GeoMag

T H E F O U R P R O M I N E N T L AY E R S O F R A C I S M

MAJ MOHAMMAD

THE FOUR PROMINENT LAYERS OF RACISM

Statue of Unity Dhylan Halai

Interpersonal racism is the word used to describe the types of racism that most people associate with racism because they are the most obvious. BIPOC face interpersonal racism daily. It encompasses any racial or racist-intent interactions or behaviour amongst persons. Interpersonal racism refers to a wide range of racist actions, including racist name-calling, racial bullying and harassment, racist hate crimes, as well as microaggressions. Microaggressions are statements or behaviours that reflect a biased attitude against a member of a marginalised group covertly, however, they are done in a very subtle matter. Microaggressions may sound like this: “Your English is good!” or “Can I touch your hair?.” Racial discrimination is a commonly prevalent type of interpersonal racism that occurs on a regular basis. For example, as a Black woman, you could miss out on a job due of your hair, such as braids. Internalised racism is described as “the adoption of unfavourable social views and prejudices about oneself by disenfranchised racial groupings.” We adopt humiliating thoughts, actions, and behaviours regarding our race and ethnicity because of being subjected to racial discrimination. Internalised racism has a harmful intracultural and cross cultural influence on persons of colour. “Because race is a social and political concept that arises from specific histories of domination and exploitation amongst peoples, people of colour,” (Bivens, Donna K.) internalised racism frequently leads to enormous conflict. We may grasp and recognise the four dimensions of racism in our culture after dissecting all four layers of the cake. This will help us understand each type of racism so that we can combat it successfully. Recognising all four layers of racism is a vital component of being anti-racist. It will allow individuals to reflect on all levels and make changes to their practises to dismantle our society’s racist institutions.

Most people perceive racism from a single perspective: as a manifestation of an oppressive society. While this is correct, it is just the top of the iceberg. Racism should be regarded as a system that works in tandem with and through other oppressive systems. Racism must be viewed at four distinct layers in society: systemic, structural, interpersonal, and internalised. All four of these layers pile up on top of one another like the layers of a cake, piling up and adding on to one another to produce an even bigger problem. The frosting between the layers of the cake binds the racism we observe in everyday life together, preventing us from altering and opposing better circumstances for Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC). Systematic racism is the first layer of racism. For BIPOC, systemic racism manifests itself in all spheres of society. This includes employment, drug arrests, infant mortality, and other issues. Systemic racism is a type of racism that is rooted in everyday life. It can result in discrimination in criminal justice, political power, and education. We can just look at the data to determine the extent of systematic racism. African Americans, for example, are jailed at a rate that is more than five times that of white people in America, in accordance with the NAACP. When it comes to health care, there are clear racial disparities: according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Care Office of Minority Health, 8.7% of African American adults received mental health services in 2018, compared to 18.6% of non-Hispanic, white individuals. Returning to our analogy, the frosting on the cake might be viewed as systemic racism. It is made up of individuals who refuse to accept the existence of racism at all four levels, as well as those who continue to discriminate at all four levels. The next layer and system in which governmental policies and institutional practises play an instrumental role in is structural racism. It analyses aspects of our history and culture that have allowed privileges connected with “whiteness” to remain and adapt through time, as well as disadvantages associated with “colour.” Structural racism is not something that only a few individuals or institutions choose to engage in, it has instead become a characteristic of the social, economic, and political systems in which we all live.

Statue of Unity Dhylan Halai

48 | Geographical Magazine • Merchant Taylors’ School

2021/22 Edition | 49