Through America’s history, government at all levels has played a pivotal role in perpetuating racial injustice. Despite progress made towards eliminating explicit acts of discrimination, structural racial inequities remain deep, pervasive and persistent across the country.
To reduce the harmful effects of racism, systemic changes must be made in policies, laws and practices. These must be done in ways which are sustainable, long-lasting and impact many people.
1. The National Plan Against Racism and Similar Forms of Hostility
Government Policies to Combat Racism
In the United States, various government policies exist to support local efforts to combat racism and discrimination. These all stem from a belief that the most effective way to prevent and deter racism is by giving power and autonomy to historically marginalized communities.
These initiatives include anti-racism training for community members and law enforcement agents, as well as efforts to combat racism in the workplace, schools and neighborhoods.
Despite all the progress made, racism still plagues society worldwide. According to the United Nations, there remains an enormous disparity between what should be achieved for people of African descent in terms of equality and social justice, and their actual access to opportunities.
Racial bias exists in two primary forms: institutional and structural. Institutional racism refers to discriminatory treatments or policies that lead to inequitable outcomes for certain groups based on race.
Structural racism, however, is a systemic form of racial discrimination that impacts society as a whole. This may take the form of stereotyping, discriminatory laws and practices, or other social structures which grant privileges to white people while undermining people of color.
Many of these discriminatory systems are subtle, not targeting any one racial group specifically, yet they can still have an impact.
For instance, school systems may be more likely to place students of color into low-quality or underfunded schools. Racial profiling – in which police officers are more likely to arrest and ticket people who look like them – may also be indicative of structural racism.
Racist jokes and stereotyping can be used as a weapon to suppress dissent and foster fear in society. Such practices should never be encouraged or rewarded by society.
Numerous countries have passed the National Plan Against Racism and Similar Forms of Hostility (NPARASH) as a policy to combat racial discrimination. This document includes various initiatives designed to empower communities against prejudice, such as anti-racism education, legal aid services and support for victims of racial violence. NPARASH strives to guarantee governments can create comprehensive yet cohesive strategies at the national level to eradicate racial inequality.
2. The Anti-Racism Act
Racial discrimination is an issue that has persisted for decades. Despite the many laws and policies put into place over these past decades to combat it, racism still plagues our countries today.
Though ratification of the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) is nearing universal, there remain too many people suffering from discrimination and injustice around the world. Therefore, it is essential to build a global consensus to address these issues head-on.
One of the initial steps to combat racism and racial discrimination is the adoption of effective anti-discrimination legislation. The European Commission against Racism and Related Intolerance (ECRI) frequently advocates for specific and comprehensive anti-discrimination laws across Council of Europe member states.
It is essential to safeguard the rights of all members of society. This includes accessing public services like transportation, hotels, restaurants and cafes without discrimination or harassment in public spaces. Furthermore, equality must be ensured between people regardless of race or ethnicity in public settings.
Canada has taken several steps to combat racism and related discrimination. It has developed a national anti-racism strategy, launched an engagement process to identify areas for intervention, created new policies and programs, consulted with communities and Indigenous Peoples, as well as supported research and innovation efforts.
The Government of Canada will continue to strive to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of its policies and programs by increasing coordination and sharing innovative approaches, encouraging research on successful practices, and exploring future federal action opportunities. To do this, they are implementing Building a Foundation for Change: Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy 2019-2022.
This strategy not only targets Indigenous Peoples, but it is an encouragement for everyone in Canada to become informed about racism and related discrimination. Doing so will help prevent it, educate people about positive behaviors, and give everyone the courage to speak up and take action against intolerance.
To promote awareness about racism and its various effects on Indigenous Peoples and racialized and religious minority communities, the Government is investing $3.3 million into a national public education and awareness campaign. This campaign will be tailored to regional needs and developed alongside affected communities and Indigenous Peoples.
3. The Anti-Hate Crime Act
In addition to federally mandated hate crime legislation, there are also several state laws in place. California for instance passed its Anti-Hate Crime Act (HB 1699) in 2014 under Governor Jerry Brown’s leadership.
Local police agencies must report hate crimes using a standard format, so it can be compared between different agencies to get an accurate count of how many hate crimes occur in any given community.
Under the law, local officials must make hate crime reports available online in multiple languages. This is an essential step toward making reporting processes more accessible for people of color and religious minorities.
Another significant feature of the Anti-Hate Crime Act is that it includes community service and education as part of any penalties an offender receives. This provides a more proactive approach to tackling the causes of racial biases and violence at their source.
These laws are an important step towards combatting racism, but they are not enough to truly prevent hate crime. Indeed, a recent research review concluded that these approaches remain “largely unproven to date.”
It is especially challenging to prevent hate-motivated behavior before it turns violent or destructive. According to a 2020 Health Affairs research review led by UNC Charlotte’s Robert Cramer, most preventive measures such as intergroup contact and hate-motivated behavior reduction efforts are ineffective, typically only working when they target the perpetrators themselves.
Therefore, standardizing the definition of hate crimes across all jurisdictions is paramount. Doing so would guarantee that data reported by local authorities can be utilized for analysis and program development.
HRC fully endorses the passage of the Anti-Hate Crime Act and other government initiatives to combat racist incidents and their effects on victims and communities. We urge citizens to speak out against discriminatory acts and report them to law enforcement authorities.
4. The Anti-Discrimination Act
Since the end of World War II, America has adopted numerous Government Policies to Combat Racism. These laws and policies aim to guarantee that race, gender, age and other characteristics do not discriminate against individuals in employment opportunities, educational opportunities or access to goods and services.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 set forth a prohibition against discrimination in hiring, promotion and firing based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Additionally, this act applies to public accommodations as well as federally funded programs and activities.
A second law, the American Disabilities Act, safeguards people with disabilities in employment. It prohibits employers from making employment decisions based on a person’s disability, whether they have either current or past physical or mental impairment that has an extensive and long-term detrimental effect on their ability to perform job duties.
The Fair Labor Standards Act sets minimum wage requirements, overtime pay and child labor laws as well as prohibiting retaliation against employees who file charges against their employer for violating these laws.
In addition to these statutes, the United States also has several other legal frameworks that protect against discrimination on various grounds. These include the Equal Pay Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Racial and gender discrimination has been a part of American life for generations, particularly in the private and public sectors. Unfortunately, stereotypical assumptions about men’s roles in society often led to discriminatory practices like separate living quarters for men and women in facilities or segregated transportation. In the 1940s, many states passed Equality Acts in an effort to combat this prejudice; however, these bills never gained enough support in Congress to pass into law.
