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Anti-Racism Resources

Anti-Racism Resources

In furtherance of Rutgers Law School’s commitment to anti-racist principles and actions, a group consisting of Rutgers Law School faculty, administrators, and students has curated this webpage of resources and tools to help equip our community with the knowledge and experience to recognize and combat racial injustice and inequality. Equally important, this site contains information and resources designed to help spur inquiry, discussions, and actions focused on advancing racial justice in the law school community and beyond. Recognizing that learning is an ongoing and expansive process, the curators of this page intend to continue adding resources and tools as new resources, ideas, and tools emerge.

Anti-Racism

Critical Race Theory

Explicit Racism and Bias

Implicit Bias & Racism

Intersectionality

Microaggressions

Tokenism

Understanding Trauma and Talking About Race

Glossary of Terms

  • a belief or doctrine that rejects the supremacy of one racial group over another and promotes racial equality in society.

    1. a belief or practice that recognizes pervasive racism in society, and actively combats racial prejudice and discrimination in order to promote racial justice and equality: Most people are proud if they are not racist, but antiracism establishes a higher bar—what are you doing to dismantle racism?

    dictionary.com/browse/antiracism

  • Bias is a preference in favor of, or against a person, group of people, or thing. These initial human reactions, which are often unconscious, are rooted in inaccurate information or reason and are potentially harmful.

    nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race/topics/bias

    Types of Biases:

  • Colorblindness is the racial ideology that posits the best way to end discrimination is by treating individuals as equally as possible, without regard to race, culture, or ethnicity.

    psychologytoday.com/us/blog/culturally-speaking/201112/colorblind-ideology-is-form-racism

  • Discrimination based on skin color, also known as colorism, or shadeism, is a form of prejudice and/or discrimination in which people who share similar ethnicity traits or perceived race are treated differently based on the social implications that come with the cultural meanings that are attached to skin color.

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discrimination_based_on_skin_color

  • Critical Race Theory, or CRT, is an academic and legal framework that denotes that systemic racism is part of American society — from education and housing to employment and healthcare. Critical Race Theory recognizes that racism is more than the result of individual bias and prejudice. It is embedded in laws, policies and institutions that uphold and reproduce racial inequalities. According to CRT, societal issues like Black Americans’ higher mortality rate, outsized exposure to police violence, the school-to-prison pipeline, denial of affordable housing, and the rates of the death of Black women in childbirth are not unrelated anomalies.

    naacpldf.org/critical-race-theory-faq/

  • Theft of cultural elements—including symbols, art, language, customs, etc.—for one’s own use, commodification, or profit, often without understanding, acknowledgement,or respect for its value in the original culture. Results from the assumption of a dominant (i.e. white) culture’s right to take other cultural elements.

    Cultural misappropriation distinguishes itself from the neutrality of cultural exchange, appreciation, and appropriation because of the instance of colonialism and capitalism; cultural misappropriation occurs when a cultural fixture of a marginalized culture/community is copied, mimicked, or recreated by the dominant culture against the will of the original community and, above all else, commodified. One can understand the use of “misappropriation” as a distinguishing tool because it assumes that there are 1) instances of neutral appropriation, 2) the specifically referenced instance is non-neutral and problematic, even if benevolent in intention, 3) some act of theft or dishonest attribution has taken place, and 4) moral judgement of the act of appropriation is subjective to the specific culture from which is being engaged.

    racialequitytools.org/glossary

  • Diversity includes all the ways in which people differ, encompassing the different characteristics that make one individual or group different from another. While diversity is often used in reference to race, ethnicity, and gender, we embrace a broader definition of diversity that also includes age, national origin, religion, disability, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, education, marital status, language, and physical appearance. Our definition also includes diversity of thought: ideas, perspectives, and values. We also recognize that individuals affiliate with multiple identities.

     https://independentsector.org/resource/why-diversity-equity-and-inclusio...

  • Equality is the condition under which every individual is treated in the same way, and is granted same rights and responsibilities, regardless of their individual differences

    https://epi.washington.edu/sites/default/files/website_documents/DEI%20G...

  • The fair treatment, access, opportunity and advancement for all people, while at the same time striving to identify and eliminate barriers that prevent the full participation of some groups. The principle of equity acknowledges that there are historically underserved and underrepresented populations and that fairness regarding these unbalanced conditions is necessary to provide equal opportunities to all groups.

    https://environment.uw.edu/about/diversity-equity-inclusion/tools-and-ad...

  •  Erasure refers to the practice of collective indifference that renders certain people and groups invisible.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/07/magazine/the-painful-consequences-of-...

  • The state, condition, or quality of being fair, or free from bias or injustice; evenhandedness.

    https://www.dictionary.com/browse/fairness

  • Gaslighting is a colloquialism, loosely defined as making someone question their own reality. The term may also be used to describe a person who presents a false narrative to another group or person which leads them to doubt their perceptions and become misled, disoriented or distressed.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaslighting

  • Anyone in a position of power that can grant or deny access to institutional resources.

    https://generocity.org/philly/2019/08/21/talking-racial-equity-make-sure...

  • The acknowledgement that multiple power dynamics/”isms” are operating simultaneously—often in complex and compounding ways—and must be considered together in order to have a more complete understanding of oppression and ways to transform it.

    https://www.raceforward.org/sites/default/files/Race%20Reporting%20Guide...

  • Karen is shorthand for a woman who, again, is usually white. She's convinced her way is the right way, whether it’s about charcoal grilling in the park, policing nonwhite people's behavior or demanding to speak to a manager or higher authority who can get her what she wants.

    She's the kind of person who posts on Nextdoor about a "suspicious-looking" person walking around her neighborhood or demands to be let into a grocery store without wearing a mask.

    https://www.npr.org/2020/07/14/891177904/whats-in-a-karen

  • Large-scale or overt aggression toward those of a certain race, culture, gender, etc.

    https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/macroaggression

     

  • The treatment of a person, group or concept as secondary, unimportant, inferior or abnormal compared with those who hold more power in society.

    https://www.adl.org/education/resources/glossary-terms/education-glossar...

  • Microaggressions are the everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, which communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to target persons based solely upon their marginalized group membership. In many cases, these hidden messages may invalidate the group identity or experiential reality of target persons, demean them on a personal or group level, communicate they are lesser human beings, suggest they do not belong with the majority group, threaten and intimidate, or relegate them to inferior status and treatment.

    https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/microaggressions-in-everyday-lif...

  • Often the preferred collective term for referring to non-White racial groups, rather than “minorities.” Racial justice advocates have been using the term “people of color” (not to be confused with the pejorative “colored people”) since the late 1970s as an inclusive and unifying frame across different racial groups that are not White, to address racial inequities. While “people of color” can be a politically useful term, and describes people with their own attributes (as opposed to what they are not, eg: “non-White”), it is also important whenever possible to identify people through ethnic group, as each has its own distinct experience and meaning and may be more appropriate.

    https://www.raceforward.org/sites/default/files/Race%20Reporting%20Guide...

  • A pre-judgment or unjustifiable, and usually negative, attitude of one type of individual or groups toward another group and its members. Such negative attitudes are typically based on unsupported generalizations (or stereotypes) that deny the right of individual members of certain groups to be recognized and treated as individuals with individual characteristics.

    https://www.racialequitytools.org/glossary

  • The unearned and often unrecognized advantages, benefits or rights conferred upon people based on their membership in a dominant group (e.g., white people, heterosexual people, men, people without disabilities, etc.) beyond what is commonly experienced by members of the marginalized group.

  • Race is a human-invented, shorthand term used to describe and categorize people into various social groups based on characteristics like skin color, physical features, and genetic heredity. Race, while not a valid biological concept, is a real social construction that gives or denies benefits and privileges. American society developed the notion of race early in its formation to justify its new economic system of capitalism, which depended on the institution of forced labor, especially the enslavement of African peoples.

    https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race/topics/historical-foundat...

  • Historically rooted system of power hierarchies based on race—infused in our institutions, policies and culture—that benefit White people and hurt people of color.

    https://www.raceforward.org/sites/default/files/Race%20Reporting%20Guide...(See Glossary)

    Types of racism include:

    Individual racism refers to the beliefs, attitudes, and actions of individuals that support or perpetuate racism in conscious and unconscious ways. The U.S. cultural narrative about racism typically focuses on individual racism and fails to recognize systemic racism.

    Interpersonal racism occurs between individuals. These are public expressions of racism, often involving slurs, biases, or hateful words or actions.

    Institutional racism occurs in an organization. These are discriminatory treatments, unfair policies, or biased practices based on race that result in inequitable outcomes for whites over people of color and extend considerably beyond prejudice. These institutional policies often never mention any racial group, but the intent is to create advantages.

    Structural racism is the overarching system of racial bias across institutions and society. These systems give privileges to white people resulting in disadvantages to people of color.

    https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race/topics/being-antiracist

    Systemic Racism:  A combination of systems, institutions and factors that advantage white people and for people of color, cause widespread harm and disadvantages in access and opportunity. One person or even one group of people did not create systemic racism, rather it: (1) is grounded in the history of our laws and institutions which were created on a foundation of white supremacy; (2) exists in the institutions and policies that advantage white people and disadvantage people of color; and (3) takes places in interpersonal communication and behavior (e.g., slurs, bullying, offensive language) that maintains and supports systemic inequities and systemic racism.                        

    https://www.adl.org/education/resources/glossary-terms/education-glossar...

  • Measures intended to restore the survivor to the original situation before the violations occurred, including, as appropriate: restoration of liberty, enjoyment of human rights, identity, family life and citizenship, return to one’s place of residence (repatriation), restoration of employment and return of property.

    https://m4bl.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Reparations-Now-Toolkit-FINA... (See Glossary)

  • Restorative Justice is a theory of justice that emphasizes repairing the harm caused by crime and conflict. It places decisions in the hands of those who have been most affected by a wrongdoing, and gives equal concern to the victim, the offender, and the surround community. Restorative responses are meant to repair harm, heal broken relationships, and address the underlying reasons for the offense. It emphasizes individual and collective accountability.                     

    https://www.racialequitytools.org/glossary

  • A social construct is an idea or collection of ideas that have been created and accepted by the people in a society. These constructs serve as an attempt to organize or explain the world around us. (See “What is a Social Construction?”)

    https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race/topics/historical-foundat...

  • The notion that patterns of human interaction (often deemed to be normal, natural or universal) are, in fact, humanly produced and constructed by social expectation and coercion but is presented as “objective.” For example, the erroneous assumption of women being better at housework is not at all connected to their female anatomy, but to social expectations and pressures imposed on women.

    https://www.brandeis.edu/diversity/resources/definitions.html

  • Social justice is a communal effort dedicated to creating and sustaining a fair and equal society in which each person and all groups are valued and affirmed. It encompasses efforts to end systemic violence and racism and all systems that devalue the dignity and humanity of any person. It recognizes that the legacy of past injustices remains all around us, so therefore promotes efforts to empower individual and communal action in support of restorative justice and the full implementation of human and civil rights.

    https://www.ccsu.edu/johnlewisinstitute/terminology.html

  • An oversimplified generalization about a person or group of people without regard for individual differences.

    https://www.adl.org/education/resources/glossary-terms/education-glossar...

  • Tokenism is the practice of making only a perfunctory or symbolic effort to be inclusive to members of minority groups, especially by recruiting people from underrepresented groups in order to give the appearance of racial or gender equality within a workplace or educational context.     

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokenism

  • White Fragility is a state in which even a minimum amount of racial stress becomes intolerable, triggering a range of defensive moves. These moves include the outward display of emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and behaviors such as argumentation, silence, and leaving the stress-inducing situation. These behaviors, in turn, function to reinstate white racial equilibrium. Racial  stress  results from an interruption to what is racially familiar.

    https://www.researchgate.net/publication/277069107_White_Fragility

  • Refers to the unquestioned and unearned set of advantages, entitlements, benefits and choices bestowed on people solely because they are white. Generally white people who experience such privilege do so without being conscious of it.

    Types of White Privilege:

    • Structural White Privilege: A system of white domination that creates and maintains belief systems that make current racial advantages and disadvantages seem normal. The system includes powerful incentives for maintaining white privilege and its consequences, and powerful negative consequences for trying to interrupt white privilege or reduce its consequences in meaningful ways. The system includes internal and external manifestations at the individual, interpersonal, cultural and institutional levels. 

      The accumulated and interrelated advantages and disadvantages of white privilege that are reflected in racial/ethnic inequities in life-expectancy and other health outcomes, income and wealth, and other outcomes, in part through different access to opportunities and resources. These differences are maintained in part by denying that these advantages and disadvantages exist at the structural, institutional, cultural, interpersonal, and individual levels and by refusing to redress them or eliminate the systems, policies, practices, cultural norms, and other behaviors and assumptions that maintain them.
       
    • Interpersonal White Privilege: Behavior between people that consciously or unconsciously reflects white superiority or entitlement.
    • Cultural White Privilege: A set of dominant cultural assumptions about what is good, normal or appropriate that reflects Western European white world views and dismisses or demonizes other world views.
    • Institutional White Privilege: Policies, practices and behaviors of institutions—such as schools, banks, non-profits or the Supreme Court—that have the effect of maintaining or increasing accumulated advantages for those groups currently defined as white, and maintaining or increasing disadvantages for those racial or ethnic groups not defined as white. The ability of institutions to survive and thrive even when their policies, practices and behaviors maintain, expand or fail to redress accumulated disadvantages and/or inequitable outcomes for people of color.

    https://www.racialequitytools.org/glossary

  • The idea (ideology) that white people and the ideas, thoughts, beliefs, and actions of white people are superior to People of Color and their ideas, thoughts, beliefs, and actions. While most people associate white supremacy with extremist groups like the Ku Klux Klan and the neo-Nazis, white supremacy is ever present in our institutional and cultural assumptions that assign value, morality, goodness, and humanity to the white group while casting people and communities of color as worthless (worth less), immoral, bad, and inhuman and “undeserving.” Drawing from critical race theory, the term “white supremacy” also refers to a political or socio-economic system where white people enjoy structural advantage and rights that other racial and ethnic groups do not, both at a collective and an individual level.

    https://www.racialequitytools.org/glossary