My work in systemic racism aims to educate the most resistant “white” individuals about adopting an antiracist lifestyle. Some may call my approach “white” centering, but as a “white” person, I believe it is neither my place nor appropriate to educate Black people about systemic racism or to speak for them. I highly encourage “white” people to seek out Black leaders with academic and life experiences and listen to their voices to learn the truth about systemic racism in American culture. I see systemic racism as a problem “white” people created, and I am compelled to reach those who might otherwise never confront the lie of “white supremacy.” It’s way past time “white” Americans took racial responsibility.   

Engaging in honest dialogue about systemic racism allows “white” people to acknowledge the past and contribute to a better future. Only through this process can we truly take a deep breath and enjoy life more fully. In this essay, I aim to explore our past racial history and how it greatly impacts our culture today.

Understanding how the history of systemic racism continues to impact modern society is crucial for closing the racial empathy gap- where social science indicates that “white” people feel less empathy for Black people than they do for “white” people in similar circumstances. Embracing empathy, dismantling prejudice, and creating a more inclusive world are just some of the benefits of living an antiracist lifestyle. This understanding can also alleviate feelings of guilt, blame, defensiveness, and discomfort, enabling more authentic, honest, and open conversations about this critical topic. Moreover, it can help bridge the cognitive dissonance between what “white” individuals feel and what we see is actually happening around us, leading to a more harmonious and authentic connection with the world.

What we learn from those around us and our culture becomes deeply ingrained in us, shaping who we are. Unfortunately, for many “white” individuals raised in environments of colorblindness, segregation, or worse, racial hatred, these influences lead to indoctrination.

For those beginning their journey toward understanding, this essay will address the basic lie of equity that prevents us from seeing our culture from a more historically truthful manner.  Facing the truth may be the only way to move forward and become part of the eventual dismantling of systemic racism in the United States.

Police origins as slave patrol

Historical Oppression: Involvement in controlling and punishing enslaved individuals, enforcing the institution of slavery and laws surrounding interracial interaction, using fear as deterrent to escape.

Examples: Patrols were tasked with capturing and returning escaped enslaved humans, often using brutal methods to maintain control over enslaved populations. Police were the “gatekeepers” of systemic racism during “separate, but equal” eras. They enforced racist laws with threat of jail, bodily harm, or death with impunity.

Continuing Impact: Legacy of mistrust between African American communities and law enforcement, influencing modern policing practices and contributing to issues of racial profiling and discriminatory policing. Police statistics today show more violent and deadly interactions with Black people than “white.” Black people are questioned more often by police, and arrested at higher rates, despite them having similar rates of infractions (racial profiling).

Additional Impact: Police culture, which includes, the “blue” line, an open secret of police corruption has harmed African American communities. Police are more likely to shoot Black people, leading to a disproportionate number of African American victims of police violence. Judges are more likely to give harsh sentences to African Americans, and the death penalty is disproportionately applied to African Americans. Additionally, racist juries and poor Black people’s worse representation in legal matters further contribute to inequalities in the justice system. Many Black communities do not call police for help for fear they will be victimized by the police. Police who work as school resource officers have ended up being more punitive to Black students creating the “school to prison pipeline.”

Forbidding education to Enslaved humans for fear of punishment or death

Historical Oppression: Restriction of education, perpetuating subjugation and preventing intellectual and cultural development.

Examples: Enslaved individuals were forbidden to learn how to read, write, or take part in academic endeavors with severe punishments for those caught attempting to do so.

Additional Historical Impact: Early schools for African Americans were often underfunded or nonexistent, further limiting educational opportunities. This lack of access to education for African Americans was a significant barrier to their advancement after emancipation. Additionally, many Southern states enacted laws and policies that enforced segregation in education, known as “Jim Crow” laws, which resulted in unequal funding and resources for Black schools compared to “white” schools. In some areas, there were few or no schools available to African American communities, further limiting their access to education. This lack of educational opportunities contributed to ongoing disparities in literacy, academic achievement, and economic opportunities for African Americans.

Continuing Impact: Today, there are generational gaps in literacy and educational attainment among African Americans, impacting access to opportunities and perpetuating inequalities. This has led to underemployment and lower income for Black families due to systemic racism.

  Hundreds of race massacres

Historical Oppression: Destruction of thriving African American communities, resulting in loss of life, property, voting rights & other human rights, and generational wealth. Race massacres lead to intimidation, physical, and mental harm to Black people.

Examples: Tulsa Race Massacre in 1921, where a prosperous African American neighborhood was destroyed by “white” mobs, resulting in hundreds of deaths and extensive property damage. Other examples are: July 13, 1863: New York City Draft Riots and Massacre, Aug. 5, 1896: Polk County Massacre, Nov. 23, 1887: Thibodaux Massacre, Sept. 4, 1875: Clinton, Mississippi Massacre, Nov. 3, 1874: White League Attacks Black Voters, Sept. 28, 1868: Opelousas Massacre, April 12, 1864: Union Soldiers Massacred at Fort Pillow, Dec. 9, 1864: Ebenezer Creek Massacre, Oct. 25, 1868: St. Bernard Parish Massacre

Continuing Impact: Lasting emotional trauma and intimidation along with economic devastation in African American communities, contributing to ongoing racial disparities in wealth, homeownership, and economic opportunity. Modern massacres: May 24, 2022: Uvalde School Shooting and May 14, 2022: Buffalo Massacre.

Separate but equal and discriminatory laws

Historical Oppression: Segregation of all areas of public life for Black and “white” people. Discriminatory laws enforcing racial inferiority by lack of funding, non-equitable programs, infrastructure, resources, denying equal access to public facilities, education, and opportunities.

