Knowledge Is Power
Written by Soundarya Kanthi
This week, we will speak to you about understanding the realities of anti-Black racism. This article is not several things: a first-hand narrative of the Black experience in America, a subject matter account of racism, a comprehensive list of the manifestations of anti-Black racism, amongst many other things. Darby and I are right there with you: learning about anti-Black racism. Anti-Black racism in America will not be torn down until us non-Black people do the work of educating each other about this issue.
Since May of this year, media coverage has substantially increased surrounding crime against Black people in America. While it’s understandable that one might first see this and think that 2020 is a particularly violent year, the truth is that as a non-Black person many of us have had the privilege of turning away from anti-Black racism for so long. Last week, we covered the psychological reasons behind prejudice and discrimination so that we can identify biases within ourselves and in our social circles. A lot of anti-racism work is at the psychological level: guilt, shame, and defensiveness are common responses to race-based discussions for more privileged groups. Refer to our previous articles to learn about the power of becoming comfortable with discomfort.
Moving forward, we will move into the current state of anti-Black racism in the US. The realities of anti-Black racism have been and still are insidious -- they are both apparent in the subtlest of ways in our daily lives and in blatant ways such as the violent murders of countless people in the legal system. It is important that we understand the ways in which they manifest so that we can make sure that you and I, the people we know, and the people they know are part of the solution. In this article, we want to give you a short overview intended to facilitate conversation between non-Black allies and other non-Black people. If we can identify concrete examples of racism, we can help ourselves and others with the process of unlearning racism. Together, understanding the “why” and the “how” of racism can get us to the action of dismantling anti-Black racism.
The easiest type of racism to explain to those less familiar with anti-Black racism might be individual racism, a form of racial discrimination that stems from conscious and unconscious, personal prejudice, and is often manifested interpersonally (Alberta Civil Liberties Research Center). Racist jokes, making Black people feel like they are “exotic,” and failing to treat Black people with basic dignity are all ways we might perpetuate individual racism. When a family member or friend claims that Black people and White people are treated equally in today’s America, the simplest logical way to disprove that notion might be to demonstrate how racism exists all around us. For example, it is common for people to hurl microaggressions against Black people. At a party, someone might ask if they can touch a Black person’s hair. At work, people might mention that the organization seems to be “hiring Black people just because Black people are favored over other races these days.” We need to learn what individual racism looks like, and we need to practice calling people out or calling people in when they pose counterarguments (learn more through the action steps below). We need to be able to get our friends and family on the same page: that we should respect everyone, regardless of their race, and to do this we need to avoid individual racism.
The harder concept to unpack is systemic racism: systems that have processes and procedures that disadvantage people of color (ABC News). In this case, we are examining how systemic racism disadvantages Black Americans. It’s difficult to understand that the same system that might benefit one race can disadvantage another race. When we live our lives as a certain race, it can be difficult to wrap our heads around the fact that the same exact society we live in treats another race differently. According to the PEW Research Center, about 7 in 10 White Americans and Hispanic Americans believe that individual racism is a larger issue than institutional racism (PEW). A significantly larger portion of Black Americans cite institutional racism as the bigger problem. Individual racism is a lot easier to spot than institutional racism. We need to conduct research and really listen to Black Americans in order to understand the impacts of systemic racism. If we don’t do this, it is far too easy to believe that systemic racism is fake.
To illustrate the immense impact of systemic racism, we might consider a large body of research showing that there is a difference between your ability to go on vacation and get a job when you use a traditionally White name as opposed to a traditionally Black name. All else being equal, names perceived to be African-American names are 16% less likely to be approved for Airbnb rentals (CBS DC). With the same exact resume, those with perceived White names receive a call back 15% more often than those with perceived Black names (Harvard Business School). Let us absorb this information. How might this affect Black lives differently than non-Black lives? Structural (also known as systemic) racism is different from individual racism because practices embedded in every facet of life discriminate against Black people in unique ways. In the coming weeks, we will cover systemic racism in-depth. For now, let’s start with the following action steps.
Action Items:
Be able to articulate individual racism and systemic racism to yourself and other non-Black people.
Learn more from these listed resources. This article is meant to get you to have a “soundbite” version of a response to start the conversation on anti-Black racism, but you need a deeper understanding to really accurately represent these issues in conversation.
Knowledge is power. If we can spot racism, we can help stop it.
Earlier we mentioned the need to “call people out” and “call people in” when we see racism around us. Learn the difference between those phrases through this link.