What is individual racism?

• A. Internalized, unexpressed biases and prejudices based on race
• B. Explicit discrimination by individuals
• C. Systemic policies
• D. Genetic differences

Answer: (A)

Individual racism is internalized, unexpressed biases and prejudices based on race. It means holding beliefs or attitudes about people of other races that you may not openly say, but that still influence how you think about, judge, or interact with them. These internal biases can show up as snap judgments, stereotypes, or double standards and can affect decisions and behavior in everyday life, even without overt acts. This differs from explicit discrimination, which involves actively acting on racist beliefs, and from systemic racism, which refers to policies and practices built into institutions that lead to unequal outcomes. The idea of genetic differences isn’t a basis for racism, since race is a social construct and most genetic variation occurs within racial groups rather than between them.