A less than adequate understanding of how racism works

Aug 23, 2011 Letters

Dear Editor,
I refer to a letter in the Kaieteur News “This accusation has caused me great distress” (Kaieteur News: August 22, 2011).
The letter writer seems quite upset that charges of government racism imply that he or she was not appointed to a government post on merit. This assumption reflects a less than adequate understanding of how racism works.
Racism is not an individual construct; it is rooted in institutions. It is about groups which use their power over social, political and economic institutions to wittingly and unwittingly enforce their prejudices and biases. Hence an individual could benefit from racism without himself/herself being a racist. If you belong to a privileged group, you enjoy privileges, often without knowing it. Further, your qualification for a job does not mean that your employers are not racist.
Racism is ultimately systemic. To determine whether a government is racist one has to determine whether that government uses state and governmental power to institute racial prejudices and biases and discriminate both in favor of one group and against other groups.
David Hinds

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