Conscious and unconscious valuations of people as inherently inferior based on their "race," or color of their skin. Though overt expressions of racism such as hate crimes, the use of racial epithets, and other forms of outright attack against racial minorities certainly still exist, much of present day racism takes a more subtle form and occurs bellow the surface-level of conscious awareness by members of the dominant culture. This might take the shape of statements or actions which serve to invalidate the experience of, convey attitudes of discomfort with, or demean the heritage of racial minorities.
Additionally, it is important to recognize the ways in which racism operates on structural level. People of color are disproportionally impoverished, unemployed, policed, and incarcerated within our society. This kind of chronic inequity is normalized through centuries of cumulative practices of racialized exploitation that have served to build and maintain economic and political power for white people (See also, "white supremacy"). Fighting back against racism involves recognizing both how it operates systemically as well as recognizing the subtle ways it operates within our own subconscious so that we can work against it on every level. |
Race, Racism, and the Nation State. At the 2010 Jesus Radicals conference in Portland, Nekeisha Alayna Alexis spoke about racism and the nation-state.
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