The Fourth Level of Racism: Structural/Societal.

Need a recap? Take a look.

We've come, finally, to the last of the four types of racism identified by Race Forward. This one? Structural racism, also sometimes called societal or systemic racism. It's a mixture and a product of the other types, moving among and above them. Here's Race Forward's definition:

STRUCTURAL RACISM is racial bias among institutions and across society. It involves the cumulative and compounding effects of an array of societal factors including the history, culture, ideology, and interactions of institutions and policies that systemically privilege white people and disadvantage people of color.

An example is the overwhelming number of depictions of people of color as criminals in mainstream media, which can influence how various institutions and individuals treat people of color with suspicion when they are shopping, traveling, or seeking housing and employment—all of which can result in discriminatory treatment and unequal outcomes.

That is: A white girl grows up watching cop shows featuring villainous people of color (POC), which create the impression that POCs are dangerous and likely to commit crimes; as a young adult working retail at the mall, that white girl keeps a closer eye on shoppers of color, sometimes following them around the store or unduly calling security because something feels "off." Or (I've heard this one often from white students in a mixed school): a white kid sees the POC-heavy suspension list at his high school and concludes that "those kids" are just...worse. Crazier, less trustworthy. Later in life, as a realtor, he steers white families away from predominantly-POC neighborhoods.

Structural racism is kind of like smog. While there are certainly a few clear pollution sources pictured here, they're not the only sites of danger. The smog clearly can, and might, affect you anywhere in the city. Or maybe today it won't, somehow. But it's always there and always noxious. Have a good day! Source

In each of these examples, multiple institutions are at play (media, schools, workplaces, stores), and the racism takes place on internal, individual, and institutional levels...as well as above and around them all. And in each multilayered example, it's impossible to pinpoint One Big Bad Racist Act or Person. Take the first scenario, with the fan of cop shows who's a little too quick to call store security. Where to start? We can address the racial bias in police encounters, the show producers who focus disproportionately on suspects of color, the network executives who know this boosts ratings, the parents and teachers who don't debrief this with the kid watching the shows, and the policies and procedures of the big-box store where she now works. We can also address her internalized racist beliefs—though she'd probably deny their existence, since she's a good person and confident in her ability to distinguish between a dumb 1990s cop show and real life. None of this, of course, ultimately matters to the fourteen-year-old now sitting nervously in the Macy's security office. All he knows is that this is the third time this month that someone in a uniform has wrongly accused him of stealing. Has he experienced racism? Of course. Can the problem be fixed by firing the white employee? No, because the problem extends well beyond her and him, and pervades the entire societal structure where they came into contact.

Not to put too fine a point on it.

But What's That Like?

When people of color tell us that, yes, they experience racism—this wide-ranging racism that can crop up at any time—we often begin by requesting or demanding Examples and Statistics. We want to learn (or sometimes we want to defend ourselves), and we figure that the POCs "complaining" of racism are the best ones to teach us.

But: No individual owes us any stories of their personal pain, for crying out loud. None of us enters a casual conversation (or, worse, a heated conversation) ready to both bare our deepest wounds and eloquently describe them. (Can you imagine?! "Hey, I just overheard you mention fathers. I'd sure love to hear about your rejection by your father, in detail, and I'm going to ask you pointed questions and analyze both you and him, because to be honest you're probably partly to blame here. Wait, WHY ARE YOU CRYING?")

However! Thank goodness for the written word and its new best friend, The Internet. Because so many people of color, despite the energy it costs, write and speak with clarity and courage about how they experience racism. The Examples and Statistics are already there, for the taking, so we can learn quite a bit without dragging our friends of color through exhausting conversations.

And I've been hunting down some brief, excellent pieces to share with you in the next few posts. So! Come on back.

xo