The word “racism” is often thought of to refer to words and actions where an individual intentionally or unintentionally targets someone for negative treatment because of their skin color or perceived race. However, when we look at society as a complex system of organizations, institutions, individuals, processes, and policies, we can see how many factors interact to create and perpetuate social, economic, and political arrangements that are harmful to people of color and to our society. “Racialization” refers to the set of practices, cultural norms, and institutional arrangements that reflect, produce and maintain racialized outcomes and meanings.

What is Systemic Racism? (Race Forward)
Series of brief videos highlighting examples of ways in which systems (e.g. housing, prisons) are designed in ways to perpetually advantage some groups over others.

A Primer for Intersectionality (African-American Policy Forum)
In cases where race, gender, sexual identity and class work together to limit access to opportunity and resources, it is essential that social justice interventions be grounded in an understanding of how these factors operate together. This brief piece provides an overview of an intersectional analysis.

Race Matters: Embedded Racial Inequities (Annie E. Casey Foundation)
Strategies for talking about how racial inequities are deeply embedded in our social policies and practices.

Poverty and Race through a Belongingness Lens (john a. powell)
In a wealthy and mature democracy, poverty is largely about social exclusion and the lack of belonging, not material inequality. As an excluded group increases in size, the realities of exclusion seriously affect not only the target group, but the overall society as well. This article explores the intersection of race, a primary category for “extreme exclusion” and poverty.

Post Racialism or Targeted Universalism (john a. powell)
powell explains the terms structural racialization, implicit bias and targeted universalism. He provides several examples on the impact of using race neutrality/color-blindness in the design of policy and programs.

Race: The Power of an Illusion (PBS)
Multi-part series exploring myths, misconceptions, and assumptions around the construct of race.

Beyond Inclusion, Beyond Empowerment
Dr. Leticia Nieto and co-authors offer an analysis of the psychological dynamics of oppression and privilege and suggest concrete strategies for readers to develop anti-oppression skills and address power and privilege. This page summarizes the book and also links to three key articles.

The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America (Economic Policy Institute/Rothstein)
Detailed analysis of the ways in which law and government have upheld and promoted segregation and discriminatory practices in housing and neighborhoods.

Segregated Seattle (Seattle Civil Rights & Labor History Project)
Detailed maps, photos, documents, and newspaper articles that follow the history of segregation in Seattle, by neighborhood, through the 1960s.