Systemic racism has made racists of us all

Systemic racism makes racists of us all, even if we don’t know it.

A lot of people’s hackles just rose and a collective, “But I’m not a racist!” echoed through the universe. We’re asking readers to set aside the instinctive defensiveness and join us for an honest conversation. Here’s the thing: Few of us are intentionally racist. We don’t throw around the n-word or call the cops on unfamiliar people of color. But racism is built so solidly into the foundation of our society — social, economic and educational — that all of us are unintentionally racist.

Yesterday, we talked about systemic racism in terms of redlining in real estate. But systemic racism can be much more subtle. At this point in American history, racist ideologies and practices have become so pervasive, we don’t even notice them — especially if they don’t directly affect us or someone we know — but they do shape our implicit biases.

Implicit bias refers to “the attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions and decisions in an unconscious manner,” according to Ohio State’s Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, and early life experiences and media often influence implicit biases.

So growing up in a time when segregation was the norm or not long after, during unofficial segregation, fundamentally shapes a person’s perspective of black people and other minorities. To live through “separate but equal” solidifies the unconscious categorization of people of color as “other.”

Growing up listening to racist people (subtle or overt) also influences our perspectives. When we’re young, we absorb information like a sponge, and it’s not until we’re older that we learn to analyze the information we take in. So information — fact, fiction or somewhere in between — given to us when we’re young becomes the foundation of our implicit bias.

Unfortunately, even modern media has continued to feed into systemic racism by relying on racial stereotypes. A study done by the Opportunity Agenda found that media (from films, to commercials, to magazines) tended to exaggerate things negatively associated with black men, such as criminality, poverty and unemployment. When black men become the face of criminal activity, white people tend to be more wary when they encounter unfamiliar black people, particularly males.

Biases against people of color are so ingrained that multiple studies found people with black-sounding names are less likely to get calls for job interviews. A Harvard study found black applicants who “whitened” their resumes — used “white” sounding names and/or omitted references to black organizations — were more likely to be invited to interview for the position, even if they otherwise had the same qualifications as other applicants. This was true even for businesses that promoted themselves as diversity friendly.

All of this feeds into systemic racism. Even those of us who actively speak out against racism will likely find we still harbor certain racist ideologies, even it’s just a passing thought that relies on racial stereotyping. This does, in fact, makes us racist. Even if it’s just a little.

How do we become not-racists? Challenge ourselves when we judge a person based on stereotyping or racial profiling. Question why we think that way. Bias doesn’t disappear overnight. It takes work to change our thought patterns and behaviors. We can call ourselves allies, but until we tackle our own implicit biases, we will still perpetuate systemic racism.