Unconscious Racism

Unconscious racism entails prejudicial beliefs about members of another race that are not explicitly endorsed by the individual and/or discrimination against members of another race that is unappreciated as detrimental by the perpetrator of the discriminatory behavior. Despite overt, explicit racism being on the decline, racial disparities along numerous domains (e.g., health care, employment, criminal justice) in the United States have remained steady. This observed trend led to the postulation of the concept of unconscious racism, as it is a potential explanation for the disparities that exist. Specifically, cultural stereotypes and awareness of them are implicated in fueling unconscious racism.

Awareness of cultural stereotypes of out-group members can lead to negative interracial, interpersonal interactions and institutional racism as policies in line with cultural stereotypes are adopted, ...

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