OCTOBER 2021: EQUITY MOMENT (LEVELS OF RACISM)

Racism is more than interpersonal interactions between individuals based on personal prejudice or intentional bias. The United Way’s 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge writes:

“A different and emerging explanation of racism contends that interpersonal racism is actually a symptom of a more fundamental system of racism—an array of cultural norms and institutional policies and practices that routinely produce racially inequitable outcomes, often without individual intent or malice.”

The following images and descriptions are from Street Knowledge Teaching Resources (with permission) and this The Four I’s of Oppression document. Follow us on social media (Facebook and Instagram) to engage the content in bite-sized pieces, then comment, share, and start the conversation within your family and friend networks.

Ideological Oppression

An often generalized system of beliefs or ideas a dominant group believes about itself or about a non-dominant group.

Institutional Oppression

Using the laws, the legal system, the education system, public policy, media, political power, etc... to maintain ideology intentionally or unintentionally.

Interpersonal Oppression

The idea that one group is better than another and has the right to dominate or control the other. This is what we do “up close” to one another.

Internalized Oppression

The oppressor doesn't have to exert any more pressure, because we now do it to ourselves and each other

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

Were the definitions offered consistent with what you understood them to mean? How did they differ? What haven’t you previously considered?
How do you see internalized racism impacting you personally?