What is systemic racism and how can we combat it?

In the November 2018 pastoral
letter against racism, “Open Wide
Our Hearts,” the US bishops urge
all Catholics to acknowledge “the
scourge of racism” that still exists in
our hearts, words, actions and institutions.
Racism can be individual,
when persons fail to recognize certain
groups as created in the image of
God and equal in dignity, or it can be
systemic, where practices or policies
treat certain groups of people
unjustly.
Today, racism continues to exist in
our communities and in our parishes.
Racism is what makes us see the
“other” with suspicion or to attribute
negative characteristics to an entire
group of people. This evil manifests
itself in our individual thoughts, and
also in the workings of our society
itself. Today’s continuing inequalities
in education, housing, employment,
wealth and representation in
leadership positions are rooted in our
country’s shameful history of slavery
and systemic racism.
Discrimination based on race and
ethnicity takes many forms. The US
has made progress in eliminating
some of the institutional, legalized
racial discrimination of years past
such as slavery, Jim Crow laws,
“separate but equal” schools and prohibitions
on voting or owning land.
These hard-fought victories deserve
to be remembered and celebrated.
Still, these advances are incomplete.
Data on social and economic
welfare show disparities between
many persons of color and their
white counterparts.
- Unemployment rates for African
Americans, Latinos and Native
Americans are considerably higher
than the national average. Growing
income inequality increasingly affects
minorities.
- US median wealth for white
households is 10 times greater than
for black households, and eight times
greater than for Hispanic households.
- Minority homeownership rates
lag behind their white counterparts,
and yet research shows minorities
face extra hurdles in getting approved
for mortgages.
- African Americans, Latinos and
Native Americans are disproportionately
affected through every stage of
the criminal justice system, despite
the evidence that different racial
and ethnic groups commit crimes at
roughly the same rates.
America remains a deeply divided
place in many ways. Many Americans
of all racial and ethnic backgrounds
live in neighborhoods that
are homogenous. This often limits
the opportunity to learn from,
interact with, and befriend people
who are racially and ethnically
different. Yet, having experiences
living near those with different
experiences and backgrounds can
strengthen communities and the
Body of Christ.
Many people of color living in
low-income areas experience low
or no upward economic mobility
because of limited access to quality
schools, safe neighborhoods,
reliable transportation or higherpaying
jobs. Laws and practices in
more affluent communities, such as
refusing rent assistance vouchers
can prevent low-income persons
from moving into these communities.
As a result, dialogue and
encounter with others with diverse
backgrounds, experiences and
opinions can be limited or nonexistent.
In his 2013 apostolic exhortation
Evangelii Gaudium (59),
Pope Francis noted that exclusion
and inequality create the climate
for discord. Recent violence in
communities across the country
and the hurtful rhetoric that mark
conversations about refugees and
migrants indicate that there is still
much work to do.
As Christians, we are constantly
called to examine our own hearts
and consciences for how we might
contribute to or break down racial
divisions, intolerance and discrimination.
The failure to act to end
systemic racism hurts those who
are victimized and denies all of us
the opportunity to benefit from the
gifts of diversity.
This column is excerpted from the
“Creating on the Margins” Contest
Packet. Visit usccb.org/youthcontest
usccb.org/concurso-juvenil Catholic
Campaign for Human Development,
or to learn more about “Creating on
the Margins,” an annual contest for
youths in grades 7-12 that educates
about poverty in the US and the
Catholic response.