What is Racial Justice?
“Racial justice is the systematic fair treatment of people of all races, resulting in equitable opportunities and outcomes for all.” Williams College
The United States was built upon the disparate negative treatment and discrimination of people based on their race. Starting with the forced removal of people from their ancestral homelands, enslavement, and colonialism. Racism and the harmful, traumatizing, and inequitable treatment of individuals who belong to racial and ethnic minorities (Black or African American, Latina /o/x, Asian, South Asian or Asian American, Native American or Indigenous, Middle Eastern or North African, and Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders in particular) continue to this day- and is systemically built into our societal institution.
“Racial Justice is a vision and transformation of society to eliminate racial hierarchies and advance collective liberation, where Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, in particular, have the dignity, resources, power, and self-determination to fully thrive.” Race Forward
Williams College identified what racial justice initiatives address:
“racial justice initiatives address structural and systemic changes to ensure equal access to opportunities, eliminate disparities, and advance racial equity—thus ensuring that all people, regardless of their race, can prosper and reach their full potential.
Racial justice and equity are not achieved by the mere absence of racial discrimination or the perceived absence of harmful racial bias, but rather through deliberate action to dismantle problematic and build positively transformational systems – action must be carried through with the conviction, commitment and dedication of advocates.”
Racial injustices live within many social justice categories, including economic justice, environmental justice, reproductive justice, LGBTQ+ rights, educational equity, criminal justice, housing justice, and health equity.
Examples of Racial Injustices:
•Black men are five times more likely to be stopped without just cause than a white person.
•Black people are incarcerated at more than 5 times the rate of whites.
•65 percent of Black adults have felt targeted because of their race. Similarly, approximately 35 percent of Latino and Asian adults have felt targeted because of race.
•4.1x Hispanic or Latinos more likely to be hospitalized from COVID-19 than their white peers
•4,939 Hate crimes in 2020 where a victim was targeted because of their race, ethnicity, or ancestry
•$838K is the the absolute dollar wealth gap between Black households and white households
•During the 2015–2016 school year, Black students represented only 15% of total US student enrollment, but they made up 35% of students suspended once, 44% of students suspended more than once, and 36% of students expelled. The US Department of Education concluded that this disparity is “not explained by more frequent or more serious misbehavior by students of color.”
•Black women are 3 to 4 times more likely to experience a pregnancy-related death than white women, even at similar levels of income and education
•On average, Black men in the US receive sentences that are 19.1% longer than those of white men convicted for the same crimes.
•In the US, Black individuals are twice as likely to be unemployed than white individuals. Once employed, Black individuals earn nearly 25% less than their white counterparts.
•African Americans are 75% more likely than White people to live in “fence-line” communities (areas near commercial facilities that produce noise, odor, traffic, or emissions that directly affect the population)
•Air Pollution disproportionately affects people from racial and ethnic minority groups in the United States.
Historical Origin:
•The Equal Justice Initiative complied essays on the history of racial Injustice. You can learn more here: https://eji.org/news/tag/history-of-racial-injustice/
•The ACLU’s history of their fight for racial justice can be found here: https://www.aclu.org/news/civil-liberties/racial-justice-and-civil-liberties-an-inseparable-history-at-the-aclu
Social Work Involvement:
• NASW Chapter Activities for Racial Justice
•NASW Information page on Racial Equity, which includes briefs, reports, trainings, and more:
References:
American Civil Liberties Union. (n.d.) Human rights and racial justice. https://www.aclu.org/issues/voting-rights
Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab. Discrimination in the job market in the United States.
https://www.povertyactionlab.org/evaluation/discrimination-job-market-united-states
Center For American Progress. (n.d.). Advancing racial equity and justice.
https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/advancing-racial-equity-and-justice/
Do Something.org. (n.d.). 11 facts about racial discrimination.
https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-racial-discrimination#fn9
National Partnership for Women and Families. Black Women’s Maternal Health.
https://www.nationalpartnership.org/our-work/health/reports/black-womens-maternal-health.html.
NAACP. (n.d.). Race & justice. https://naacp.org/issues/race-justice
Williams College. (n.d.). Racial Justice.
https://diversity.williams.edu/racialjustice/#:~:text=Defining%20racial%20justice%20at%20Williams&text=Racial%20justice%20is%20the%20systematic,opportunities%20and%20outcomes%20for%20all.