ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the work of systemic racism theorists, including a sketch of central analytical concepts and themes: systemic racism; the white racial frame; the pro-white subframe; the anti-others subframe; racial alexithymia; and counter-framing. In the US and Canada white racism is a material, social, and ideological reality and is undeniably systemic. It addresses the emotional labor and perils of teaching white students about systemic racism. Systemic racism theorists confront the structures and institutionalized operations of white racism and subsequently propose explanations for the persistence of large-scale racial inequalities. By means of well-constructed Racism 101 courses, students have the potential to become much more aware of the momentous implications of racist framing by whites and of counter-framing by people of color. Significant psychological research has revealed that whites’ familiarity with historical white racism is often related to their capacity to understand contemporary racism.
