A Lot of Us Are Skeptical About Institutional Racism.

Not my nephew; just one of 22 squeezy-cheeked babies in a Buzzfeed roundup that I didn't realize I needed. Thanks, Buzzfeed!

Not my nephew; just one of 22 squeezy-cheeked babies in a Buzzfeed roundup that I didn't realize I needed. Thanks, Buzzfeed!

Well, we have a new president. In other news, my sister and baby nephew just visited for three days! Let me tell you: a five-month-old’s cheeks, so chubby that they rest comfortably on his collarbone, are balm for the soul. (Please imagine your own cheeks extending all the way to your collarbone. Only babies can pull this off, and it's glorious.)

All right. Back to business.
 

Welcome to Institutional Racism

We’ve discussed two types of individual-level racism: internal and interpersonal. Now, we switch gears to consider the bigger systems. Institutional racism is next up, and it’s gonna take a few posts to process.

Here’s Race Forward’s definition:

INSTITUTIONAL RACISM occurs within institutions and systems of power.
It is the unfair policies and discriminatory practices of particular institutions (schools, workplaces, etc) that routinely produce racially inequitable outcomes for people of color and advantages for white people. Individuals within institutions take on the power of the institution when they reinforce racial inequities.

Well. This definition pulls no rhetorical punches, with its “unfair” and “discriminatory” and “inequitable” and “advantages” and “power.” Even before digging into specifics, twenty bucks says if you're white and read that definition carefully, your brain will begin a frantic subliminal hunt for exceptions or diversions. (“But at my job…” “But Black churches…” “Well, if they’d just…”) This defensive response reveals the average white American’s deep discomfort with—and distrust of—the very notion of institutional racism.

And since discomfort can trick us into rejecting disagreeable evidence (and ohhh, there's evidence), we'd best confront our discomfort now, before reviewing the data. 
 

Why are white people so reluctant to see institutional racism?

I have a few ideas:

Presumably, Big Social Justice operates out of smoky back rooms. Source

Presumably, Big Social Justice operates out of smoky back rooms. Source

  1. We still want to believe that racism resides in the hearts of individuals. When we realize that racism isn’t a disease we can cure by amputating a few bad persons—that it has metastasized and is everywhere—we feel out of control, and that’s scary.
  2. We like to think that we see the world clearly. What?! I’ve been going to schools and churches and hospitals for thirty-six years, and I’ve never noticed this alleged “institutional racism.” What else am I not seeing?! It’s like realizing on your commute home that you’ve had a booger hanging out of your nose all day (only instead of a booger it's—well—the systematic, often fatal oppression of other humans). This is scary.
  3. We worry that someone is pulling the wool over our eyes. That to criticize institutions like churches, schools, and courts is to become the hands and feet of the Big Social Justice lobby, which is pushing some sinister agenda of its own. That’s scary.
  4. We want to be cool, collected, and moderate. We’ve overheard conversations about “systems” and “the Man” in the probiotic aisle at a Boulder food co-op or among fragrant white dudes playing hackey-sack in the park—but honestly, that’s just not our scene. Joining a conversation about “institutions” seems to require a cultural shift toward patchouli, and this is scary.
  5. We worry that changing our perspective on institutions is one of those slippery slopes: What, I’m just going to become a cynic now? Or: If I see it, then I should probably do something about it, and I have no idea where to start. This is overwhelming—and scary.


There’s a theme here.

But here’s the thing: Fear isn’t generative. We certainly don’t have to fear data or logic or the personal histories of people of color—all of which definitively confirm the existence of institutional racism. We can mindfully process each piece of information as we receive it. After all, "the slippery slope” is a fallacy because we’re not passive objects sliding down a hill, but thoughtful people who care about the truth. And, we are strong people who can deal with our past blindness. We want our Wednesday beliefs to be different from our Monday beliefs if we receive new relevant intel on Tuesday. We don’t need to be afraid to learn new information, even if that information implicates us and our institutions. And good lord, patchouli is optional. Also, not recommended.
 

Today's Action

So, before we move on to instances and indicators of institutional racism, take a minute for a lil self inventory. What makes you skeptical about or resistant to the very concept of institutional racism? When you read the definition above, what do your defenses rise to protect?

Resources:

LearnMichelle Bard