Slavery in Black and White Study Guide Documentary

Not only do people not understand the history of slavery and the role it played in the institutions and wealth of the country, many do not understand the difference between prejudice and racism. To conflate the two creates misunderstanding and a breakdown in understanding. I have found Beverly Tatum and David Wellman’s work very helpful in understanding the difference. Tatum says the following: “Many people use the terms prejudice and racism interchangeably. I do not, and I think it is important to make a distinction.” According to Wellman…”prejudice does not offer a sufficient explanation for the persistence of racism. He defines racism as a system of advantage based on race.” This definition of racism is useful because it allows us to see that racism, like other forms of oppression, is not only a personal ideology based on racial prejudice, but a system involving cultural messages and institutional policies and practices as well as the beliefs and actions of individuals. In the context of the U. S., this system clearly operates to the advantage of Whites and to the disadvantage of people of color. Another definition of racism is “prejudice plus power.” In other words, racism is best understood this way - racial prejudice combined with social power – access to social, cultural, and economic resources and decision-making. This invariably leads to the institutionalization of racist policies and practices. Tatum’s definition helps us to see racism as systemic or structural issue, not a matter of individual prejudice.

PREJUDICE AND RACISM ARE NOT THE SAME

Beverly Tatum, Why Do All the Black Kids Sit Together in the Cafeteria (pp. 7-8).