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WASHINGTON, DC—The murder of George Floyd and the public debates over teaching about race and racism that have followed have raised several questions for parents, teachers, local and federal policy makers, and the general public. What do “systemic racism” and “critical race theory”—terms used loosely in the news—really mean? Why are discussions about race and racism so controversial? And why should we care? At this crucial moment of racial reckoning in America, the American Sociological Association has released a sociological guide which offers critical understanding of race and racism and the importance of antiracism educational efforts for our national wellbeing.
We offer a sociological lens that goes beyond individual attitudes and behaviors to understand the broader social processes that shape the experiences of people of color in America. One of the key elements of racism is that it is systemic; it is built into the institutions, or the systems, of a society. Indeed, in the United States there are interconnected institutional systems of discrimination across society, from housing to healthcare, from law enforcement to education, and beyond that create differential access to resources and divergent chances in life.
This guide articulates the history and sociology underlying racism in each of these contexts, and it makes the case that having such knowledge is a critical step in understanding how to move toward a more just society.
About the American Sociological Association
The American Sociological Association, founded in 1905, is a nonprofit membership association dedicated to serving sociologists in their work, advancing sociology as a science and profession, and promoting the contributions to and use of sociology by society. Visit asanet.org.
