Overt Vs. Covert Racism
What is Racism?
The marginalization and/or oppression of people of color based on a socially constructed racial hierarchy that privileges White people. – The Anti-Defamation League
Racism can take many forms, all of which fall into one of two categories: overt racism or covert racism. Before dissecting the difference between the two, let’s look at some statistics that represent racism and the result of racism in the United States.
Statistics on Racial Inequality
The following statistics exemplify various forms of social, political, and economic racial inequality:
Black Americans and Native Americans are over 2x more likely to experience foster care (National Library of Medicine)
A mere 31% of Black people and 22% of Hispanic people are represented in high-paying jobs compared to 41% of White people (Business Insider)
Recent data shows Hispanic women earned 58% of what White men earned (Business Insider)
On average, White families have 41 times more wealth than Black families and 22 times more wealth than Latino families (Inequality)
In 2020, Black people accounted for just 13% of the population, yet they were 28% of people killed by police (Mapping Police Violence)
Black people are 3 times more likely than White people to die at the hands of the police (Mapping Police Violence)
What is Overt Racism?
Overt racism is a purposeful action of deliberate hatred directed at a specific person or group. All conscious and deliberate discrimination is categorized as overt racism. It can be perpetrated by individuals, groups or institutions and is easily spotted due to its direct nature.
When imagining racist speech and behaviors, we often think of examples that are overt. Overt racism includes speech, ideas, attitudes and behaviors rooted in White supremacy directed at racially marginalized groups.
💡Examples of Overt Racism
Hate Crimes – A criminal act motivated by prejudice on the basis of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, physical ability, etc.
Blackface – Using racism as entertainment, White performers started painting their faces to parody enslaved Black people in the 1890s. And there are still examples of it today. Learn more about the origins of blackface and why blackface is offensive.
Lynching – To hang someone for an alleged crime without a legal trial. Learn about the racist history of lynching.
Racial Slurs – Harmful words or phrases used to degrade people of color.
Anti-Immigrant Violence – Violence against immigrants, or those perceived to be immigrants, fueled by misinformation about refugees, asylum seekers and migrants.
The Ku Klux Klan – A home-grown, American terrorist organization that prides itself on White supremacy and White nationalism.
The Swastika – What was a former religious icon became a symbol of anti-Semitism used by the Nazis in post-World War I Germany.
What is Covert Racism?
Covert racism is a subtle act that undermines or discriminates against another person or group of people. It can be perpetrated by individuals, groups or institutions and is less easily spotted due to its indirect nature. As the aggressor does this unconsciously, covert racism often goes unchecked.
When imagining racist speech or behaviors, less often do we consider examples that are covert. Covert racism includes speech, ideas, attitudes and behaviors used to strip societal privileges from people of color.
💡Examples of Covert Racism
Racial Profiling – For example the stop-and-frisk policy that almost exclusively targets Black and Brown men under the guise of reducing crime.
Microaggressions – A subtle, indirect or unintentional act of discrimination. Learn more about how microaggressions affect the workplace and also how to mitigate them through education.
Police Brutality – An extreme, excessive or unjust use of force or violence by the police. Police brutality can look like verbal or physical harassment, mental or physical injury and property damage.
Tone Policing – A tactic used to derail a conversation or debate. The conversation or debate in question is often one about marginalized experiences, and this tactic can be used to silence those experiences.
A tone policer will ignore what the speaker is saying and instead focus on the emotions and/or tone of the speaker.
For example, a Latino person may be angrily sharing their experiences with racism as an immigrant in America, and a tone policer will tell them to calm down so that they can have a real conversation like adults.
White Privilege – White privilege is a societal construct that can lead to different experiences and opportunities based on skin color. It often means that individuals who are White may not face certain challenges or obstacles that people of color might encounter due to racial biases.
For instance, the representation in historical education often predominantly reflects a White perspective. Acknowledging this privilege is important for understanding and addressing systemic inequalities and for fostering a more inclusive and equitable society.
All Lives Matter – Do all lives matter? Yes, of course they do. But that is not why the All Lives Matter movement developed and that is not what it truly represents.
The movement developed as a direct counter to Black Lives Matter because some people felt that the BLM movement meant that only Black lives matter.
Cultural Appropriation – Those who choose to wear the regalia of Indigenous people on Halloween, more often than not, have a complete lack of understanding about the culture and the significance of the outfit they are wearing.
They are not wearing the outfit to honor Indigenous people; they are playing dress-up for a holiday that Indigenous people don’t even participate in. This is just one example of cultural appropriation.
Overt Vs. Covert Racism in the Workplace
Racism in the workplace can be overt or covert.
Overt racism in the workplace looks like non-representation in leadership, unequal pay and a lack of promotions for employees of color.
Covert racism in the workplace looks like tone policing, microaggressions and talking over marginalized voices. Regardless of its appearance, racism in the workplace must be swiftly dealt with.
How to Mitigate Racism in the Workplace
There are many different approaches that can be taken to mitigate racism in the workplace.
Trainings, courses and workshops can be an effective hands-on way to demonstrate how to deal with racism in the workplace. Others may prefer to do their homework on their own with articles, videos and podcasts.
However, essential to any workplace looking to mitigate racism is a reporting system.
Training & Courses on Racism
Unconscious Bias: From Awareness to Action
Course Overview: This is an introductory course dedicated to teaching leadership skills that will help you navigate unconscious bias in the workplace.
Highlights: The training can be completed at your own pace and is a great place for individuals to learn more.
Duration: The course is 3 weeks long, averaging 1-2 hours per week.
CultureAlly’s Anti-Racism Training
Course Overview: The training draws a clear yet nuanced connection between the history of racism, the inequity the world and the systematic racism that is still present in society today. The content reviews historical examples of policies and practices founded on racism that impact people today.
Highlights: Each course is 100% online and is curated to organizations of all size.
Duration and Cost: Each training is one hour long and pricing is suited to groups of 25 or more.
Further Resources for Reading about Racism
Is Your Company Actually Fighting Racism, or Just Talking About It? (article)
How U.S. Companies Can Support Employees of Color Through the Pandemic (article)
U.S. Businesses Must Take Meaningful Action Against Racism (article)
Toward a Racially Just Workplace (article)
Systemic Racism Explained (video)
No, You Cannot Touch My Hair! (video)
12 Great Podcasts That Discuss Race and Racism in America (podcasts)
Take Action Against Racism
Whether overt or covert, unintentional or intentional, racism does not have a place in any work environment and should not be tolerated by employees or employers.
We must take action to create a more inclusive workspace – educate, affect policy change and promote representation.