When Does Racism Actually Begin?

Here's a very brief overview of an age old debate of where racism begins

Racism exists when there is a belief that race is a fundamental determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race. While it is viewed as a controversial discussion of existence based on the group of people it impacts, racism continues to show its presence throughout marginalized communities, amplifying its intended divide in society. 

One of the most significant forms of debate circling racism is the acknowledgment of when racism occurs. In an attempt to highlight the true beginning of racism, attention must be drawn to Mydral’s Cycle in An American Dilemma: The Negro Problem and Modern Democracy, by the Swedish economist and sociologist Gunnar Myrdal and Cox’s critiques of Mydral. While there is no debate between Cox and Mydral on whether racism exists, they differ in their stance on when racism is deliberately happening and at what point they can formulate a plan to change.

For Mydral, the view of superiority and inferiority is the starting point of racism. He states that this superior mentality separates the minority group as incapable and equipped “with less intelligence, less trustworthiness, and less meaning to society” - justifying the notion that this group is less worthy of resources such as education and job opportunities. The superior complex then blames the minority group for their outcomes in life and living conditions while ignoring the very steps the majority group took to ensure this way of life for them. 

In essence, when a people becomes oppressed, it leads to a lower standard of education, health equity, and morality and increases justification for prejudice and discrimination. This speaks to the racial inequality and inequities faced by many of the disenfranchised populations. Systemic racism creates the social construction of beliefs that support the superior and inferior narratives between races and ethnicities.

In contrast, Oliver Cox, a sociologist focuses on class and conflict, believes that there is no way to change the superior mindset and that internal thoughts of racism are not the starting point instead, Cox states the starting point for racism is when it restricts access to resources.

“Cox said it doesn’t matter if you see me as inferior; that doesn’t stop me from living my life. But, if you are able to stop me from getting a job because of my race…well., that’s the major problem.”

In Critical Race and LatCrit theory and method: counter-storytelling experience the dialogue between Esperanza and Professor Garcia highlights the truth behind how racism impacts people of color in a variety of ways but predominately in the limitation of resources. In this storytelling, the graduate student expresses how she gained full access to the Ph.D. program at the university, however, she remains limited in her access to resources. She emphasizes that this occurs through the interactions with professors who silence her voice and demonize her existence in the program, thus preventing her from full opportunity and network of growth and success. Her dialogue is one that is felt throughout marginalized communities and emphasized in the talks of systemic racism.

In an annual report released by the National Urban League in 2022 on the State of Black America, it stated that Black individuals still only get 73.9 percent of the “American pie” their White counterparts receive, despite the economic and health gains over the years in the Black community. The index showed that the median household income for Black people, at $43,862, is 37 percent less than that of white people, at $69,823. While Black people remain unable to benefit from home ownership - the engine behind generational wealth in America.

While the superior/inferior complex and the limitation of resources can be seen as a starting point for racism, there is a third force that continues to push through daily social and political interactions in the U.S.

Assimilation is defined as a group forced or voluntarily adapting to the culture of the dominant race. Robert Park, considered to be one of the most influential sociologists in the U.S. said there are four things that must happen despite ethnic background differences in marginalized groups for them to even fit into the U.S. culture.

Using the city of Chicago as an example, he proposed that cities were environments like those found in nature. Park and fellow sociologist Ernest Burgess suggested that cities were governed by many of the same forces of Darwinian evolution evident in ecosystems. They felt the most significant force was competition. Competition was created by groups fighting for urban resources, like land, which led to a division of urban space into ecological niches. Within these niches, people shared similar social characteristics because they were subject to the same ecological pressure.

Park’s theory of the race relation cycle includes four stages: contact, conflict, accommodation, and assimilation. He claimed race relations entail “a cycle of events which tends everywhere to repeat itself,” and can be observed in other social processes. The end result is for one race - the dominant race - to overcome and erase the differences between the dominant and non-dominant races to create harmony. The eradication of the differences is another theory for the starting point of racism where the “us vs them” concept is most visible.

However, despite Park’s attempt at race relations and its cycle ability to reduce conflict, assimilation forces a group of people to change or hide elements of their own culture, language, preferred foods, clothing styles, and religious beliefs and creates a larger negative impact.

A 2011 study into the effects of assimilation on immigrant adolescents found that those living in non-poverty areas experienced increased educational achievements and better psychological well-being. However, there was also an increase in at-risk behavior. In contrast, they found that it negatively impacted immigrant children living in poorer locations.

A different study into immigrant households found that brothers with more foreign names faced higher unemployment rates, completed fewer years of school, earned less, and were more likely to marry foreign-born spouses. As for current discussions around cultural assimilation, they tend to focus on the psychological welfare of immigrants.

These findings help quantify the experiences of ethnic groups under the lens of racism but also through the process of assimilation and its varied formats. This allows sociologists to uncover the deep roots connected to the experience and allows for a broader discussion about the treatment of people and the policing in place that dictates the outcomes in their lives. The debate of when racism begins is complex but with data and collective backing, these theories can be utilized to eradicate systemic racism, increase overall acceptance of people, and provide autonomy to people who can decide for themselves if they want to assimilate or not.