30th Anniversary Series: Post-Racial and Post-Post-Racial America
In his 2014 Annual Lecture, “The Problem of Racism in “Post-Racial” America,” Dr. Eduardo Bonilla-Silva discusses how discourse around race and racism had changed in the preceding years. Looking back at this lecture from our current vantage point, given the Trump presidency and his continued influence over the country, we can see new perspectives and fallacies in the idea that racism is an issue that exists only in the past.
Dr. Bonilla-Silva begins by discussing how even though racism and discrimination have changed in form, they have not lessened in significance. He tackles the myth that electing a black president is evidence that racism is over. Currently, we can see that the backlash against people of color and Trump’s election further prove the ridiculousness of arguing that race is no longer an issue. His lecture serves as a snapshot of American culture and racialized discussions ten years ago, and it is interesting and challenging to examine how things have changed and how they have stayed the same.
In defining racism in 2014, Dr. Bonilla-Silva discusses the common idea that racism is the actions of the KKK, neo-nazis, or individual bigots who hold irrational ideas about certain races being inferior or superior. While he acknowledges that these things are racist, looking at them exclusively ignores the existence of the systems of racism in which we all participate. It sees racism as isolated events. Yet those events happen over and over.
Rather than racism being the result of hate in individual bad people, it is systemic and consists of practices and behaviors that result in relative privilege and relative subordination of different groups. Dr. Bonilla-Silva argues that we should look at racism as material rather than psychological. It is not just the prejudice that exists in a person’s mind but the tangible impact of the systems created in a prejudiced society. Racism is not illogical hate but a logical system that persists because it benefits the white racial group.
Dr. Bonilla-Silva discusses the lack of progress since jim crow in areas like housing segregation, and banking practices. In order to see the racism in these systems, data must be aggregated. This can then show how people of color are statistically more likely to be denied loans and mortgages, be told about available units, and many other decisions that make it harder to rent or buy a home.
Finally, he discusses how in dominant discourse, a more “civilized,” color-blind racism is the most common and how it is insidious. This is rooted in several frames, including abstract liberalism. The messaging and terminology of liberalism are used to justify or explain away acts of discrimination and racism. Additionally, it posits a belief in meritocracy. However, when you see that black people are not as likely to be hired, the belief in meritocracy implies that there is something lesser or worse about most black job applicants. Many effects of racism are measurable and provable. In the face of this proof, if you maintain that systemic racism isn’t a problem, you necessitate creating another solution. This solution is often that the disparities are due to inherent shortcomings in certain groups rather than flaws in the system itself.
He also touches on cultural racism. This can be summarized as the tendency to blame the victim. It asserts that minorities should try harder or that their circumstances are due to cultural failings. For example, many people believe that black people often live in subsidized housing because they are lazy or unemployed because they are unwilling to work. This can be couched in liberal language, insisting that black people are just as capable of succeeding as white people. This ignores the unequal foundations that different people must start from. It is often not a matter of individual excellence when someone must overcome systemic obstacles that do not exist for other groups.
He also discusses common rhetorical maneuvers, like answering both yes and no, and becoming incoherent when talking about racist issues. He points out how people argue that they did not personally enslave people and they should not be held responsible and leave the past in the past. In general, this covert racist rhetoric still exists, but it is interesting to examine how hard white people worked to portray themselves as not being racist. This still occurs, but there is also a lot of pushback against this change in discussion. Many people felt they should be able to say their racist opinions without having to couch them in liberal language and are now even more brazen in their discriminatory statements. The manner in which racism manifests and the ways that we address it have changed rapidly over the last ten years.
About the Author
Stella Hudson is a Graduate Assistant with the Baha’i Chair for World Peace. She graduated from the College of William and Mary in 2021 with a B.A. in English. She will graduate from the University of Maryland with her MLIS in spring 2023.