What Makes Systemic Racism Systemic?

In this article, I clarify some components and expand a few underdeveloped ideas of the racialized social system approach to racial stratification. I divide the paper into three parts. In the first section, I explore the limitations of the figure of the racist. In the second part, I examine the problem of change. In the third part, which is the core of the paper, I discuss what makes systemic racism systemic. My main contention in this article is that the systemic in systemic racism means that we all participate in the reproduction of the racialized order. Furthermore, this reproduction depends fundamentally on behavior and actions that are normative, habituated, and often unconscious. Hence, systemic racism is the product of the behavior and practices of regular White folks rather than the racists. In the conclusion, I discuss the implications of my claims for further theory-building, research, and the struggle for racial justice.

Automated summary

This article clarifies and expands upon the racialized social system approach to racial stratification, emphasizing that systemic racism is a collective participation in reproducing racial order, driven by normative, habituated, and often unconscious behaviors of regular White individuals. The discussion also highlights the implications for further theory-building, research, and the pursuit of racial justice.