Project Paper

Relation of Racism and Institutions: An Explanatory Research

By

Fahmeda Ahmed; ID – 17411020

Israt Jahan Sabah; ID – 17411068
Sadia Tasnim Deea; ID – 17411090
Ashif Mahmud; ID - 17411102

Department of International Relations

Faculty of Security and Strategic Studies (FSSS)
Bangladesh University of Professionals

February 2021
 Project Paper

Relation of Racism and Institutions: An Explanatory Research

By

Fahmeda Ahmed; ID – 17411020

Israt Jahan Sabah; ID – 17411068
Sadia Tasnim Deea; ID – 17411090
Ashif Mahmud; ID - 17411102

A Project paper submitted to the Department of International Relations,

Bangladesh University of Professionals,
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

Bachelor in Social Science

Department of International Relations

Faculty of Security and Strategic Studies (FSSS)
Bangladesh University of Professionals

February 2021
Supervisor: Assistant Professor Khaled Imran

We, the undersigned, hereby, declare that we have read this project paper and we have attended
the project paper defense and evaluation meeting. Therefore, we certify that, to the best of our
knowledge this project paper is satisfactory to the scope and quality as a project paper for the
degree of Bachelor in Social Science, field of study: International Relations, Bangladesh
University of Professionals.

PROJECT PAPER REVIEW & EVALUATION COMMITTEE MEMBERS

(Chairman)

Signature ______________________________________

(Supervisor)

Signature ______________________________________

(Assessor)

Signature ______________________________________

i
 Acknowledgment

First and foremost, all praises belong to the Almighty Allah, the most merciful and generous to all
living creatures. We give thanks to the Almighty for His love, care and blessings. We also want to
thank those in one way or the other, who contributed to the success of this work. We would like to
appreciate the efforts of everyone whose blessings were always with us to complete and submit
the project paper successfully by overcoming the difficult circumstances.

We would like to express our deepest gratitude to our honorable and worthy supervisor, Khaled
Imran, Assistant Professor, Department of International Relations, Bangladesh University of
Professionals. He saw us through the writing of this project paper and his continuous guidance,
supervision, directions and suggestions at all stages were very helpful to conduct the research
successfully. We express our heartiest gratefulness towards him for his encouragement and
inspiration as well as for providing the opportunity to undertake this interesting and unique
research.

ii
 Abstract

‘Racism’, a word with different meanings, has created different problems throughout the history
of humankind. Racism has been defined as a problem or sometimes as a ‘taboo’ as well. Most
importantly, it has been a violation of human rights no matter how it is defined. Many human rights
institutions all over the world work to fight against such violations of human rights. Despite of
that, racism is still visible in this modern and technologically advanced world. This paper seeks to
find how those institutions work to fight against racism. This paper mainly focused on American
context on that matter. By focusing on different incidents such as the recent ‘Black Lives Matter’
movement, this paper argues that although many human rights organizations are working
effortlessly to solve this rigorous issue, there are certain loopholes. Those loopholes create
openings which results in further racism. But there is a catch. Racism has a long history and like
this ever-changing world, racism has evolved too. This paper would like to discuss how this
century’s racism differs from the past. Despite of having hundreds of organizations working on
obliterating this curse from the world, it does not seem to be ending anytime soon. Racism is not
only confined within the Western world where the color or race of men decides their lifestyle.
Racism can be seen almost everywhere although the impacts or effects might differ from those in
the West. Thus, the existing institutional framework needs correction. This paper would like to
recommend certain reforms for that.

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 Contents

Acknowledgment ii

Abstract iii

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Introduction 1

1.2 Background of the Study 2

1.3 Project Questions 4

1.4 Research Objective 4

1.5 Problem Statement 4

1.6 Significance of the Study 5

1.7 Limitations of the Study 5

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 7

CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 11

3.1 Research Approach 11

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 3.2 Methods 11

3.2.1 Data Collection Procedure 11

3.2.2 Data Analysis 12

CHAPTER FOUR: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 13

CHAPTER FIVE: HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 15

CHAPTER SIX: FINDINGS 17

6.1 Institutions and Their Roles in Reducing Racism 17

6.2 Is the current institutional framework enough to stop racism? 19

6.3 Loopholes in Existing Institutional Framework 21

6.3.1 Education Sector 21

6.3.2 Legal Sector 22

6.3.3 Work Sector 22

6.3.4 Daily Life 23

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 6.4 Recommendations to Defeat Institutionalized Racism 23

6.4.1 Theoretical Foundations of Dismantling Racism 23

6.4.2 Elements of a Dismantling Racism Approach 25

CHAPTER SEVEN: ANALYSIS 29

CHAPTER EIGHT: CONCLUSION 31

References 32

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 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Introduction

Racial differences in various institutions have influenced the U.S. health care and various sectors
in the past and continues to do same today. No certain episode in U.S. history has ever left a greater
impact on race relations than slavery. Before the legislation procedure was enacted to end the
slavery, enslaved people across all the world fought for freedom by organizing rebellions, and their
descendants also fought against the attempts to perpetuate the racism during the civil rights
movements. Which creates disparities among various racial groups. In the late 80s and early 90s,
there were many Black veterans who were denied disability pension issued by the Union Army.
Not in all instances of the institutional racism in US, medicine and health care are so visibly
defined. In many times, the patients are unfairly profiled, treated and denied health care or drugs.

Racism is marginalization or oppression of the people of color based on their socially constructed
racial hierarchy that privileges white people. Racism is thought to be analytically distinct from any
racial discrimination and racial inequality. Racial discrimination talks about the uneven treatment
of different races in many sectors, thus racial inequality concerns about unequal outcomes in
income, education, health, etc. While racism is usually implicated in both processes, the
contemporary racial inequalities and many forms of discrimination are not always the
contemporary result of modern racism.

World War II were marked in both racial advancements and setbacks of the United States. the war
gave underrepresented groups who are such as Black people, Asian people, and Native American
people mainly the opportunity to show they had the proper skill and intellect necessary so that they
can excel in the military. On the other hand, the attack by Japan on Pearl Harbor led the US federal
government to evacuate the Japanese Americans from the Western Coast and forced them into
internment camps in fear that they were still much loyal to the Japanese empire (Lawlor, 2019).

If we look at the Hispanics and African Americans in the US, we see that they earn less than whites
with comparable characteristics at a high rate. There is also many evidences that the effects life of
Hispanic ethnicity and African American people often differ by skin color, with darker skin tone
and associated with most inferior economic outcomes. Many incidents and strong evidence show

1
that immigrants with darker skin color usually earn less than their counterparts who has lighter
skin color and controlling for extensive way in individual and labor market characteristics, as well
as for the Hispanic ethnicity, race, with country of birth. The findings show that vast discrimination
based on skin color is the most commonly cause of the wage penalty what has experienced by
immigrants with darker skin color. Immigrant workers with darker skin color have much lower
pay than their counterparts who have lighter skin color. So, this pay penalty is due to the labor
market discrimination is vastly explored estimate wage equations that control for skin color,
sequentially taking into mind that a series of individual factors related to labor market in
productivity and personal background. These also include Hispanic ethnicity, their race, country
of birth, education, job, family background, and occupation in source country, vast English
language proficiency, visa status, employer characteristics, and current occupation (Hersch, 2008).

