Data Points: Racism (Featuring LeRon Barton)
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Hi, friends. It's Leron Barton. I'm guest hosting this episode of Broken Cycle Media's new series of educational episodes, Data Points. These special episodes will include educational information, statistics, and support on different topics that are important to our community. Thank you so much for listening.

Dictionary.com defines racism as a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human racial groups determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to dominate others or that a particular racial group is inferior to others.

While this definition is a general use, I also like Dr. Tommy J. Curry's take on the subject. The author of The Man Knot expands on the definition by saying, While racism certainly originates with erroneous ideas of one race's superiority over other races, racism more accurately refers to the utilization of dehumanization and violence by a dominant racial group, evidenced by the policies of institutions and behaviors of individuals.

Curry further says, consequently, racism functions to increase the economic resources, numerical majority, political power and life chances of the dominant racial groups progeny over those of supposed inferiors. Bias defined by psychology today is a tendency, inclination or prejudice towards or against something or someone.

Some biases are positive and helpful, like staying away from someone who has knowingly caused harm. But biases are often based on stereotypes rather than the actual knowledge of an individual or circumstance. Whether positive or negative, such cognitive shortcuts can result in prejudgments that lead to rash decisions or discriminatory practices. Prevalence and Statistics

Racism impacts every facet of life. As a Black man in America, there is not one area of my being that is shielded from it. Some examples include housing discrimination.

Historically, African Americans were denied home loans from banks and the ability to purchase a house in a predominantly white neighborhood. They were redlined or pushed to specific areas in a city or town. Specific laws such as property tax assessments, which determine the value of your home. In The Color of Law, author Richard Rothstein details how houses in white neighborhoods appreciate faster,

But due to racism, these homes have outdated assessed values that are below the rising market value of their homes, which results in lower property taxes.

African Americans have historically paid higher property taxes, which sometimes resulted in property tax payment going into default, which then allowed speculators to pay the defaulted taxes and seize the homes. Also, deeds on some homes had specifically prohibiting resale to non-Caucasians written in, which kept African Americans and other racialized groups from purchasing property in those areas, and as a result, continued segregation.

Healthcare is an industry that has mistreated and misdiagnosed Black men and women for centuries. Enslaved African women were often operated on to further scientific research. In the late 1960s and early 70s, Mexican women who immigrated to America were sterilized without their consent. Today, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy complications than white women.

Racial misdiagnosis or not properly identifying health problems has also been a major issue between the healthcare industry and African Americans. Black men's emotions are often seen as psychotic and have been misdiagnosed with schizophrenia. Finally, black teenagers are 50% more likely to show signs of bulimia but are underdiagnosed and do not receive treatment.

The criminal justice system has also historically targeted African Americans with the highest arrest, conviction, and incarceration rates. According to the United States Sentencing Commission, an independent agency of the judicial branch of the U.S. government, reported between 2017 and 2021, Black men received prison sentences averaging 13.4% longer and Latino men received 11.2% longer than their white counterparts for the same crime.

Black men are also incarcerated more than any group in America. The Pew Research Center found that for every 100,000 people locked up, around 2,272 are African-American males compared to 392 incarcerated men per white males.

Black people also represent the largest population of wrongly convicted in America. The National Registry of Exonerations, a group that collects and analyzes data about all known exonerations of innocent criminal defendants in the United States, published a report in March of 2017 that states 47% of all exonerations were African Americans.

African-American and Latinos face employment barriers in the United States that prevent them from entering certain workforces, such as technology and finance. They're often not selected for these jobs due to cultural fit. In the tech industry, African-Americans make up 7.4% and Latinos 8%, compared to whites who dominate at 68.5%. Black and Latino men and women also face hiring challenges due to ethnic-sounding names and accents.

