{UAH} 5 forms of racism and racial disparity we should be aware of, according to Boris Johnson’s race commission

5 forms of racism and racial disparity we should be aware of, according to Boris Johnson's race commission

James Morris

·Senior news reporter, Yahoo News UK

Wed, 31 March 2021, 12:16 pm

Boris Johnson's race commission has argued 'more precise language' is needed around different forms of racial disparity and racism. (Hannah McKay/pool/Getty Images)

Boris Johnson's race commission has suggested five forms of racial disparity and racism that the government needs to recognise.

Part of the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities report, published on Wednesday, argued the "public debate on race is sometimes hampered by the fact that there is no consensus on the meaning of even fundamental words like racism and discrimination".

The commission, launched by the prime minister last summer in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, claimed there is a "repeated use and misapplication of the term 'racism' to account for every observed disparity".

It argued "more precise language" is needed because "misapplying the term racism has… undermined the seriousness of racism, where it does exist".

Watch: Britain is not institutionally racist, says landmark report

 

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It criticised, for example, the "confusing" way the term "institutional racism" has been applied, saying it should only be used when deep-seated, systemic racism is proved and not as a "catch-all" phrase for any micro-aggression.

It said that without "clear, standard definitions" of the terms institutional racism, structural racism and systemic racism, using them will create "further confusion and reduces the likelihood of perpetrators being caught and punished".

Here are the five forms of racial disparity and racism, quoted word-for-word, that the commission has set out:

1. Explained racial disparities: "this term should be used when there are persistent ethnic differential outcomes that can demonstrably be shown to be as a result of other factors such as geography, class or sex"

2. Unexplained racial disparities: "persistent differential outcomes for ethnic groups with no conclusive evidence about the causes. This applies to situations where a disparate outcome is identified, but there is no evidence as to what is causing it"

3. Institutional racism: "applicable to an institution that is racist or discriminatory processes, policies, attitudes or behaviours in a single institution"

4. Systemic racism: "this applies to interconnected organisations, or wider society, which exhibit racist or discriminatory processes, policies, attitudes or behaviours"

5. Structural racism: "to describe a legacy of historic racist or discriminatory processes, policies, attitudes or behaviours that continue to shape organisations and societies today"