Racism is pervasive in society from "summary" of So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
Racism is not just a few bad apples. It isn't just a few individuals with hateful beliefs. Racism is a system that has been built into the very foundation of our society. It is in our schools, our workplaces, our criminal justice system, our healthcare system. It is in the air we breathe and the water we drink. It is everywhere. Racism is not always overt. It is not always as blatant as a racial slur or a hate crime. It can be subtle, insidious, lurking just beneath the surface. It is in the way people of color are treated differently, judged more harshly, given fewer opportunities. It is in the way white people are given the benefit of the doubt, assumed to be competent, capable, deserving. Racism is not just about individual attitudes or beliefs. It is about power. It is about who has it and who doesn't. It is about who benefits from the status quo and who is harmed by it. It is about the ways in which our society has been structured to advantage some and disadvantage others based on race. Racism is not something that can be solved by simply being nice to people of color. It is not something that can be fixed by a few diversity trainings or hiring initiatives. It is a deeply entrenched system that requires a fundamental rethinking of how we do things. It requires us to confront our own biases, our own privileges, our own complicity in upholding this system. Racism is pervasive in society because it is woven into the fabric of our culture. It is in our history, our laws, our institutions. It is in the stories we tell ourselves about who we are and who belongs. It is in the way we are taught to see the world and our place in it. It is in the way we are conditioned to fear and distrust those who are different from us. Racism is not going to go away on its own. It is not going to magically disappear if we ignore it or pretend it doesn't exist. It is going to take hard work, uncomfortable conversations, difficult choices. It is going to take a willingness to listen, to learn, to change. It is going to take all of us, working together, to create a more just and equitable society.
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