What is systemic racism?

A system is a collection of elements that are organized for a common purpose. Racism in America is a system that combines economic, political, and social components. That system specifically disempowers and disenfranchises Black, Indigenous, and other people of color, while maintaining and expanding implicit and explicit advantages for white people, leading to better opportunities in jobs, education, and housing, and discrimination in the criminal legal system.

How does the ACLU address systemic racism?

The ACLU leverages legal advocacy to dismantle systemic barriers, and work with our affiliates to change policies nearer to the communities most harmed by these legacies of systemic racism. The goal is to build a nation where every person can achieve their highest potential, unhampered by structural and institutional racism.

News & Commentary about Racial Justice

The Racial Justice Program (RJP) fights to eradicate racial injustice in the U.S. and works to foster a society in which people of color and communities of color have full access to the rights and benefits of American society. Working with affected communities, RJP litigates, advocates, and educates to strike at the roots of racial injustice.

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