We Have Not Yet Overcome Racism

The main lesson to be learned from the Michael Brown case is that racism in these United States has not yet been overcome. But racism is not just something that affects individuals. Far more insidious is the racism that permeates our entire society; racism that is a congenital disease that infects our entire body politic.

Throughout history societies have categorized their members by any number of criteria be they biological, social or cultural. In our country we have conflated these characteristics into “racial stereotypes” that all of us hold either overtly or subliminally. Racial stereotypes include physical attributes, for instance dark skin color, which is a function of the amount of exposure to the sun's rays a group has encountered historically and not necessarily a function of a group's genetic relatedness to other dark skinned people. Another criterion of racial stereotyping is assignment of social status, for instance expectations as to a person's place in society may be conditioned by attributes assigned to a racial group such that a person's credibility will be called into question if they are found in a position above their expected station in life. Finally racial stereotypes include the cultural or behavioral proclivities a group is supposed to possess; for instance perceptions regarding a member of the group's ability to perform athletically, artistically or intellectually.

Race, therefore, is a social construct not a biological reality. Racial stereotypes are so in-bedded in our society that they have to be consciously identified and combated. In a real sense we are all racists because of the institutional biases that perpetuate these stereotypes. As an example, our criminal justice system reinforces the notion that people of color are more prone to criminal activity than whites. The criminalization of minority youth then leads to discrimination in the job market which perpetuates the economic deprivation and social dysfunction of the communities within which they reside. This leads to a vicious cycle of incarceration and recidivism which in turn contributes to racial stereotypes becoming entrenched in people's minds.

To say that we live in a post-racial, colorblind society is thus an illusion fostered by those who profit from continued racial profiling to enhance their power and/or wealth. In reality, people have been struggling against the symptoms of racism for centuries and continue to do so. Over the last few decades, because of this struggle, we inoculated ourselves from the most pernicious symptoms of racism with remedies such as the Voting Rights Act which was meant to alleviate some of the most egregious effects of this disease. But like any chronic condition, once you stop taking your Voting Rights Act meds the disease comes back with a vengeance. What we must do is not only fight the symptoms of racism but attack its root cause which is surely a system based on the economic exploitation of the many for the benefit of the few.