Distinguishing between similar words is one of the best, fastest, and easiest ways to stretch our minds. Think with me about Prejudice, Discrimination, and Racism.
Prejudice is a negative judgment against a particular group of people before getting to know them: maybe because of their race or religion or political leaning, maybe because of what they wear, or their last name . . . Prejudice is individual, learned, and born out of fear and lack of understanding. All humans have some kind of prejudice. We are taught our prejudices, and we can work at unlearning them.
Discrimination is action taken toward our prejudice. Discrimination can be individual, like choosing not to sit with a Muslim on the bus or the girl in the wheelchair in the lunchroom; or it can be action taken by a group, on a small or large scale. Not all discrimination is about race, and not all racial discrimination is racism.
Racism is discrimination that is embodied in a power structure, like laws about housing, or the court system, voting, or education; or misuse of power, like refusing to hire the most qualified applicant for top administration because she's black, or bad cops, or white supremacy organizations - a power structure that is designed to hold back or to intimidate a particular segment of the population. The term racism only applies when discrimination is combined with power. A member of an oppressed minority might harbor prejudice toward the group that's oppressing them, but, because they don't have the power to make or enforce rules over their oppressors, their prejudice does not qualify as racism. Racism is power based, intentional, and often woven into our societal structures and systems.
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