Applying Racial Equity to U.S. Federal Nutrition Assistance Programs - Flipbook - Page 55
Racism: Racism is a system in
which public policies, institutional
practices, cultural representations,
interpersonal relations, and other
norms reinforce the inequality
and inequity of people of
color.235 There are four types of
racism: structural, institutional,
interpersonal, and internalized236
(see graphic at right):
Structural and institutional racism
take place on the systemic level,
whereby racial bias takes place
within institutions and systems
create policies, practices, culture,
and ideologies that harm people
of color and usually uphold
the privilege of white people.
Interpersonal and internalized
racism take place on the
individual level, whereby private
beliefs and biases, as well as the
way in which individuals interact
with one another, is marked by
conscious or unconscious bias.
THE FOUR TYPES OF RACISM
Individual-Level Racism
Internalized Racism lies within individuals. These are our private beliefs
and biases about race and racism,
influenced by our culture. Internalized
racism can take many different forms
including racial prejudice toward other
people of a different race; internalized oppression, the negative beliefs
about oneself by people of color; or
internalized priviledge, beliefs about
superiority or entitlement by white
people. An example is a belief that you
or others are more or less intelligent,
or beautiful, because of your race.
Interpersonal Racism occurs between individuals. These are biases
that occur when individuals interact
with others and their private racial
beliefs affect their public interactions.
Examples include racial slurs, bigotry, hate crimes, and racial violence.
Systemic-Level Racism
Institutional Racism occurs within institutions and systems of power. It is the
unfair policies and discriminatory practices of particular institutions (schools,
workplaces, etc.) that routinely produce
racially inequitable outcomes for people of color and advantages for white
people. Individuals within institutions
take on the power of the institution
when they reinforce racial inequities. An
example is a school system that concentrates people of color in the most
overcrowded schools, the least-challenging classes, and the least-qualified
teachers, resulting in higher dropout
rates and disciplinary rates compared with that of white students.
Structural Racism is racial bias among
institutions and across society. It involves
the cumulative and compounding effects
of an array of societal factors including
the history, culture, ideology, and interactions of institutions and policies that
systematically privilege white people
and disadvantage people of color. An
example is the overwhelming number of
depictions of people of color as criminals in mainstream media, which can
influence how various institutions and
individuals treat people of color with
suspicion when they are shopping, traveling, or seeking housing and employment—all of which can result in discriminatory treatment and unequal outcomes.
Ten Lowest Paying Jobs: The 10
lowest-paying U.S. occupations are
concentrated in the retail, domestic
work, and food preparation
sectors.237 Men and women of
color, as well as white women, are
disproportionately represented
in these occupations. Workers
SOURCE: “Four Types of Racism.” Oppression Monitor. Jan 2014. http://oppressionmonitor.us/2014/01/31/four-types-racism/
of color are consistently paid
less than their white counterparts,238 and women, regardless of race, consistently are paid less than their male counterparts.239
Hairdresser/ hair stylist/cosmetologist is ranked as the lowest-paid occupation for women, followed by retail, food preparation,
and domestic work. For men, the lowest-paid occupation is retail, followed by food preparation and laboring positions.240
Stereotypes: A stereotype is a thought or belief that people adopt to reflect characteristics and images of individuals within
specific identity groups. They usually form outside conscious awareness. These thoughts and beliefs are often over-simplified,
rooted in bias, and created and sustained by the dominant culture. Stereotypes generally cause harm when individuals from
specific groups interact with the general public and with entities in the public and private sectors. Stereotyping reinforces
prejudice against people from specific groups, which causes discrimination against people within these groups, influencing the
way people are treated in interpersonal situations and within institutions. Stereotyping is pervasive within mainstream culture;
groups can be stereotyped by people who belong to that group as well as by outsiders.
To achieve racial equity, racial stereotyping must be addressed at all levels, but particularly when these stereotypes influence
federal, state, and local policy decisions.
Cultural and Linguistic Competency: Cultural and linguistic competency is composed of a set of congruent behaviors,
attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency, or among professionals that enables effective work in crosscultural situations.241 Competence implies having the capacity to function effectively as an individual and as an organization
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