Systemic racism still has its roots in the community, and many people are still suffering because of it.

Systemic racism and discrimination refer to the ways in which societal structures and institutions serve to maintain biases and unfairness against people of color. 

These biases and inequalities can take many forms, including unequal access to education, employment, and economic opportunities. 

One community member shares a recent memory of how these biases interfered with her life.

“I had gone to Prada a few months back to buy my mother-in-law some shoes for her upcoming birthday,” said Tiffany Kimani, mother of three and a Tacoma Community College graduate.

“I was ecstatic since it had been something I had been looking forward to, and I was eager to delight her with a special gift. I entered the store for the first time then the sales associates were acting very hostile and on edge with me, and every place I went, there were about two people following me,” she said.

“By the time I made it to the shoe section and was able to speak with a sales associate after being followed for more than 30 minutes without a word being said to me or any assistance being offered, she then asked me if I had ever shopped at a store like this and recommended that I go to the shopping mall that’s more affordable. 

“I told one of my close friends (a Caucasian woman) about the terrible experience I had with Prada and how mistreated I felt, and she said she had the complete opposite when she had gone there. She explained how they immediately made sure that she was taken care of, asked her what she was looking for, and even took the time to take the gift card. I was genuinely shocked and disappointed with my experience there and ended up going to another store to buy my mother’s gift,” said Kimani.

Discriminatory government policies and practices in the past, such as redlining, Jim Crow laws, and the New Deal, have had lasting impacts on wealth and opportunity for people of color. Redlining, for instance, was a practice that banks and government agencies used to refuse home loans to people of color, leading to segregated neighborhoods and a lack of investment in communities of color. 

Jim Crow laws were state and local laws that enforced racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans, which lasted until the mid-1960s. The New Deal, which was a series of economic programs implemented during the Great Depression, excluded people of color from certain benefits, such as Social Security and labor protections.

Despite having been abolished, many of the prejudices enforced by these laws can still be felt by those who were, and are still, oppressed.

Another community member shares how he’s been able to see these prejudices still exist in today’s law enforcement agencies.

“My roommate had to contact me at five in the morning to pick him up from a routine traffic stop because the officer didn’t think he had authorization to operate the car he was driving whose title was in his name as well as my wife’s because my wife had recently sold him the vehicle,” said Chris Wagner, a father of two and a Microsoft employee.

“The police didn’t even request my identification when I arrived. Just took me at my word when I said that my friend now owns the car. My friend is Nigerian. I’m the whitest dude you ever did see,” he said.

“He had my pal on the ground with his hands on his head. He was late to his new employment as a result and lost that job as a result of the stop. I can’t even tell you the look of surprise on the cops face when I walked up.

“He was definitely anticipating and preparing for someone other than a white male to show up. The entire time I was pulling up, he had his hand on his pistol. He put down his gun as soon as he noticed me, which was foolish since, in all honesty, my physical appearance is way more intimidating than my friend simply appearing,” said Wagner.

The effects of these historical practices and policies can still be seen today. For example, the racial wealth gap, or the difference in wealth between white people and people of color is still a very real issue. 

People of color frequently face higher rates of unemployment and lower wages than their white counterparts, even when factors such as education and experience are considered. 

According to a report from the Federal Reserve, the median wealth for white households is nearly 10 times greater than that of Black households and over seven times greater than that of Hispanic households. This wealth gap is a result of both historical and ongoing discrimination and inequality in access to economic opportunities.   

Overall, systemic racism and discrimination have created barriers for people of color to access equal opportunities and to achieve economic mobility. It is important to recognize these issues and work towards addressing them in order to create a more just and equal society.

More details can be found here: https://www.americanprogress.org/article/systematic-inequality-economic-opportunity/