INSTITUTIONAL DISCRIMINATION
Any organization, such as a government or structured social group,
which encourages or promotes discrimination, is
guilty of institutional discrimination. Discrimination can
take any form, including race, gender, disability, and
sexual orientation.
The history of the United States is rife
with examples of institutional discrimination:
· For many years, the government had laws that segregated
black people from white people in every facet of life –
voting, employment, education, and even access to public
facilities for example.
· After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the government placed
Japanese people on the West Coast in internment camps
· Redistribution of voting districts
· Banning women from certain roles in the military
Of course, the government is not the only institution guilty
of institutional discrimination. The private sector is just
as guilty:
· Red lining, which is when banks can sometimes make it more
difficult to get mortgage loans for people who live in
certain areas
· Steering, which is the practice of real estate professionals
guiding minorities to neighborhoods filled with
predominately minorities
Because this type of discrimination is, seemingly, a part of
the structure of these organizations, it is often difficult
to root out. Often, people working for these organizations
are unaware they are even guilty of discrimination because
on the surface, the practices may actually seem fair or
normal.
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