Toward a moral reckoning on structural racism: Examining structural factors, encouraging structural thinking, and...

Area of Science:

• Community Psychology
• Social Justice Studies
• Critical Race Theory

Background:

• The 2020 racial reckoning saw historic protests, yet support for movements like Black Lives Matter waned.
• Structural racism persists, perpetuated by political and commercial determinants, hindering racial equity.
• Existing approaches often fail to dismantle deeply entrenched racialized structures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To call on community psychology scholar activists to realign their practices for racial justice.
• To promote a moral reckoning on structural racism.
• To provide a pathway for community psychologists to support systemic change.

Main Methods:

• Examining structural factors contributing to racial inequity.
• Encouraging the development of structural thinking for analyzing racism.
• Supporting structural interventions to redress racial injustices.
• Utilizing an intersectional race and class perspective.

Main Results:

• Identified political and commercial determinants as key factors maintaining structural racism.
• Detailed methods for developing structural thinking (structural competency and critical consciousness) across different social classes.
• Outlined structural intervention factors and approaches for achieving racial equity.

Conclusions:

• Community psychologists must adopt a structural lens to effectively combat racism.
• Developing structural thinking and supporting structural interventions are crucial for dismantling racial injustice.
• A multiracial, multiclass coalition is essential for eliminating systems of racial, political, and economic injustice.