institutional racism
Embedded societal prejudice
Institutional racism refers to racial discrimination embedded in the policies, practices, and procedures of organizations and social systems—governments, schools, banks, courts—rather than the prejudices of individuals.
The concept highlights how neutral-seeming rules can produce unequal outcomes: Studies documented institutional racism in mortgage lending.
Unlike overt bigotry, institutional racism may operate without conscious intent, perpetuated by historical patterns and organizational inertia.
Also called systemic racism or structural racism.
Refusing loans by neighborhood
- segregationForced separation by group
- Jim CrowRacial separation laws
- apartheidRacial separation policy
- mass incarcerationExcessive imprisonment at scale
school-to-prison pipeline · voter suppression · housing covenants · employment discrimination · health disparities · disenfranchisement · gentrification · stop-and-frisk
Doctrine of racial superiority
- colorblindnessImpaired hue discrimination
- model minorityRacialized success stereotype
- implicit biasAutomatic, unintentional stereotyping
- stereotypingOversimplified group-based judgments
othering · dehumanization · dog whistle · scapegoating · victim blaming · tokenism
Guaranteed individual legal protections
- affirmative actionPrograms boosting marginalized representation
- reparationsCompensation for historical wrongs
- desegregationEnding enforced group separation
- fair housingAntidiscrimination laws for rentals
voting rights · equal opportunity · diversity initiatives · community organizing · accountability · reform · abolition · restorative justice
Measurable difference between things
- underrepresentationInsufficient proportional presence
- achievement gapEducational performance inequality
- wealth gapEconomic inequality measure
- glass ceilingUnacknowledged limit blocking advancement
food deserts · healthcare access · digital divide · segregated schools · underfunding · resource allocation · maternal mortality · life expectancy gap
Domination through foreign settlement
- slaveryOwnership of people
- convict leasingHiring out imprisoned people
- ReconstructionPost-1865 national reunification period
- Japanese internmentForced relocation of civilians
Tuskegee experiment · urban renewal · lynching · sharecropping · grandfather clause · literacy tests · poll taxes
redlining
Refusing loans by neighborhood
- segregationForced separation by group
- Jim CrowRacial separation laws
- apartheidRacial separation policy
mass incarceration · school-to-prison pipeline · voter suppression · housing covenants · employment discrimination · health disparities · disenfranchisement · gentrification · stop-and-frisk · three-strikes laws
white supremacy
Doctrine of racial superiority
- colorblindnessImpaired hue discrimination
- model minorityRacialized success stereotype
- implicit biasAutomatic, unintentional stereotyping
stereotyping · othering · dehumanization · dog whistle · scapegoating · victim blaming · tokenism
civil rights
Guaranteed individual legal protections
- affirmative actionPrograms boosting marginalized representation
- reparationsCompensation for historical wrongs
- desegregationEnding enforced group separation
fair housing · voting rights · equal opportunity · diversity initiatives · community organizing · accountability · reform · abolition · restorative justice · inclusion
disparity
Measurable difference between things
- underrepresentationInsufficient proportional presence
- achievement gapEducational performance inequality
- wealth gapEconomic inequality measure
glass ceiling · food deserts · healthcare access · digital divide · segregated schools · underfunding · resource allocation · maternal mortality · life expectancy gap · credit access
colonialism
Domination through foreign settlement
- slaveryOwnership of people
- convict leasingHiring out imprisoned people
- ReconstructionPost-1865 national reunification period
Japanese internment · Tuskegee experiment · urban renewal · lynching · sharecropping · grandfather clause · literacy tests · poll taxes
- civil rightsequal protection, equal rights, Civil Rights Act, right to life, Voting Rights Act
- discriminationsystemic discrimination, Jim Crow laws, sexism, prejudice, ageism
- racismwhite supremacy, bigotry, segregation, hate crime, antisemitism
- racial injusticediscrimination, segregation, Jim Crow, Jim Crow laws, redlining
- social equitydisability rights, diversity training, intersectionality, minority rights, gender equality
- race studiescritical race theory, white privilege, intersectionality, antiracism, colorblindness
institutional racismracial equity
Justice regardless of ethnicity
racial justice · equal opportunity · civil rights · affirmative action · diversity and inclusion
institutional racismmeritocracy
Advancement through demonstrated ability
racism, racist, institution, racial, institutional, institutions, racists, institutionalize, anti-racism