were not to be sold to Blacks.

The dim reality is that the society we live in today is a product of a system that advantaged some groups over others.

Being Good is No Longer Enough

We live in a society today where Whites may have Black friends, may choose to go to a Black church, may have lunch with their Black coworkers, and even date Blacks.

And these are indeed great things. But what many of us fail to recognize is that individual good deeds are not enough to change the intrinsic racism that has been embedded in our psyche for centuries.

You can accompany your Black friend to as many church services as you want, but in the end, if your friend does not have access to the same job opportunities you have, drives in fear of being pulled over by a cop simply for being Black, and cannot shop in certain department stores without being followed, we are not doing much to accomplish systemic change.

The protests we saw after George Floyd’s senseless death are the cry of a group that has absolutely nothing else to lose. What do they want? Dignity, respect, and equal opportunity – all things Whites in this country have been enjoying for centuries.

Please, hear me out. There are plenty of Whites in this country who face obstacles. However, while the poverty rate for the population as a whole is 11.6%, the rate varies greatly by race. Blacks have the highest poverty rate at 19.5% while Whites have the lowest at 8.1%. The poverty rate for Blacks and Hispanics is more than double that of non-Hispanic Whites.

Blacks in this country have been fighting for an end to racial inequality for centuries now. It is time to recognize that the system of injustice that has been in place for centuries is no longer acceptable and is hurting all of us.

In part 2 of this article, I will go into more detail about how systemic racism harms all of us as well as some steps you can take to help eliminate systemic racism.