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Words matter. In April 2022, the College Board’s AP African American studies curriculum referenced the word “systemic” 9 times; “reparations” 15 times; “intersectionality” 19 times. By Feb. 2023, following pressure from DeSantis and others, those words had vanished from the AP curriculum (to be precise, “reparations” and “intersectionality” still appear one time each). We might ask: Why do words like “systemic” threaten folks like DeSantis? The answer is simple. These words, and the ideas they carry, help us explain why racial inequality persists years after American Apartheid fell. And without these words, it becomes much easier to justify present-day inequities as legitimate and just.
To highlight the power of words, we explore a recent study from Dr. Jayanti Owens (Yale SOM). Dr. Owens asked an enduring question: What drives racial inequality in school discipline? Her findings are revealing. Part of the answer is individual-level teacher biases. But that’s not the whole story. Organizational culture also matters. In more punitive school settings, all students—irrespective of race—are viewed as more “blameworthy” for engaging in identical misconduct. The upshot’s clear. If racial equality is the goal, eliminating individual-level biases will never be enough. We must also attend to organizational culture and all the other systemic forces that continue to shape our world.
To highlight the power of words, we explore a recent study from Dr. Jayanti Owens (Yale SOM). Dr. Owens asked an enduring question: What drives racial inequality in school discipline? Her findings are revealing. Part of the answer is individual-level teacher biases. But that’s not the whole story. Organizational culture also matters. In more punitive school settings, all students—irrespective of race—are viewed as more “blameworthy” for engaging in identical misconduct. The upshot’s clear. If racial equality is the goal, eliminating individual-level biases will never be enough. We must also attend to organizational culture and all the other systemic forces that continue to shape our world.