Day 5 Theme: Levels of Racism: How and where do we see these operating?

As a policy-focused organization, the League recognizes that racism’s harm comes not only from the attitudes and actions of individuals, but in how those attitudes are built into the larger social and political institutions and structures that affect every aspect of our lives.

We invite you to consider the different levels of racism by watching the six-minute video of Dr. Camara Jones (linked below) and reading the Oppression Monitor description of 4 types of racism (also linked below and the topic of focus on Days 8-11). (If you have more time, Dr. Jones goes into greater depth in this longer talk entitled “Allegories on Race and Racism.” 20 min video linked below).

Take time during your day to observe the different levels of racism that are alive in the spaces you move through. Some of those levels might be visible and some quite hidden and “embedded” in other systems around you.

Reflect & Respond:

Think about how you typically think about and see racism operating in your life, work and community. Are certain levels more obvious than others? If you are addressing racism in your work and life, do you tend to be focused on one level more than another? Might you consider focusing on other levels or partnering with those who do (social workers doing trauma work, for example, or community organizers working to change policy, or culture workers making new narratives)? What might this look like?