systemic oppression / systemic racism
Last updatedWhat to know
Systemic oppression or systemic racism includes harassment, discrimination, prejudice, and other forms of unequal treatment that often affect historically underserved groups. It leads to disparities in “wealth, the criminal justice system, employment, housing, health care, politics and education,” which take many forms. Federal Reserve data, for instance, shows that household wealth for Black, Hispanic, and other Americans is a small fraction of the wealth of white Americans. Researchers from UC Berkeley and the University of Chicago found that applicants with “distinctively Black names” were less likely to hear back from a potential employer than an applicant with “distinctively white names.” And systemic racism leads to far worse health outcomes for Black people compared to white people, including child and maternal mortality.
Acknowledging the role systemic racism plays in such disparities adds essential context to coverage of institutions and policies.
Additional resources
- The systemic racism Black Americans face, explained in 9 charts (Vox)
- Fact Sheet: U.S. Efforts to Combat Systemic Racism (White House)
- Systemic racism, chronic health inequities, and COVID‐19: A syndemic in the making? (National Institutes of Health)
Summary
The historical and systematic disenfranchisement of groups of people while simultaneously advantaging others on the basis of identities such as gender, race, class, sexual orientation, language, religion, or national origin. Acknowledging the role systemic racism plays in such disparities adds essential context to coverage of institutions and policies.