Institutional racism in the United States comes from the social caste system that sustained for a
long time and was sustained by the enslavement and racial segregation. Although the present laws
that enforced this caste system are no longer exists, its basic core structure still stands till this day.
This structure may have gradually fall apart on its own over time and a period of generations, but
the activism is often very necessary to expedite the process and to provide for a more of an
equitable society in the interim (Alexander, 1861). Racism is now a dirty word, but significant
racial inequalities in the sectors of socioeconomic, health, and other outcomes persist. The racial
minorities all around the world continue to show frequent experiences in racial discrimination and
racial factors of the recent incidents. That is why this paper argues that racism has violated and left
deep effects on human rights. White ideology which, does not only affect any white majority ethnic
groups. Whiteness is not only just about the skin color. Non-white people or groups can also be
influenced by these white ideologies, which is reflecting it in their own attitudes, behaviors so that
they can benefit from some of the power which it brings or reduce the great risk of being
discriminated against.

1.2 Background of the Study

Racism has long history in the United States and its institutions. During the last of the century in
prerevolutionary state Virginia, both the blacks and whites, those who had been forced so that they
can cultivate the colony's monoculture such as tobacco, suddenly found them not equated as the
market had broken down. The citizens commonly revolted against their oppressors and

2
government. The plantation owners decided to take vigorous actions by enforcing rules so that
they can separate the groups from one another. A series of laws that were enacted which were
promoting a counterfeited white supremacy to the costs of the much-disadvantaged African
American people. These laws also provided European-American servants with vast exclusive
privileges only whites were entitled to. Some of them are the right to vote. Subsequently, this
whiteness became a fundamental prerequisite for U.S. citizenship and Institutions. For the benefits
and privileges related to it also. European immigrants became the free white persons with respect
to their race, rights and by also making them participate in exercising their political discourse of
the United States (Helligar 2020). Racism has its deep roots in the history of world. If we start
from middle ages, slavery was a well-known system then. But it is speculated that the origins of
slavery came from racism when a minority of people were treated horribly and the only value that
had is becoming a trade good as a slave. The term 'racism' first came into popular use in the 1930s
when a new vocabulary was needed to explain the ideas on which the Nazis based their persecution
of the Jews. Racism has been defined in various ways throughout its evolution. The somehow
modern concept of defining racism through the concept of skin color was not always the precedent
definition. Tribalism or the concept of xenophobia also provides a working definition that overs
more than scientific or biological racism but less than the kind of group prejudice based on culture,
religion or simply a sense of family or kinship (Fredrickson, 2002).

Racial discrimination is a key hinder for providing human rights for all. From violations of basic
human rights, low wages, inequality in lifestyles to torture, assaults and even wrongful murder,
racism has its wrecked reach everywhere. Mainly receding in the Western world, racism found its
way around the world. But then speculations suggest that racism is getting subtler in its application.
The term subtle racism came into the discussions of researchers in 1970s. There have been studies
which focused on this term and its several forms of to further understand and analyze this confusing
phrase. Subtle racism is not as straightforward as old school traditional racism and it is mostly
expressed in many indirect ways. Subtle racism, also known as, covert racism is described as a
person who has implicit racial or other negative attitudes towards another group (Lia, 2016). But
what changed this idea and hinted a revival of overt racism is the recent ‘Black Lives Matter’
movement when an African American man George Perry Floyd Jr. was killed during an arrest after
a store clerk alleged, he had passed a counterfeit $20 bill in Minneapolis in May 2020. Although
the movement traces back in 2013. Another recent event that sparked the movement happened in

3
March 2020, when Breonna Taylor, an African American 26-year-old emergency medical
technician, was killed when the police raided her apartment in Louisville.

1.3 Project Questions

 Primary Question

How can institutions help reducing racism?

 Secondary Questions

How racism in the past differs from racism in this century?

What can be recommended to reform the existing institutional framework?

1.4 Research Objective

The general objective of this study is to analyze how institutions work to fight against racism in
American context. Another objective of the paper is to find out the differences between this
century’s racism and racism in the past. To describe that a brief history of racism would be
mentioned. A specific objective of this paper is to find out what kind of problems and incidents
are still happening despite of the numbers of human rights organizations working tirelessly against
racism in the American context. Another objective is to find out that even though it is said that
racism is getting subtle in today’s world and a large number of human rights organizations are
working to reduce the incidents regarding racism, is it really ending or not. Movements like ‘Black
Lives Matter’ or several recent incidents such as killing of a black female police officer tends to
point in other way that although subtle in action, the deep roots of racism are way too strong to be
solved easily. Another objective is to provide certain recommendation regarding institutional
reform. The ultimate objective of this paper is to contribute to the study of racism and make the
discussion easier for the researchers in this field.

1.5 Problem Statement

Racism has had tremendous mental health consequences on young people who witness it,
including:

 Continuing emotions of grief, rage, depression and being left out

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  Headache, high heart rate, perspiration,

 Muscle stiffness and shaking

 A persistent fear of being assaulted verbally or physically.

 Not having to attend school

 Having little to no trust in others except the family.

Racism is the idea that individuals should be given attributes and skills solely based on their race
and that certain ethnic category are superior to others. Racism and bigotry have been used in times
of strife and war, and during economic downturns, as effective instruments that promote mistrust
or resentment of others. Racism is the idea that individuals should be given attributes and skills
solely based on their race and that certain ethnic category are superior to others. Racism and
bigotry have been used in times of strife and war, and during economic downturns, as effective
instruments that promote mistrust or resentment of others (Liu, 2020).

1.6 Significance of the Study

Race is a system for classifying individuals accordingly in biologically transmitted community

characteristics culturally defined. People are usually related to noticeable features, but not always,
skin color, physical features, etc. Racism is a collection of attitudes and social behaviors that
overlap types of social inequality in traditionally defined racial classifications. Racism often
includes the relation between assessment judges superior, low, worthy, unworthy, dangerous non-
dangerous, honest, dishonest and these classifications. The apparent essence of the way
segregation performed in the 20th century contributed to the introduction of civil laws. Racism,
however, became more subtle in the 21st century. Intentional racial prejudice is harder to prove
(Jennifer Liu, 2020).

1.7 Limitations of the Study

The study has some limitations. Due to the nature of research questions, the research is largely
based on the qualitative research methods. The collected data are mostly from secondary sources
such as books, journals, articles, news portals, news articles, websites, reports and blogs. The
collected data may be subject to biased opinions which led to certain limitations in conducting the

5
research. Specifically, the movements that were mentioned might have different effects on
different people and maintaining a common path is especially difficult when working on such
sensitive topic. Additionally, the time needed to thoroughly discuss and analyze the collected data
and interpret the outcomes was quite limited. The COVID-19 pandemic posed several difficulties
to conduct this research and the entirety of this research was done through online discussions which
restricted the authors’ way.

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 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

The term 'racism' has many definitions in diverse literature. First, as Clair and Denis (2015) have
claimed, racism cannot be defined without first identifying race. In their article, they argued that
'race' is widely recognized as a social construction by social scientists. While biologically
negligible as extended to individuals, physical distinctions, such as skin color, have little natural
correlation with group differences in skill or behavior; but race has considerable importance in the
structuring of social reality (Clair & Denis, 2015). Indeed, the historical variance in the meaning
and usage of the term is a case in point (Clair & Denis, 2015).

Wijeysinghe, Griffin, and Love (1997) defined race as a social system that artificially divides
people into distinct classes based on certain characteristics such as physical appearance (especially
skin color), ancestral ancestry, cultural affiliation, cultural background, ethnic classification. In
their book they argued that racial categories subsume ethnic groups. In their book, the term 'racism'
was described as the systematic subordination of members of targeted ethnic groups who have
relatively little social power in the US, by the members of the racial agent community who have
relatively more social power. This subordination is supported by the behavior of people, by societal
traditions and beliefs, and by the hierarchical frameworks and activities of society (Wijeysinghe,
Griffin, & Love, 1997).

They also mentioned the versatility of racism in their book. "Individual racism" means the views,
behaviors and behavior of people that promote or maintain racism. Individual racism can exist on
both an unconscious and a conscious basis, and can be both active and passive (Wijeysinghe,
Griffin, & Love, 1997). Examples involve telling a racist joke, using a racial epithet, or believing
in Whites' innate dominance (Wijeysinghe, Griffin, & Love, 1997). 'Active racism' means acts
which, as stated or expressly stated, seek to perpetuate the structure of racism and the
discrimination of those in targeted ethnic groups. People who engage in overt bigotry support the
perpetual subjugation of members of targeted racial groups and the preservation of 'rights' of
members of the agent party (Wijeysinghe, Griffin, & Love, 1997). These priorities are also
supported by a belief in the inferiority of People of Color and the dominance of white people,
traditions and values (Wijeysinghe, Griffin, & Love, 1997). 'Passive racism' can be characterized
as views, behaviors and acts that lead to the maintenance of racism, without openly promoting
violence or injustice. Conscious and unconscious preservation of attitudes, values and actions that

7
support the framework of segregation, ethnic discrimination and racial superiority (Wijeysinghe,
Griffin, & Love, 1997). 'Cultural Racism' can be defined as those elements of culture that subtly
and implicitly attribute priority and normality based on skin color such as, white people and
whiteness, and devalue, stereotype, and classify People of Color as 'other,' different, less than, or
invisible (Wijeysinghe, Griffin, & Love, 1997). ‘Institutional Racism’ refers to the network of
institutional structures, policies, and practices that create advantages and benefits for Whites, and
discrimination, oppression, and disadvantage for people from targeted racial groups (Wijeysinghe,
Griffin, & Love, 1997). The advantages created for Whites are often invisible to them or are
considered “rights’ available to everyone as opposed to “privileges” awarded to only some
individuals and groups (Wijeysinghe, Griffin, & Love, 1997). 'Internalized racism' can be
expressed as the product of people of targeted ethnic groups thinking, behaving or implementing
a dominant system of values about themselves and members of their own racial community.

According to Grosfoguel (2011), racism is a global hierarchy of superiority and inferiority along
the human line that has been politically, culturally and economically produced and replicated for
centuries by the institutions of the capitalist/patriarchal Western-centric/Christian-centric
modern/colonial world system. The people classified above the line of the human are recognized
socially in their humanity as human beings and, thus, enjoy access to rights (human rights, civil
rights, women rights and/or labor rights), material resources, and social recognition to their
subjectivities, identities, epistemologies and spiritualties (Grosfoguel, 2011). Grosfoguel also
mentioned the writings of Fanon (1967) in his writings. Fanon (1967) described in his book how
people below the human line are considered subhuman or non-human. That by extend means that
their humanity is questioned and, as such, denied. In the latter case, the extension of rights, material
resources and the recognition of their subjectivities, identities, spiritualties and epistemologies are
denied (Grosfoguel, 2011).

Now, this definition of racism allows us to conceive of various forms of racism, avoiding the
reductionisms of many existing definitions. Depending on the different colonial histories in various
regions of the world, the hierarchy of superiority/inferiority along human lines can be constructed
by means of diverse racial markers. Racism may be marked by color, ethnicity, language, culture
and religion.

8
Racism has its roots in early histories of mankind that can be found in earlier writings of scholars.
It is believed that slavery was invented because of racism in middle ages. In modern history the
1960’s activist roots which helped in developing the concept of racism can be mentioned. Bowser
(2017) in his article described the historical evolution of racism from the civil rights activism of
1960s. He described the different steps that racism went through from symbolic racism, colorblind
racism to unconscious racism

Now, there has been speculations that racism is getting subtle than it was in the past. Thus a new
concept of ‘Subtle Racism’ or “Covert Racism’ has emerged in many scholars’ writing. Pettigrew
and Meertens (1995) suggested that contemporary racism can be expressed in blatant and subtle
ways. Blatant racism might be considered as a traditional form of racism with hot, close, and direct
elements (e.g., racial violence, racial slurs), whereas subtle racism is a form of modern and evolved
racism which is cool, distant, and indirect (e.g., racial profiling, bad customer services) (Liao et
al., 2016). But the recent rise of the “Black Lives Matter” movement questioned the concept of
‘Subtle Racism’ in many ways. For example, different bloggers such as Cook (2020) pointed out
the aforementioned fact. In a recent blog Cook (2020) stated that Floyd's death and the rise of
Black Lives Matter protests is helping more and more people to be aware of their surroundings.
Cook (2020) also stated the way people are starting to realize that racism does not just exist among
radicals is phenomenal. They are beginning to realize that it also exists in a much more "subtle"
way.

According to Olivier, Clair and Denis (2019), in the second decade of the twenty-first century,
several sociopolitical developments in western democracies have suggested the resurgence of overt
racism. Many social commentators initially heralded the 2008 election of US president Barack
Obama, the country’s first African American president, as the culmination of a centuries-long
struggle for full inclusion of racial/ethnic minorities (Olivier, Clair & Denis, 2019). Yet, Obama’s
presidency did little to alleviate racial inequalities in housing, education, and employment (Olivier,
Clair & Denis, 2019). Antiracist movements, such as the Movement for Black Lives, emerged to
highlight ongoing issues related to the devaluation of black people, including state-sanctioned
police brutality which has been disproportionately targeted at African Americans (Olivier, Clair &
Denis, 2019).

9
They further stated that these developments are not limited to the United States. In Austria, France,
Germany, Greece, and elsewhere, far right, anti-immigrant political parties have enjoyed electoral
gains. In the United Kingdom, the 2016 “Brexit” vote was split across racial and ethnic lines
(Olivier, Clair & Denis, 2019). Even, in Canada, where government discourse frequently centers
on promoting diversity and integration, indigenous/indigenous differences parallel black/white
inequalities in the United States (Olivier, Clair & Denis, 2019). In 2018, for instance, an all-white
jury in Saskatchewan found a white farmer not guilty in the killing of 22-year-old Cree man Colten
Boushie, whom he had shot in the head with a handgun (Olivier, Clair & Denis, 2019). The role
of the law in legitimizing this racialized killing in Canada has something in common with the
killing of Trayvon Martin, as well as the numerous Black, Latino, and Indigenous teenagers and
adults in the US who have been murdered by the police (Olivier, Clair & Denis, 2019).

The horror that racism brings needs to explanation. In a report, Human Rights Watch stated that
racism brings about injustice for millions of people on a daily basis. Violations of human rights,
unequal treatment in every sphere of life, beatings, sexual assaults, wrongful arrests and even
wrongful killings are happening because of racism. These words of Human Rights Watch reflect
the reality of racism as a global ill. This is the experience of millions of people who are victims of
racial injustice, xenophobia and similar intolerance on a regular basis.

Wilson (1999) proposed that, at its core, racism is more or less a racial domination ideology in
which the perceived biological or cultural supremacy of one or more racial groups is used to
explain or prescribe unequal treatment or social roles of other racial groups. In the mechanism of
racialization, assumed patterns of physical distinction, such as skin color or eye shape, are used to
distinguish classes of people, calling them 'races;' racialization becomes bigotry when it entails the
hierarchical and socially consequential valuation of racial groups. Racism is analytically different
from social inequality and racial disparities. Racial segregation concerns differential representation
of races, while racial disparity concerns unequal results. Though segregation is frequently present
in both processes, modern ethnic inequality and manifestations of prejudice are not necessarily the
direct product of contemporary racism (Pager and Shepherd, 2008).

10
 CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Methodologically, this research is a qualitative one. It tries to analyze the roles of institutions in
reducing racism in the American context. It attempts to argue that the existing institutional
framework is not enough to completely get rid of racism. Despite of having hundreds of active
human rights organizations, the deep roots of racism cannot be obliterated that easily. The current
institutional framework needs reform. For those reasons, the research stands as an explanatory
research.

3.1 Research Approach

This paper has followed the case study approach. Case study research involves the study of an
issue explored through one or more cases within a bounded system. A case study research involves
the study of a case within a real-life, contemporary context or setting. This study has involved the
cases of the victims of racism such as the death of George Floyd, the killing of Breonna Taylor
and the Black Lives Matter Movement. This paper is based on the American context and the
institutions of the USA is the primary focus of this paper.

3.2 Methods

This study is going to cover the roles of different institutions in reducing racism and will further
try to find out what problems are still being created despite of the efforts that those institutions.
This paper will try to provide some recommendations about institutional reforms. In this paper, no
primary data has been used due to time limitation. The methods include –

• Data Collection

• Data Analysis

3.2.1 Data Collection Procedure

The main tool for data collection was secondary tools. For secondary data, books, journals,
scholarly articles, reports on newspaper, online news portals, websites, editorials of leading dailies
and personal blogs have been consulted. In addition, all relevant books found available have been
consulted. Besides, maximum use of internet has also been done to access sources of information.
The authors also tried to collect data through observation and personal understandings. Further, a

11
project proposal was prepared and presented to the supervisor of this project and upon his approval,
the authors started working on this study.

3.2.2 Data Analysis

The aim of analyzing data is to find usable and useful information. Data analysis is the process of
bringing order, structure and meaning to the mass of collected data. It is a messy, ambiguous, time-
consuming, creative, and fascinating process. It does not proceed in a linear fashion; it is not neat.
Qualitative data analysis is a search for general statements about relationships among categories
of data. This research study will follow the same process for analyzing data. For data analysis,
several secondary sources were studied to reach to a specific statement.

12
 CHAPTER FOUR: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

In the United States, race-associated disparities in health outcomes are regularly reported, but they
remain poorly clarified for the most part. Indeed, instead of vigorously investigating the basis of
the differences, many scientists are either adjusting to race or restricting their studies to one racial
group. In a race-conscious society like the United States, the variable race is just a rough proxy for
socioeconomic status, history, and genes, but it specifically captures the social classification of
individuals. It is important to be able to explore the possible consequences of racism in causing
race-related gaps to eradicate racial and ethnic disparities.

To understand racism, American physician, Camara Phyllis Jones has developed a framework in
three different levels: institutionalized, personally mediated, and internalized. This approach is
useful for raising new theories based on disparities in health outcomes correlated with ethnicity,
as well as for developing successful strategies to reduce those differences.

 Institutionalized Racism: Institutionalized racism is characterized in this framework as

unequal access by race to the goods, services, and opportunities of society. Institutionalized
racism is legitimate, often legalized, and sometimes seems to be an inherited downside. It
is systemic, having been codified by tradition, procedure, and law in our institutions, so
there need not be an identifiable perpetrator. Indeed, in the face of need, institutionalized
racism is also evident as inaction. In both material circumstances and in access to power,
institutionalized racism manifests itself. Examples include differential access to quality
education, sound accommodation, gainful jobs, sufficient medical services, and a clean
atmosphere about material conditions. Examples include differential access to information
(including one's own history), resources (including wealth and organizational
infrastructure), and speech access about access to power (including voting rights,
representation in government, and control of the media). It is important to remember that
in the United States, the correlation between socioeconomic status and race has its roots in
distinct historical events but continues because of current systemic forces that sustain these
historical injustices. In other words, the correlation between social status and race in this
country is due to institutionalized racism.

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  Personally Mediated Racism: Personally mediated racism is characterized as prejudice
and discrimination, where prejudice implies differential assumptions according to their
race about others' abilities, motivations, and intentions, and discrimination implies
differential behavior according to their race towards others. It is expressed as lack of
respect (poor or no service, inability to communicate options), distrust (vigilance of
shopkeepers; regular avoidance, including street crossing, purse clutching, and standing
when public transport seats are empty), devaluation (surprise at competence, stifling of
aspirations), scapegoating (the Rosewood incident, the Charles Stuart case, the Susan
Smith case) and dehumanization (police brutality, sterilization abuse, hate crimes).

 Internalized Racism: Internalized racism is characterized as the acceptance of negative

messages about their own abilities and intrinsic value by members of stigmatized races. It
is identified by their inability to believe in those who look like them, and not to believe in
themselves. It includes accepting limits on one's own complete humanity, including one's
range of dreams, one's right to self-determination, and one's capacity to express oneself. "It
is manifested as an embrace of "whiteness (use of hair straightener sand bleaching creams,
stratification by skin tone within color cultures, and "the ice of the white man is colder"
syndrome); self-devaluation (racial slurs as nicknames, ancestral culture rejection, and
fratricide); and resignation, helplessness, and hopelessness (dropping out of school, failing
to vote, and engaging in risky health practices) (Jones, 2000).

These three are distinct sectors understand racism inside and out.

14
 CHAPTER FIVE: HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Racism still exists in the world society today, but there is much more dispute over how the
pervasive and influential this has. Many point to the high rates of poverty or unemployment among
the blacks as strong evidence that the racism is still very powerful in many western areas. Since
the main abilities of many different races are mostly equal, it can be argued that large differences
in outcome about racism are most plausibly explained by persistent racism (Seth, 2020). Others
also claim that these statistics are not the same result of racism against blacks; they are the result
of other factors. Such as high crime rates in inner cities, low standards in public schools at that
area, the illegal drug trades, gap in urban cultural decay, all of them which disproportionately
mainly affect blacks who are concentrated mostly in urban areas for historical reasons. Many
genetic racists show the same data as evidence of this racial inferiority other than discrimination
(Seth, 2020). The World Conference brought out causes of this from history. Every one of the
people whether they are conscious of this or not, are living out their lives in societies shaped by
the history. In all societies’ core structures of inequality, it includes economic inequalities, have
been seen in the past. In a great number of cases these core structures have been based on or rather
influenced by the racist assumptions that later transmitted over time have the continuing effects
today. This timeline started in 1992, it is very important to recognize that it is obviously there was
significant pioneering workforce for many decades around racial justice and the philanthropy
before this. Which includes before and during the major movements that are such as the civil rights
movement and other is the Chicano workers movement. In fact, we see that the Association of
Black Foundation Executives which was formed in 1971 so that to protest the lack of any African
Americans on the vast board slate of the Council on Foundations thus became the first of any
formal affinity group to be established then. In 1992 day before the Los Angeles police and Rodney
King case verdicts, various gang leaders from the Bloods and Crips meet publicly with the South-
Central community activists so that the can announce a cease fire and gang truce. On April 29, in
LA four White LAPD officers who are mainly acquitted of beating of black Rodney King, which
triggered more than five days of civil unrest that left more than 50 people dead and more than
estimated 2,000 people injured (Tendayi, 2020). In 1994 the Bus Riders Union leads popular
protests against the massive fare hike and increases its vast organizing capacity to represent the
civil rights of those of 400,000 daily bus riders in Los Angeles County among them the majority

15
of whom are people of color and having low-income women (Tendayi, 2020). In 1995 the U.S.
Glass Ceiling Commission concludes in a statement that Asian Americans are paid less rather than
Whites almost in every job category, even whenever they share identical educational levels same
as the white and other variables (Tendayi, 2020). In 1997 an African American James Byrd Jr.
who was chained to the back of a pickup truck and then dragged for three miles in a brutal murder
caused by White supremacists. His lynching leads to the vast passage of new hate crimes against
legislation in the state of Texas. Then the Black Radical Congress is formed in city Chicago,
bringing together more than over 2,000 participants. In 1999 Plain clothed NYPD officer shoot at
Guinean immigrant named Amadou Diallo 41 times and killing him (Tendayi, 2020). The criminal
trial in this case for the officers is moved to the Albany area where they are acquitted, which
leading to demonstrations that call vast attention to police violence and more racial profiling. In
2010 High school students in Tucson, Arizona who organize to defend the popular subject Mexican
American Studies program after the Arizona law makers and politicians vote to ban ethnic studies.
In 2013 report by the Asian Law Caucus along with the Asian Pacific American Legal Center
briefly finds the number of Asian-Americans are living below the poverty line in California that
increased 50 percent. While Asian-Americans are currently thought to be high achieving, high
earning abilities and highly educated, thus the Hmong, Cambodian, Laotian, Vietnamese and
Fijian-Americans usually face significant barriers to education, also have some of the lowest class
attendance rates in the country. By reviewing the timeline of racism in USA we can see different
incidents of the ideology and in different era.

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 CHAPTER SIX: FINDINGS

6.1 Institutions and Their Roles in Reducing Racism

Racism is a form of oppression systemized by one race to persecute another in various multifaceted
dimensions of life. Systemized racism arose around the 1500s, before that racism as a concept did
not emerge in society or academic fields. White European Americans who participated in the slave
industry tried to justify their economic exploitation of black people by creating a "scientific" theory
of white superiority and black inferiority (James, 1970). Racism has existed in American history
with numerous explosive instances that has shaped racial politics and mass thought process.
European Americans, particularly affluent white Anglo-Saxon Protestants, are said to have
enjoyed advantages in matters of education, immigration, voting rights, citizenship, land
acquisition, bankruptcy, and criminal procedure throughout American history (A tale of two
debtors: bankruptcy disparities by race. - Free Online Library, 2009). African Americans, Latin
Americans, East, South, and Southeast Asians and many other races have been exploited time and
time again. Though racial discrimination has been indicted and punishable by law but practical
applicability has not been up to the mark. In recent years research has uncovered extensive
evidence of racial discrimination in different sectors of modern U.S. society, as well as the criminal
justice system, business, the economy, housing, health care, the media, and politics. In the view of
the United Nations and the U.S. Human Rights Network, "discrimination in the United States
permeates all aspects of life and extends to all communities of color (The United States of America:
Summary Submission to the UN Universal Periodic Review, 2010). White supremacy and
intentional exclusion on people of color in all sectors has been the reality of USA since its
independence.

In this paper, organizational assessment as a largely overlooked approach to managing diversity

and addressing racism in the institutions. Approaches to organizational assessment in the fields of
management and cultural competency are explored and criticized before turning to a review of
organizational assessment tools focused on racism. Current organizational assessment tools lack
an explicit focus on delivering systemic racism and require further improvement and testing in
order to effectively manage diversity and address racism in the institutional.

17
Racism moreover includes working to get it how race and bigotry influence individuals.
Investigate has appeared that bigotry has wide-reaching negative impacts on people, families,
communities, and whole social orders. Prejudice has an impact in regions you will not have
considered counting healthcare, instruction, business, and lodging. A few of the potential impacts
include: Reducing impediments to employment Improving instructive encounter and attainment
Reducing racial inside the criminal equity system Improving mediations for youth who are at risk
Increasing get to community resources Encouraging social and political participation Reducing
bullying, despise wrongdoings.

There are many organizations those are working hard right now to support racial equality in
America.

 NAACP: The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was
established in 1909 in reaction to the ongoing violence against Black people around the
country. The NAACP is the biggest civil rights organization in the nation with over 2
million activists involved in its 2,200 units across the country. Its purpose is to assure the
political, educational, social, and economic rights of Black people and to eradicate race-
based discrimination (Morin, 2020).
 BYP: The Black Youth Project (BYP) examines the attitudes, resources, and culture of
Black millennials. It discovers how culture influences the decisions young people make in
terms of health, sex, and politics (Morin, 2020).
 Color of Change: It is an online racial equity organization whose objective is to assemble
its members to knock down walls that keep Black people back. Color of Change was
established after Hurricane Katrina. Its organizers found that there were not sufficient
assets devoted to securing and helping Black people who experienced destroying losses.
Color of Change offers an assortment of approaches to get included, from giving money to
joining its campaigns to end racist policies (Morin, 2020).
 BLM: Black Lives Matter (BLM) was established in 2013. It is a worldwide organization
in the U.S., U.K., and Canada. Its mission is to demolish white supremacy and develop
local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities. By fighting and
countering acts of brutality, making space for Black creative mind and development, and

18
 focusing Black satisfaction, its members are winning immediate upgrades in Black lives
(Morin, 2020).
 The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation: The National Coalition of Black
Civic Participation seeks to encourage civic participation in the Black community. It
educates, organizes, and mobilizes peoples to view civic participation as a cultural
responsibility and tradition. This organization observes a nation in which all people have
the tools to fully participate in the democratic process at the local, state, national, and global
levels. Its organizers fight to eliminate barriers to civic participation and promote greater
social and economic justice (Morin, 2020).
 KIND: A kid in Require of Defense (KIND) secures foreigner children by giving legal and
social administrations to children who have cross over the border by themselves. It attempts
to create beyond any doubt that no child shows up in court alone. Members work to
improve the laws around children’s rights within the United States and offer a few assets
on how you will be able get included. They moreover advocate for legitimate changes that
will secure helpless children who enter the U.S. themselves (Morin, 2020).

6.2 Is the current institutional framework enough to stop racism?

Although hundreds of human rights organizations are actively working against racism and
engaging in racial equity issues regularly, the problems are not going away. The roots of racism
are way too deep to be solved easily. Racism has evolved in many ways throughout the history of
the world. As the world is becoming more and more technologically advanced, people are more
aware of their surroundings comparing to the past. But racism has evolved with that as well. The
so-called concept of ‘subtle racism’ obscures the incidents that are happening behind. Few very
recent incidents are mentioned below.

 The ‘Black Lives Matter’ Movement

The 'Black Lives Matter,' an activist movement, began through social media, in particular through
the hashtag '#BlackLivesMatter' after George Zimmerman was excused from the killing of
Trayvon Martin, an unarmed African American teenager. After two high-profile deaths in 2014,
the movement got further attention and became more widely recognized and popularized (Faust et
al., 2019). First victim was an unarmed African American man, Eric Garner who died in Staten

19
Island, New York and second victim were another unarmed African American man, Michael
Brown who died in Ferguson, Missouri. Both met their ends at the hands of police officers who
were ultimately not indicted. Since August 2014, continuing local and national protests and other
actions, mostly triggered by the deaths of other unarmed African Americans, have brought the
movement to public recognition and discussion. Black Lives Matter, which originated as a hashtag
on Twitter and other social media, has since evolved into a “movement” (Leach & Allen, 2017).
The Black Lives Matter Network wishes to bring an end to the war on Black bodies as Black folks
are continuously targeted and placed at a disadvantage in the American context (Leach & Allen,
2017).

 The Killing of Breonna Taylor

Recently, the BLM movement sparked following the killing of Breonna Taylor, an African
American emergency medical technician who was shot in her home in Louisville by the US police
in March 2020. The event rocked the nation with protesters asking "say her name" from the media.
Celebrities around the world have come out about this incident and called for fair justice for
Breonna Taylor. But justice was rarely served. The whole incident was based on a
‘misunderstanding’ and that cost Breonna her life.

 The Death of George Floyd

The movement further escalated after the death of George Floyd, another African American man,
who was arrested by US police outside a shop in Minneapolis, Minnesota for allegedly using a
counterfeit bill in May 2020. He died in police custody. A footage of the arrest got viral in social
media which showed a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeling on Mr. Floyd's neck as he
was pinned to the floor. In his last moment, Floyd proceeded to beg for his life and kept saying
that he did not breathe while he had been taken back by the police. Mr. Chauvin has been charged
with murder since then. The world has seen other atrocities and the US has again been convulsed
by national protests.

These incidents questioned the concept of ‘subtle racism’ and further hinted towards a new
evolution of racism. In this era of technology where incidents such as these can come to light easily
through the help of social media, the question if justice can be prevailed remains. At the very least,
that cannot be described as ‘subtle’. Racism is not something that can be quickly replaced. Citizens

20
around the world are aware of racial injustice, and it is easier to speak up for such movements or
against such movements. A single tweet will decide one's position and draw the interest of a wider
audience. Unlike the past people are better aware of their surroundings and people are expressing
their opinions also. In that sense, the Black Lives Movement is successful to gain attention from
people all over the world. But still discrimination, torture and wrongful killings are happening.
Although people are concerned about all that, strong movements are going on and different
organizations are even backing up such movements, racism is not really fading away. In fact, there
are subtle hints that say even after all these developments, the roots of racism are out of reach.
Two points can be mentioned to summarize the whole idea. Either the influence of American
context is way too strong to be judged by others or racism has evolved into a new stage where
people cannot do anything but to be a mere spectator of such atrocities.

6.3 Loopholes in Existing Institutional Framework

As mentioned before, even a huge number of active human rights organizations are not nearly
enough to stop this curse named racism. Racism is somehow a constructed idea and its deep roots
can be difficult to obliterate but the reason why all these incidents are happening would be few
loopholes that are created in the current institutional framework. Racism has already evolved into
a new concept of subtlety. Unlike in the past when people of different skin color or birthplace was
considered as a product of slavery or when they were not even considered human, racism is not
that hardcore in the current world. The human rights organizations and their continuous efforts to
make people aware about racial injustice would be one of the reasons behind less incidents
regarding racism. But certain loopholes remain. Although racism cannot be seen directly but its
existence does not fade away. Some certain hints or traits can be found in every sectors.

6.3.1 Education Sector

Education is a primary tool for every nation. People cannot develop or evolve without learning.
Education sector is undoubtedly the backbone of a nation. And this sector is not free from
loopholes. For example, in USA, there are different educational institutes for black people in USA,
those institutes are referred as ‘Historically Black Colleges and Universities’ or HBCU. Although
there are no rules than Black American cannot study in regular institutions with White American,
still many reasons and incidents demanded this separation in education sector. People were not

21
very confident to let their children study with minority people, bullying in educational institutions
were common. This is an obvious loophole because humans are getting differentiated for their
physical appearance, religion, skin color etc.

6.3.2 Legal Sector

Legal sector is the place where justice can prevail. But some loopholes exist here as well. Many
incidents and many evidence suggests that in USA's legal system, there are cases of racial disparity.
Judgement is influenced by skin color and physical appearance. In an official UN report regarding
the criminal justice system in USA, it was mentioned that African American are more likely to be
arrested for a crime than the average white Americans. The previously mentioned incidents like
the death of George Floyd and the killing of Breonna Taylor is solid example of that. The report
further mentioned that Black Americans are more likely to be convicted than White Americans
and comparing to White Americans, they experience lengthier prison sentences and greater
punishments. The problem is however complicated because the criminal justice system itself
creates loopholes. In USA, there are a separate criminal justice system for Black people with less
advantages. The main problem lies within the system.

6.3.3 Work Sector

Discrimination in job markets for Black people in USA is not a new concept. Be it a full-time job
or a part time job, clear discrimination in wages, working hour, difficulty of jobs and overall
behavior is clearly found. Many studies show that although every other qualification is similar
between one White American and one Black American, the White candidate is more likely to be
called back. No matter how educated or capable the Black candidate would be, it is unlikely that
they will get the first call. A huge labor gap can be seen even in the smallest jobs between a White
American and a Black American. Many African American are overqualified in their jobs but
cannot go forward because of their skin color and even for their black-sounding names. When
USA got its first African American President Barack Obama, it was highly anticipated that these
issues would reduce. But neither Obama was able to solve that nor the job market became easier
for his fellow African American people.

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6.3.4 Daily Life

Certain loopholes can be found in the daily lives of Black people as well. It does not have to be
severe but if a person gets looked upon twice just because of his or her skin color that leaves a
bitter experience in their daily life. One person should not be judged based on their skin color. This
is a loophole created by society.

6.4 Recommendations to Defeat Institutionalized Racism

6.4.1 Theoretical Foundations of Dismantling Racism

Institutionalized racism means policies, legislation, procedures, etc. that have become a regular
part of the operation of an institution or community, resulting in and encouraging a continuing
unfair advantage for some persons and the unfair or negative treatment of others based on race. In
the critical realms of education, housing, and access to public services, institutionalized racism
and discrimination are evident. As example, the criminal justice system has historically provided
women of color with less protection because of institutionalized racism than it gives white women.

Throughout society, these effects are suffused through social frameworks, ideological values, and
individual daily behavior of people in culture, and these effects are transferred from generations
to generations. Institutional racism reflects an organization's systematic inability to provide people
with a suitable and competent service because of their color, culture, or ethnic origin. It can be
seen or observed in systems, actions and behaviors that disadvantage minority ethnic people
through unwitting racism, bigotry, thoughtlessness, and racial stereotyping that amounts to
discrimination.

As per, Griffith and colleagues, at three levels, institutional racism can be conceptualized: the
extra-organizational, the intra-organizational, and the individual.

• Extra-organizational Level: Institutional bias at the extra-organizational level defines the

mutual interaction between organizations and their external environment.

• Intra-organizational Level: Institutional bias at the intra-organizational level occurs in

the internal environment, policies and procedures of an entity. These involve employee
relationships that are embedded in formal and informal hierarchies and ties of influence.

23
• Individual: At the individual level, racism works through the attitudes, beliefs and
behaviors of staff members. (Griffith, et al., 2007)

Anti-Racist Community Organizing: Anti-racist community organizing is an action technique

that draws on the basic elements and values of community organizing and infuses anti-racism as a
core value and belief. Anti-racism is the promotion of individual action, cultural expressions and
institutional processes that encourage inclusiveness and interdependence, acceptance and
appreciation for racial differences. Anti-racist approaches to organizing assume that an unjust
environment has been established by cultural and social systems, and propose that the solution is
to reform institutions, organizations, and people in these contexts. Reducing disparities in power
relations and resolving the root causes of social problems is the community mobilization technique
for achieving change. Anti-racist activism aims to put together individuals who are affected by the
issue in order to maximize their collective power to address the problem and to keep those in power
responsible for the values of fairness and equality. Anti-racist mobilization campaigns put
individuals together to organize and work together more efficiently, making them more active
players in their lives rather than passive targets of other people's decisions.

There are four interrelated phases for community organizing known as assessment, research,
action, and reflection.

Assessment is the process of identifying the problems affecting a system, usually conducted with
key members of a community or organization through one-on-one discussions. The discussions
are opportunities to deepen relationships between members of the community in addition to
gathering information. The research phase is the way to discover the potential causes of the issues
identified in the assessment phase. Anti-racist organizing approaches indicate that the development
of social and cultural change through community organization must be rooted in a widespread,
analytical study of systemic and institutional racism, including the recognition of various forms,
manifestations and faces of power. The study process also involves the compilation of information
on the essence of the problem and its possible sources and solutions. The key to this stage is to
uncover how power and racism, when gaining an understanding of the organizational
infrastructure, purpose and functions, are manifested in this context. The intervention is likely to
fail without knowing both the metrics of structural bias and the organization's basic objectives and
priorities. The process of action is an attempt to exert control created through organizing. The

24
method of action integrates the strategy and mobilization of collective action resources. Building
multi-racial relationships between people with a shared understanding of the issue and who are
committed to anti-racist community organizing is vital to this process. It is necessary for the
process of system change to leverage relational and expert power and ultimately obtain the support
of the formal power structure. The final step of reflection encourages individuals in organizations
or societies involved in transferring control to assess the efficacy of the methods they have
employed. It also means taking lessons learned into account, reflecting on how control was exerted,
and contemplating possible directions for coordinating efforts.

In addition to improvements at the organizational level, eliminating racism is intended to improve

individual awareness, analytical abilities, emotional skills, and the willingness within the
organization and society to resolve structural racism, social injustices, and racial inequality. This
is known as sociopolitical development.

Soft Systems Methodology: Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) is an analytical and theoretical
approach that is most useful in solving complex social issues, but it requires methodological rigor
and profound insights. SSM's goal is to concentrate more analytical thinking on the environment
as it is versus how it could be, analyzing the situation in a way that generates new learning.

A vital justification and mechanism for deciding how and when to intervene in an organization to
resolve inequalities is provided by the SSM approach. Critical Systems Thinking has developed
as a helpful technique within the SSM approach to create system change where there are several
theories and logics about the root causes of the issue.

6.4.2 Elements of a Dismantling Racism Approach

Increase infrastructure, accountability, and monitoring: The first step in the process of overcoming
racism is the formation of a Change Team. The Change Team is a culturally and professionally
diverse team of leaders who direct the processes and effects of dismantling racism intervention to
be created, introduced, and assessed. The Change Team is a multi-racial collective that represents
the administration and employees of organizations, dismantling contractors for bias, evaluators,
community residents, and other important representatives of the organizational structure. The
Change Team directs the process of improving the culture and practices of the company that can
impact the workers, the organization, and the system and community outside of the organization.

25
Their energies are concentrated on ensuring that the overall organizational structure and culture
improves not only the people or controversial policies change.

 Develop a Common Language and Analytic Framework

Because racism is a dynamic, rooted, divisive and sometimes misunderstood construct, it is

important that racism is widely described and understood and how it affects the quality of
institution. Thus, a "Dismantling Racism" or "Undoing Racism" workshop organized by an anti-
racist training organization is one of the main elements of the dismantling racism process. The
workshop is intended to have a shared language and prejudice conceptualization. The aim is not
to indoctrinate a particular philosophy, but to include a vocabulary to promote communication and
comprehension. The workshop is intended for all members of a given system: members of the
group, members of the administrative staff, service providers, members of the board, etc.

The four objectives of anti-racist organizational development are addressed in this aspect of the
training:

(a) Encouraging individuals committed to equity and anti-racist organizational principles to

establish norms and a community in which individuals are responsible for their conduct and the
effect of their acts

(b) Establishing a culture where decisions about the distribution and use of money and
resources consider their social equity implications

(c) Encouraging organizational practices in which decisions on how and what work is
performed consider racial equality

(d) Prioritizing organizational priorities and goals is consistent with organizational principles
that are anti-racist.

The dismantling racism workshop encourages an intervention strategy by incorporating these core
elements of organizational growth and the notion of systems change, where the emphasis and
priorities remain on systems change.

26
  Reorganize Power by Strengthening Relationships

Dismantling Racism Works has built a plan to provide ongoing opportunities for participants to
deal with and reflect on what they have learned during the workshop and turn it into progress at
the individual and organizational level. A “caucus” is a meeting of individuals from a particular
identity group who come together to support each other and discuss problems that are special to
that identity group. White people and people of color engage in separate caucuses in the process
of eliminating segregation, which are then brought together to discuss common concerns. People
are structured in this manner because of the idea that prejudice in very different forms impacts
whites and people of color in the US. The caucuses offer healing and help to deal with complicated
and distinctive identity problems and internalized dominance or oppression.

These meetings help to achieve two goals, and these are:

(1) They provide a way to develop or construct individual relationships that can help increase
engagement in the process of dismantling racism.

(2) They offer a means for those who are part of the intervention to measure their impressions
of the intervention, but also for those who are not.

Dispelling myths and misinformation about the process or resolving individual challenges may
provide an important way to improve involvement and support in the process of eliminating
racism. These meetings are often paired with "member sharing." Member sharing is a structured
opportunity for members of the Change Team and caucus to get to know each other more
individually by giving them the opportunity to share something personal. The standards developed
by the training and confidence created among caucus participants are essential cornerstones of the
intervention to eradicate racism. While much is gained from recognizing these individual
viewpoints, understanding how intra-organizational and extra-organizational variables affect the
quality of institution is equally relevant for workers, consumers, and other key stakeholders.

 Create Opportunities for Individual Growth and Professional Development

In addition to the objectives at the organizational level, the method of eliminating racism is often
committed to generating change at the individual level. All priorities impacting individuals as well
as the company are attempts to educate workers, make processes and decisions more open,

27
diversify leadership opportunities, and increase transparency. An additional aim is to strengthen
the ability of people within the company and the society to take risks and leadership. The Change
Team and caucuses are intended to promote and grow new organizational leaders by offering the
ability and encouragement for those who are lower in the professional hierarchy to be leaders.
Increasing the diversity of informal leadership is crucial to the process of dismantling racism,
particularly given the complexities and constraints of focusing on employee diversity. If the other
components of the abolition of racism are put in place, it would cultivate a nurturing atmosphere
for personal development and organizational change.

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 CHAPTER SEVEN: ANALYSIS

Racism does not have to be that extreme to be a matter of discussion. Even if one person gets a
second look by someone because of their race, skin color, religion or birthplace, that can be
categorized as racism. For example, if one ‘white’ American and one ‘black’ American goes to
shopping together, the black person is most likely to be noticed. Such minor details refer to the
fact that the racism that the world is familiar with is pretty much a constructed idea. The roots of
racism go far in world’s history and people have a default view of viewing the world. Studies
suggest that almost every black people face racism throughout their life. This has become the way
of the world in fact. The way a black person would get treated will be a slightly different from the
treatment a usual white man gets. Such discrimination has become the way of the world now.

According to the theory of ‘Constructivism’, it is our society that constructs the different ideas and
concepts that we grow up with. It has become a norm where we treat strangers because of their
physical appearance. Thus, come the question that if the so-called concept of subtle racism makes
sense or not. Unlike the 16th or 17th century when racism was mostly religion based and when
black people or ‘Indians’ were treated like they have no ‘soul’ like a normal human, this century’s
racism is certainly different. But different does not mean it is fading away. Racism still exists and
in fact the roots are getting stronger somehow.

The constructed ideas about black people or people of different caste have not changed that much.
What is scarier that people are getting used to it. It is somehow normal for a black people to be
treated like that. So, this can be said that racism itself is not getting ‘subtle’ but the way racism
was seen before is getting subtle. That means people of different races, skin color, minorities are
used to the fact that they are going to face racism at some point in their life. Many studies have
proven this fact also. This is one changing characteristic of racism of the 21st century. The usual
discrimination remains in addition to the fact that people are now used to face or see racism.

The roles of human rights organizations are significant. Partly because of these institutions, racism
has become subtler than before. But that alone is not enough to eradicate this curse. Because of
the already constructed ideas about racism creates loopholes deep in a society. And the roots are
strong because the US is prone to such constructed ideas. For example, ‘Islamophobia’, which has
been a burning issue for a long time. Starting from the 9/11 attack, this issue has gone too far in

29
the core of US's administration. Ex-president Donald Trump even announced travel ban that was
basically ‘Muslim ban’. So, it is obvious that a deep-rooted issue like racism cannot be removed
easily. The institutional framework and the very system are somehow problematic. Unless the
system is corrected and the institutions are reformed, racism cannot be removed.

From all the discussions above, it can be said that racism is a plague that cannot be removed in an
easy way. But every change, every protest starts from a personal level. It is not easy to bring
changes without changing the individual mindset of people. Protests like ‘Black Lives Matter’ has
somehow shown that even a protest born from Twitter can affect this many people to make them
express their stands. In an era of technology, it is not that difficult to bring necessary attention to
some matter so all it needs is a changing mindset of individuals. People of different races or
different skin color does not have to be a danger of some sort. In fact, this conception brings
negative effects such as people who face racism or likely to be faced racism might get involved
with criminal or terrorist activities just because they were ill-treated or they thought they would
get ill-treated. Change must begin from here. People with different skin color or of different
religious minority does not need to be looked down upon twice. If they get treated the way any
other people would be treated, that counts as a change.

It is not overwhelming to say that racism is a threat to mankind no matter what century. As time
passes the deep rooted and constructed ideas about treating people with different races or skin
color is getting stronger. The way people are getting used to racism is scarier than any other effects
that racism causes. The world would be a much better place if this plague disappeared. Although
removing it will not be any easy task but movements like ‘Black Lives Matter’ might be a step
forward to it. Now people are more and more aware about the discrimination happening
worldwide. All it needs is taking steps on individual level. It might not be enough but if one person
is able to stand against racism and can stop one incident of atrocity, it might influence ten others
to do the same. Bringing a change is never easy but if everyone starts giving value to the little
efforts, that would be count as a change.

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 CHAPTER EIGHT: CONCLUSION

The history of racial injustice is not any new concept, especially in American context. Whereas
the mere thought of discriminating human on the basis of their skin color is bad enough, the world
has seen crueler scenario in that case. From bullying in schools to ruthless killings of minority,
everything can be seen throughout the history of racial discrimination in USA. The ideas of racial
injustice has spread deep into the systemic framework of US administration making it harder to
remove. As a hegemony, the US has its vast influence all over the world. Western culture is not
for the West only. The whole world somehow follows the footsteps of the US and racism is also
not confined within Western culture as well. For example, underdeveloped and developing
countries of the world are also familiar with the ideas of racial discrimination. People are judged
and treated on the basis of their skin color or their religion or nationality. That implies how much
of a deep rooted concept racism is and how important it is to remove this curse from the world. To
do that it is undeniable that the roles of human rights organizations are very significant. The fact
that today’s world is pretty aware about racial discrimination and are willing to speak against it is
a success of those institutions. A single tweet turned into a nationwide protest during the ‘Black
Lives Matter’ movement, individuals started speaking against racial injustice and many
organizations provided back up for that movement. All these can be counted as successes of human
rights organizations. But the problem still remains. Still there are people being discriminated due
to their skin color and their basic human rights are getting violated. Creating a world free of racism
is easier said than done. Some institutional reform is very much needed to make this happen. The
problems that are embedded in the very system will be tough to solve but continuous efforts of
individuals and organizations can make it happen.

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