World Geography
What is Racism?
Following the deaths of Michael Brown, Eric Garner and Tamir Rice, the topic of “racism” has once
again come under the spotlight of our news media. While many of people are using the word “racism”
when discussing these topics, it is unclear how different Americans are defining the term.
Racism is a difficult to define. If you were to look up the word in a dictionary you might find the
following definitions:
Racism (noun)
1. poor treatment of or violence against others based on their race (Merriam Webster)
2. The belief that all members of each race possess characteristics, beliefs or abilities specific to
that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races.
(Oxford Dictionary)
…But what do these definitions mean? What does racism look like in reality, as opposed to in the
dictionary? What actions are actually examples of racism?
Some forms of racism are easy to identify. These types of racism are classified as “explicit racism.”
Explicit acts of racism occur when a person knowingly treats a person poorly/unfairly because of his
or her race. Sadly, our nation’s history is filled with examples of “explicit racism.”
Few would deny that images such as those below are examples of racism:

This sign once hung outside of a restaurant:

These students were protesting a court order to allow African-American children into “whites
only schools” in the 1950s
Our nation has made enormous progress in combating the amount of explicit racism that exists in
our country. Laws have been passed banning discrimination against people of color in the workplace,
in schools and in the voting booths. Interracial marriage was legalized in 1967 in the United States.
Racially insensitive language is looked down upon (and can be the grounds for punishment in school
and in the workplace. This progress speaks to the greatness of the United States of America.
Examining Systemic Racism
The amount of explicit racism as decreased, but racial disparities in income, education, health care and
incarceration have not. While there are certainly exceptions to the rule, U.S. Census data shows that
the average black family earns far less than the average white family. Black students are less likely to
graduate from a four year college than their white counterparts. The average life expectancy for
African-Americans is less than that of white Americans. Our prisons have far more black inmates
than they do white inmates.
Many believe that these statistics can be explained by the existence of systemic racism. Systemic
racism is defined as a system of inequality based on race. Systemic racism occurs when the way a
society is structured ends up giving advantages to some and disadvantages to others. The way that
our systems (education, health care, criminal justice system) are set up are biased (show favoritism
towards) white people and not people of color.
Let’s look at our system of education to help you better understand the concept of systemic racism.
In the United States, most public schools are funded from the collection of local (town) taxes. If the
residents of a town are very wealthy, then more taxes will be collected. The schools in those
communities will have more money to hire teachers, build new schools, offer lots of different classes,
provide students with opportunities to interact with the latest technology etc… If the residents of a
town are poor, then less tax money will be collected. The schools in those communities will have less
money to hire teachers, build new schools, etc… Because educational funding is structured in this
way, the system of education provides those living in wealthy communities with more advantages
than those people living in poor communities. In the United States, wealthy town tend to have larger
populations of white people and poor towns have larger populations of black people.
Look at the “Four Different Systems in the U.S.” handout for more data on systemic racism.
Name:
Date:
Core:
World Geography
Reflections on Racism
Directions: Use the “What is Racism” and “A Look at Four Different Systems in the U.S.” handouts to
help you answer the following questions.
1. Why does the author write that “racism” is a difficult term to define? ____________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________ (5 points)
2. What is explicit racism? __________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________ (2 points)
3. Describe an example of explicit racism (not found in the text) __________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________ (2 points)
(your example can be real or fictional)
4. According to the author, when was explicit racism a larger problem in the United States – in
the 1950s or in 2015? Provide evidence to support your ideas. __________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________ (3 points)
5. Look at the text below and answer the question that follows:
While the amount of explicit racism as decreased, racial disparities in income, education,
health care and incarceration have not. While there are certainly exceptions to the rule, U.S.
Census data shows that the average black family earns far less than the average white family.
Which of the following is most similar to the definition of the word “disparities” in the
paragraph above?
a.
b.
c.
d.
problems
difficulties
differences
similarities
More on the Back!
6. What is systemic racism (provide a complete definition). ______________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________ (4 points)
7. In your own words, explain why the author believes that public education in the United States
is an example of systemically biased towards white people. _____________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________ (4 points)
8. How did you feel when reading over the data on the A Look at Three Different Systems in the
U.S handout? Why did you feel that way? ___________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________ (5 points)