Is Defining Racism In Beverly D. Tatum's Can We Talk

o to Diversity

10/22/2015

A look into Defining Racism: “Can We Talk” by Beverly D. Tatum Beverly Tatum defines prejudice as a preconceived judgment or opinion, usually based on limited information. She goes on to say that she assumes everyone has prejudices because we are continually exposed to misinformation about others. Since we live in a racist society we cannot escape prejudice. She believes that the assumed superiority of whites, and assumed inferiority of people of color is like “a smog in the air”. She believes it is our job to “clean up the air.” We need to be active in our antiracism to make a difference. We can’t just go along in life trying to ignore racism, and expect it to just clear up and go away on its own. Racism is always there, even if it is unspoken and not easily seen. David Wellman defines Racism as a system of advantage based on race. He gives examples of how white people embrace their advantage even if they don’t embrace a

Because racism is so ingrained in our culture, it is easy to go on without feeling a need to intervene. This results in an ongoing cycle of racism, that we continue to pass on to our children. Sometimes this is done without even realizing it. Parillo states that, “ones silent acquiescence to others discriminatory actions is still a form of discrimination.” When institutions work in favor of one group at the expense of a subordinate group, in their ongoing day to day operations, this is institutional discrimination. An example of this would be when a college entrance test is gear towards middle class white people, this gives a disadvantage to lower class people of color. As a result, there will be a much greater number of admissions of white middle class students than that of poor students of