Systemic racism occurs when racism inherent in a system results in the oppression of and discrimination against marginalized groups in nearly all aspects of daily life (e.g. education, housing, employment, policing, wealth) (Koppelman, 2020). One of systemic racism’s lesser known (but essential) roles is to maintain the status quo: white privilege and power. Until recently, few were aware of, understood, or acknowledged the concept of systemic racism (Young, 2011). However, the national spotlight on continued violence against and killing of black people by police — and subsequent protests by Black Lives Matter and other groups — have raised awareness and acceptance that systemic racism is a problem that can no longer be ignored (Harmon et al., 2020).
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