Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race

Chapter 2 focuses on structural racism, that is, racism embedded in laws and institutional beliefs, practices, and regulations. Eddo-Lodge defines structural racism as “a form of collective behavior, a workplace culture supported by a structural status quo, and a consensus, often excused and ignored by authorities” (61). Eddo-Lodge uses an example from Britain’s policing and judicial systems to explain the concept. In 1993, a gang of young white men stabbed 18-year-old Stephen Lawrence to death in London. The police and Crown Prosecution Service refused to charge and prosecute the suspects despite statements from an eyewitness (one of Stephen’s Black friends). A public inquiry began soon after. Stephen’s parents then launched an unsuccessful private prosecution against three of the suspects. In 1997, following the completion of the public inquiry, five suspects were found guilty of killing Stephen in an “unprovoked racist attack” (58). Stephen’s parents filed a complaint with the Police Complaints Authority, which concluded the police investigation was deeply flawed. The following year, they called for the resignation of the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Condon. Sir Condon refused to step down and denied allegations of institutional racism. However, the public inquiry report concluded the investigation “was marred by a combination of professional incompetence, institutional racism and a failure of leadership by senior officers” (60). The report defined institutional racism as a collective failure “to provide an appropriate and professional service to people because of their colour, culture, or ethnic origin” (60). The report added that institutional racism “can be seen or detected in processes, attitudes and behaviour which amount to discrimination through unwitting prejudice, ignorance, thoughtlessness and racist stereotyping which disadvantage minority ethnic people” (60). On January 4, 2012, two of the suspects in Stephen’s killing were finally found guilty of his murder. Both received life sentences. The 19 years it took for the Lawrences to get justice for their son’s murder speaks to the pervasiveness of institutional racism in Britain’s police and judiciary.

White supremacy and white nationalism are easy to identify and condemn. By contrast, structural racism can be more difficult to pin down. Eddo-Lodge uses an evocative simile to describe its elusiveness: “The covert nature of structural racism is difficult to hold to account. It slips out of your hands easily, like a water-snake toy” (64). Structural racism is elusive because it hides in plain sight: “You can’t spot it as easily as a St George’s flag and a bare belly at an English Defence League march. It’s much more respectable than that” (64). Structural racism is about the collective impact of bias, not personal prejudice.

In addition to definitions and examples, Eddo Lodge cites studies to help readers understand structural racism. For example, reports from the Department of Education reveal that teachers systematically mark down Black boys on their SATs (66). Only anonymity during the grading process has reversed this practice. Studies also found that Black students are less likely than their white peers to be accepted into Britain’s top research institutions (67). Black university students generally receive lower grades than white students. Between 2012 and 2013, for instance, most of the students who received the lowest degree ranking in British universities were Black. According to a 2016 study by the Higher Education Statistics Agency, 70% of university professors in Britain are white men. As Eddo-Lodge observes, this is “a dire indication of what universities think intelligence looks like” (68). Structural barriers continue to impede Black people after university. A 2009 study by the Department of Work and Pensions determined that job applicants with white-sounding names are more likely to be called for interviews than candidates with Asian- or African-sounding names (68). During the 2008 recession, 45% of Black men under the age of 24 were unemployed, a far higher percentage than young white men (69). A 2013 report showed that Black people are two times more likely to be charged with drug possession as white people despite lower rates of drug use (70). Black men are also four times more likely to have their DNA stored in police databases than white men (70).

Black people do not suffer from a lack of intelligence, talent, and aspiration, nor are they inherently prone to criminality. Rather, they suffer from racist structures. Affirmative action can help level the playing field. In 2014, following its successful implementation in the American National Football League (NFL), Britain’s Football Association (FA) considered adopting the Rooney Rule: When a senior coach or operations job opens, teams are required to interview at least one person of color for the position. The rule, which led to a marked increase in Black coaches in the US, met with strong resistance in the UK and was ultimately rejected. Some called it tokenism, while others referred to it as “a box-ticking exercise” (75). Similar attempts to diversify business boards also received push-back (75). When women are underrepresented in certain fields, lobbyists typically call for quotas to rectify the situation. By contrast, quotas are rarely discussed to address the lack of racial diversity because some see them as circumventing the meritocracy. As Eddo-Lodge points out, however, meritocracy is a myth (83). Hard work does not necessarily lead to success, particularly not for people of color. So-called colorblindness is also not a solution. On the contrary, ignoring Britain’s racist structures does nothing to deconstruct them. According to Eddo-Lodge, seeing race is necessary to end racism:

We must see race. We must see who benefits from their race, who is disproportionately impacted by negative stereotypes about their race, and to who power and privilege is bestowed upon—earned or not—because of their race, their class, and their gender. Seeing race is essential to changing the system (84).