critical race theory (CRT)
a theoretical “framework for a critical analysis of what drives ongoing racial inequality.”
Critical race theory (CRT) is a school of thought meant to emphasize the effects of race on one's social standing. It arose as a challenge to the idea that in the two decades since the Civil Rights Movement and associated legislation, racial inequality had been solved and affirmative action was no longer necessary. CRT continues to be an influential body of legal and academic literature that has made its way into more public, non-academic writing.
Does critical race theory say all white people are racist?
No, the theory says that racism is part of everyday life, so people—white or nonwhite—who don’t intend to be racist can nevertheless make choices that support racism.
Race is socially constructed rather than biological.
No, the theory says that racism is part of everyday life, so people—white or nonwhite—who don’t intend to be racist can nevertheless make choices that support racism.
Race is socially constructed rather than biological.
Race is a social construction – the way that race is defined and experienced is the result of social and political thought and actions that change over time. This tenet is built upon the fact that “race”—as a way to categorize or classify humans—is defined, measured, and experienced in demonstrably different ways both across and within societies over time.
A persons’ “chances” for good or bad health are largely determined by social differences in exposures, risks, opportunities, and resources; and it is this “structured chance” that drives racial and other forms of social inequality in the distributions of health and illness within populations..
Racial Inequality Exists
In CRT, the starting point is the actual existence of racial inequality. A vast amount of research documents significant and persistent racial/ethnic disparities in the United States, including life expectancy, income, infant and maternal mortality, and COVID-19.
Racism is perpetuated through systems and institutions as well as individuals.
A persons’ “chances” for good or bad health are largely determined by social differences in exposures, risks, opportunities, and resources; and it is this “structured chance” that drives racial and other forms of social inequality in the distributions of health and illness within populations..
Racial Inequality Exists
In CRT, the starting point is the actual existence of racial inequality. A vast amount of research documents significant and persistent racial/ethnic disparities in the United States, including life expectancy, income, infant and maternal mortality, and COVID-19.
Racism is perpetuated through systems and institutions as well as individuals.
Racism operates at three different levels: 1) institutional and structural racism that differentially influences access to the goods, services, and opportunities of society by race; 2) personally mediated racism between individuals, which includes intentional and unintentional prejudice (differential assumptions about the abilities, motives, and worth of others by race) and discrimination (differential actions toward others by race); and 3) internalized racism or the acceptance of negative messages by members of a stigmatized race about their worth, deservedness, or abilities.
Racism is commonplace because it is embedded in institutions, the law, and public policy.
Racism is commonplace because it is embedded in institutions, the law, and public policy.
Because the differential treatment of individuals based upon racial classification is embedded within social systems and institutions—including public policy and law—racism is commonplace rather than rare and aberrant. As such, racism is everywhere in society.
To understand how racism works, we must listen to the lived experiences of people of color.
To understand how racism works, we must listen to the lived experiences of people of color.
While racism is perpetuated at the structural/macro level in society, listening to and understanding the lived experiences of individuals is essential for understanding how racism works to create inequities in individual outcomes, including health.