What is Racism?

Racism can take many forms, but not all forms are immediately recognizable. By understanding the different ways racism can manifest, we can understand the best ways to combat it as individuals and as a community.

4 Types of Racism

1. INTERPERSONAL RACISM - occurs when a person’s conscious or subconscious racial bias influences their interactions and perceptions of other people. Including: prejudgment, bias or discrimination.
   
   
2. INSTITUTIONAL RACISM - refers to the implicit or explicit rules and regulations within an organization that discriminate against marginalized communities. Often, this manifests as bias for or against certain groups of people because of stereotypes based on their perceived race or ethnicity. Including: policies, practices, and procedures.
   
   
3. STRUCTURAL RACISM - refers to biased laws, policies, or practices that restrict people’s access to services, opportunities, and resources because of their race. This structural bias has compounding effects on people’s families, employment, mental and physical health, interactions with the criminal justice system, and beyond.
   
   
4. INTERNALIZED RACISM - when a person believes negative messages about their own, and other’s, cultures and races. All racism is harmful, but this one is especially toxic; internalizing this oppression results in self-devaluation, resignation, and feelings of hopelessness.

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Here are some educational resources on the 4 types of racism: