Systemic Racism: Its Definition, Origins, and Broad Societal Impact

Racism involves the oppression or marginalization of people based on ethnicity, nationality, citizenship, or skin color.
It manifests overtly and subtly, embedded in systemic structures.

Racism is not just a few "bad apples" but is "baked into every aspect of society." It means racial injustice is inherent, not incidental.
Examples of Disparities: Black individuals are statistically more likely to: die as newborns with white doctors ( $3 imes$ ), be suspended from school ( $7 imes$ ), be arrested on campus ( $4 imes$ ), face employment discrimination due to "black sounding names," and make $25\%$ less income than white counterparts with the same degree.

Systemic racism is deeply rooted in the U.S. history, stemming from the $17^{th}$ and $18^{th}$ centuries desire for land and free labor, justified by a myth of Black inferiority.
Institutions, politics, and policies were designed against this "money-driven lie."

This ideology assumes that for one group to win, another must lose (e.g., Native Americans for land, Black people for free labor).
It leads some white individuals to believe that progress for other groups means a loss for them, perpetuating racial division.

Public Goods Underinvestment: Racial prejudice led to the destruction or underfunding of shared public amenities (e.g., pools, schools) rather than desegregation, harming everyone.
Economic Policies: Bad policies written with racist undertones impact the entire economy (e.g., shift from a strong middle-class "football" economy to a "bow-tie" economy with struggling middle and growing rich/poor).
Financial Crisis (2008): Subprime mortgages, initially aggressively marketed to Black and Brown middle-class communities with predatory terms, spread to the wider market, causing a 19\ trillion loss in wealth and 8\ million lost jobs.
Labor & Wages: Racial divisions (e.g., white workers opposing unions if Black workers support them) lead to lower wages and worse benefits for all workers.
Public Health: Policies limiting access to healthcare (like Medicaid/Medicare) disproportionately affect marginalized groups but also create systemic public health disparities for everyone, especially in rural areas.

Racism is not a zero-sum game; it has significant moral, spiritual, and economic costs for all, leading to a weaker democracy and collective suffering.
Rejecting zero-sum thinking and recognizing "linked fates" is crucial for investing in "our people, all of our people."
"Race" is a social construct used to divide and benefit one group over others.