ABSTRACT

This chapter aims to provide a framework for theoretically informing, empirically evaluating, and practically approaching anti-racism activism. Drawing upon critical race theory (CRT) and the public health critical race praxis (PHCRP), we establish a racially inclusive sociological imagination framework to better formulate a typology for engaging in anti-racism activism. We use policing in the United States as a case to illuminate the pervasive ways that structural racism permeates a social institution such as the criminal justice system. Then, the chapter utilizes the racially inclusive sociological imagination framework to show to how to reduce implicit biases, identify trust points, and create brave spaces. The chapter also advances the racial equity framework by progressing readers from being (1) “racial equity learners” by educating themselves about key definitions and trends about inequality; to (2) “racial equity advocates” by holding friends, family, and co-workers accountable for what they think, say, and do about inequality; and finally to (3) “racial equity brokers” by advocating for policies and practices that allow for accountability, objective evaluation, and transparency. Altogether, the chapter provides a theoretical, empirical, and practical template to engage in scholar-activism from a comprehensive perspective that is theoretically driven and empirically informative.