WHAT IS RACISM?

"Racism is a system of structuring opportunity and assigning value based on the social interpretation of how one looks (which is what we call "race"), that unfairly disadvantages some individuals and communities, unfairly advantages other individuals and communities, and saps the strength of the whole society through the waste of human resources."
-- APHA Past-President Camara Phyllis Jones, MD, MPH, PhD

Racism is undeniably a public health issue (APHA's Georges Benjamin in Popular Science)

"We need to change things so that we value all people equally." (Benjamin on PBS News Hour)

Racism structures opportunity and assigns value based on how a person looks. The result: conditions that unfairly advantage some and unfairly disadvantage others. Racism hurts the health of our nation by preventing some people the opportunity to attain their highest level of health.

Racism may be intentional or unintentional. It operates at various levels in society. Racism is a driving force of the social determinants of health (like housing, education and employment) and is a barrier to health equity.  

Racism and Health - The Impact of Racism on the Health and Well-Being of the Nation
https://www.apha.org/topics-an...ty/racism-and-health

Advancing Racial Equity Webinar Series
https://www.apha.org/events-an...binars/racial-equity