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Eliminating Structural Racism in the United States of America

  • Apr 28
  • 7 min read

The elimination of structural racism is crucial in the growth of human civilization. This systemic prejudice not only harms those who are targeted, but society as a whole suffers. A nation is at its strongest when the people are strong. Uplifting each other through equality encourages a sense of patriotism, which the government wants of its people. Thus, abolishing a system that keeps this racism alive is a symbiotic relationship between the government and the people.


Structural Racism happens when one or more of society’s institutions have the power to impose more burdens, while providing fewer benefits, to the members of one race and not another on a continuous basis. A future where structural racism is nonexistent will correct racism at its root, and eliminating structural racism will also get rid of, or greatly reduce, other forms of prejudice. Getting rid of the source of the issue will create a domino effect, and people will be raised more civilized. In the end, society will learn to uplift each other. Racial formation, racial discrimination, and biological racism are three core concepts that will be explored in order to achieve the goal of ending structural racism in the United States of America.





Biological Racism is the belief that white people are superior based on their "better genetic make-up." How one raises one’s children is often influenced by society and outdated traditions, and unfortunately, many people harbor the false information that race is biological. So, this way of thinking becomes a generational flaw. From differences in health to intelligence, these people are convinced people differ solely based on their skin color. Despite the abundance of evidence that proves racial groups are not genetically distinct, they still uphold their values and beliefs. Among these people are medical students, residents, and physicians.


In a survey that studied 222 white American medical students and residents, 40% were reported believing in the statement, “The skin of a black person is thicker than a white person” (Lujan & DiCarlo, 2024). These individuals were convinced that since black skin was thicker, they had a higher tolerance for pain. This has led to a reduction and unequal treatment methods toward Black patients at some hospitals. Biological races do not exist, and there is not an accepted scientific method for the racial classification of humans. In fact, “Black” refers to the phenotype of black skin, regardless of nationality and origin. Ethnicity and culture lack an intrinsic correlation to human biological variations.





When people misunderstand race as a biological concept, they rationalize their racism toward others who look different, causing division, and it feeds their tribal mindset. This false perception of racial variation on a biological level has negatively impacted minority student’s medical training at a higher level than white students. Black students suffer lower pass rates on the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 test. This belief could also be a probable reason as to why Black individuals drop out of medical school at a higher rate than white students. Misunderstanding rase as a biological concept rather than a social construct heavily impacts medical education and research (Lujan & DiCarlo, 2024). Considering these individuals are entering the health field, the fact that a large percentage of medical students believe race is biological is dangerous and will continue the cycle of systemic racism for future generations.


To combat this, people entering the medical field must move beyond preconceived biases that they were most likely raised with and absorb actual scientific information while in school. This change will help contribute to the collapse of structural racism. Professors and mentors should be chosen wisely, and society must make it their duty to call out medical professionals who believe in this non-scientific stance.





Racial Formation is the sociohistorical process by which racial categories are created, inhabited, transformed, and destroyed. The formation of racial groups creates division among people who lack an understanding of biological and social science. Thus, creating a bias that is not true to being part of the human species. COVID-19 revealed how institutions operate, causing immense burdens on non-white Americans. The pandemic revealed that non-white Americans are disproportionately living in neighborhoods lacking aid and going to schools lacking resources (Gee & Hicken, 2021). While people should have known this, the virus exposed a culture that the government tries to hide from the average citizen. It caused an increase in residential, educational, and occupational segregation.


The impact of the virus caused many schools to go online. In lower-income households, this proved a struggle. The use of online technology for educational purposes is a privilege that many people in harsher living environments do not have. The switch to online learning and work was an assumption made by institutions that most households had equity in technology, food security, and job stability (Gee & Hicken, 2021). The nation should learn from COVID-19 and not continue the cycle of inequity. The assumption that non-white students and employees living in severe conditions could work or learn remotely keeps segregation alive. Some schools allowed students to enter classes with masks, exposing them to health risks. Though, the institution could have instead loaned out laptops rather than instilling hybrid models (Remote learning, n.d.). While some schools most likely did provide resources for the students, the fact that racism exists in an education and labor level indicates that the majority of institutions did not.


Racial Discrimination is the practice of treating people differently based on their race. This is an outcome of structural racism. When racism is normalized, it brings out the hatred people have, and this hatred targets those the system deems appropriate. As mentioned previously regarding medical students, general education, and labor, racism is circulated through structures that everyday people use. It also helps create codes and policies in these schools and places of work. Jim Crow laws are an example of racial discrimination affecting codes and policies. Jim Crow laws preserved and created racist behavior and oppression that Black individuals suffered, despite the approval of the Thirteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution in 1865 and the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868 (Bearfield et al., 2023). The fact that they tried so hard to keep racist laws alive, despite the amendments, is a clear display of the many prejudices society continues to hold.


Additionally, racial discrimination can be found in the government policies of the 19th and early 20th centuries, which denied Black veterans disability pensions by the Union Army. In the 1930s, the Tuskegee experiment carried out studies regarding syphilis and abused 600 Black men who did not consent to this study. Half of these men had syphilis, and many of the patients were denied treatment in order for the scientists to observe the fatal development of the disease. Further, many were denied a cure. This continued for 40 years (Bearfield et al., 2023). This is linked to biological racism as well, as the scientists worked in the medical field, which is notorious for believing in preconceived notions about scientific racism (Lujan & DiCarlo, 2024). In order to eliminate the massive issue of racial discrimination, society must properly educate future generations who are learning. While people will always harbor a form of prejudice, making sure policies are free of racist ideology can lower the number. One way to correct this is to place people free of bias into positions of power. Voting, protesting, and the encouragement of ethical people entering positions in health, politics, and education would be a change the United States desperately needs.





In conclusion, structural racism was created by a multitude of factors. Stemming from the time of slavery, the United States of America harbored racial discrimination in policymaking, and people developed a misinformed perception toward biological racism that created Jim Crow laws, after slavery was abolished. The House and Senate must continue to make amendments to the Constitution in order to correct the wrongs of the past. That is why it is crucial that society elects only ethical people to these positions. Further, the ongoing racial formation of racial categories contributes to division and keeps systemic racism alive. If the nation is taught that biological racism is not real, based on findings, then people will begin to fix their biases.


Though, there are people who are not scientifically grounded. So, what happens then? Priests, preachers, rabbis, and more leaders within the spiritual community must teach their followers peace and unity. A similar approach can be used in this situation. Ethical people should be encouraged to enter these positions of power in their communities. Structural racism is the root of other forms of racism. Children are not born racist, nor are they born prejudiced in other ways. Targeted hatred is taught on an instructional and societal level. If we, as a society, educate people from youth and create laws that eliminate structural racism, then the many forms of racism and discrimination will crumble on a systemic scale. In order to liberate victims of structurally racist upbringing, people must detox those who are indoctrinated with racist views by circulating truth, facts, and compassion. This will prove challenging, though not impossible.








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