Historically, schools in predominantly Black neighborhoods are often underfunded and in poor condition. This can contribute to overpopulated classrooms, outdated reading materials, and underperforming students, which can lead to low graduation rates. Poor standardized testing scores amongst African American children can also be attributed to a lack of resources in predominant Black schools. These testing results can often create a barrier to being accepted into higher education.

Racism also affects college admission. Best Colleges published a report in 2023 that found African-American students make up about 10.6 percent of undergraduate college attendees compared to white men and women who comprise over 42.3 percent.

Black students have often cited cultural alienation, racist harassment from classmates, apathy from professors and staff, and financial hardships as reasons why they may drop out or elect not to attend college. Future implications.

Not addressing racism will cause future generations to not view it as a significant issue. It is the lack of discussion, education and insight into how racism impacts all of us could dilute the seriousness of it, thus not framing it as an important problem to solve.

We see this already in schools and libraries across the country that have banned books that talk about slavery, the civil rights movement, and discredited high school and college courses that teach about race and bias, mislabeling them as critical race theory. A concept that was created by Dr. Derrick Bell, a legal scholar and writer who taught at Harvard Law School and the University of Oregon.

Critical race theory described the racial inequities in the legal systems of America. It is an analysis that is primarily taught in law schools. However, by grouping critical race theory with any subject that discusses racism and the abuses that Black and other people of color have experienced, this has led to right-wing groups masquerading as parents' rights organizations, lobbying to successfully ban these classes and classify them as anti-American.

Anything that references discrimination or anti-racism is considered woke and branded un-American. Because of this, teaching and discussing racism is important and can lead to a better understanding and, frankly, better students. In an op-ed for Education Week, Ross Wiener explains,

executive director for the Aspen Institute, and Francesca Lopez, the Waterbury Chair in Equity Pedagogy at Pennsylvania State University, argues that educators have the moral and professional responsibility to teach and lead on racism in schools. It's what children need. They later state, ignoring racism in schools increases prejudice, while explicitly teaching about race and racism reduces prejudice and improves student learning.

prevention and treatment. The first step to stopping racism is an understanding of racism, viewing it not only as personal, but as systemic. As I stated earlier, it encompasses every facet of life,

Racism is a spectrum, not just an insult or horrible incident or a police officer pulling over black people for nothing, but a living organism that has changed throughout time to oppress black, Asian, Latino, indigenous people of Middle Eastern descent and others who are not white or in the majority demographic.

Educating yourself about racism can start with books from authors such as Derrick Bell's Faces at the Bottom of the Well, James Baldwin's If Beale Street Could Talk, and Toni Morrison's Beloved.

Volunteering with local anti-racism activist groups is also a great way to learn and unlearn any racism and biases you may hold. Talking with people that have and continue to experience racism can enhance and expand your perspective. I found these experiences to challenge my thinking and make me see life in a different vantage point.

Finally, discuss racism with your family and friends. Call out your friends and family when they say or do racist things. Let them know what they're doing is wrong. Let them know why it's wrong. We have to model the behavior we want to see. Talk to them about the racist beliefs they hold. Be introspective and challenge not only their biases, but yours. Do you cross the street when you see a black man coming your way? Why do you immediately clutch your purse when an African-American sits next to you?

When you see someone who is Latino, do you automatically think they're undocumented? These are tough conversations to have, but they're necessary. Racism is everywhere. It is the way we interact with people, how we vote, how we decide where to live, how we are treated in the medical industry, how our schools are funded, and how our laws are created. Racism is in the fabric of America.

Here are some resources and books that I recommend for you to check out on your journey to understanding the history of race, racism, and becoming a stronger, more aware person. These are books that are close to my heart and organizations that are dedicated to fighting racism and harvesting unity. The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Where Do We Go From Here by Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander,

Freedom is a Constant Struggle by Angela Davis. The Man Not by Dr. Tommy J. Curry. Here are some organizations that I would recommend checking out. My Block My City, Surge or Standing Up for Racial Justice, Color of Change, Dream Defenders, and Know Your Rights. Thank you.

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