Examples: Jim Crow laws mandated separate facilities for African Americans and “whites,” with African Americans often receiving inferior services and resources in all areas of public life.

Continuing Impact: Ongoing disparities in education, housing, healthcare, and employment for African Americans, and many other areas continue today despite the legal abolition of segregation.

Not having consequences for those who lost the Civil War

Historical Oppression: Failure to hold Confederate leaders accountable, allowing for the preservation of “white” supremacy and continuation of discriminatory practices.

Examples: The Compromise of 1877 effectively ended Reconstruction and withdrew federal troops from the South, leading to the implementation of discriminatory Jim Crow laws. There was no more supervision of laws regarding the humane treatment of Black people by federal government.  

Continuing Impact: Endurance of racist attitudes and systems, hindering progress towards racial equality and justice, flags, statues, symbols still readily apparent in state, towns, cities, and national government. Enduring racial wealth gap, pushback on DEI education, banning books that speak about racial awareness, banning Black authors, etc. Teachers and governing not allowed to teacher certain subjects, history, ideologies, facts, etc.

 Southern etiquette  

Historical Oppression: Enforced social norms demeaning and dehumanizing African Americans, reinforcing racial hierarchies.

Examples: Requirements for African Americans to address “white” individuals with titles such as “sir” or “ma’am,” while whites could address African Americans by their first names. Black people were not allowed to look at “white” people in the eyes. They were not to question or act more knowledgeable than “white” people.

Continuing Impact: Persistence of dehumanization and racial bias, influencing social interactions and perpetuating racial stereotypes and inequalities. This cultural norm fostered marginalizing Black people as less than.

Redlining for housing and rentals and inner-city poverty

Historical Oppression: Systematic denial of access to housing loans and services, confining African Americans to segregated and impoverished neighborhoods.

Examples: Federal Housing Administration (FHA) policies that designated predominantly African American neighborhoods as ineligible for mortgage insurance, making it difficult for African Americans to buy homes or secure loans. Laws that forbid buying a home in a more affluent area where property values would rise.

Continuing Impact: Ongoing segregation, limited access to quality housing, and economic disparities in African American communities, perpetuating cycles of poverty and inequality.

Laws about school taxes for areas with poor infrastructure

Historical Oppression: Disparities in school funding based on local taxes, perpetuating unequal educational opportunities.

Examples: Schools in areas with low property values and tax revenues often receive less funding, leading to inadequate resources and lower-quality education for students in those areas.

Continuing Impact: Persistent educational disparities, limiting academic achievement and opportunities for African American students and perpetuating cycles of poverty and inequality.

Not integrating Black history into the mainstream curriculum

Historical Oppression: Suppression of Black history in education, perpetuating ignorance about African American experiences and contributions.

Examples: Limited coverage of African American history in textbooks, focusing primarily on slavery and civil rights with little depth or context. Not teaching about African excellence.

Continuing Impact: Lack of comprehensive Black history education contributes to a limited understanding of the impact of racism and the contributions of African Americans, perpetuating racial misunderstandings and hindering efforts towards racial reconciliation and justice.

Voting suppression and gutting of the 13th Amendment

Historical Oppression: Efforts to suppress African American voting rights, exploitation of the 13th Amendment’s loophole for prison labor, and disenfranchisement of African Americans.

Examples: Poll taxes, literacy tests, and intimidation tactics used to prevent African Americans from voting in the Jim Crow South. Mass incarceration of Black people at higher percentages than “white”.

Continuing Impact: Voting suppression tactics and the legacy of the 13th Amendment loophole contribute to ongoing challenges for African Americans to fully participate in the democratic process, limiting political representation and perpetuating inequalities in criminal justice.

 Mass incarceration

Historical Oppression: Disproportionate imprisonment of African Americans, rooted in discriminatory policies and practices.

Examples: War on Drugs policies that targeted African American communities, leading to high incarceration rates for nonviolent drug offenses. Racist police forces arrest and searches at higher levels for Black people. Harsher sentences, higher bail amounts, etc.

Continuing Impact: Devastation of African American communities, loss of family stability, economic opportunities, and political disenfranchisement, perpetuating cycles of poverty and incarceration.

Generational wealth gap

Historical Oppression: Creation of a wealth gap between African Americans and “white” Americans due to historical and ongoing injustices.

Examples: Denied access to property ownership, inheritances, and government benefits that were available to “white” Americans. Studies show a significantly lower income in Black compared to “white” families, Not allowing admission to higher educational opportunities, favoring “white” workers for hiring and promotion.

Continuing Impact: Ongoing economic disparities, limiting African Americans’ ability to accumulate wealth, access quality education and housing, and achieve financial security. Studies indicate that a “white” man with a felony record may have the same or better chances to land a job than a Black man with no felony record and the same qualifications.

Gerrymandering

Historical Oppression: Use of gerrymandering to dilute the voting power of minoritized communities, maintain political control by “white” majorities.

Examples: Drawing district boundaries to split minoritized communities into multiple districts, diluting their voting power.

Continuing Impact: Disenfranchisement of African American voters, distorting electoral representation and perpetuating political inequalities and underrepresentation. Gerrymandering creates a distribution of voting representation that essentially makes certain groups of people’s votes not count towards gaining electors.

Please note that the topics above are abridged and not exhaustive. However, they provide a starting point for understanding the creation of systemic racism in the United States and its enduring impact today.

After learning even this small sampling of racial history about systemic racism in the United States, hopefully, you will be well on your way to wanting to be part of the solution. The next step is to keep learning. Find Black leaders and learn from them. The anti-racism continuum is very steep and is a lifelong journey for “white” people.

We can do this! All it takes is caring about our fellow humans and a deep dedication to wanting to help “form a more perfect union.”