The FearLess LoveMore

 We need to address something that comes up constantly in discussions about racism: the claim that Black people (or other people of color) can be “racist” toward White people. That affirmative action is “reverse racism.” That diversity initiatives discriminate against White people. That talking about systemic racism is itself racist against White people.

Let me be absolutely clear: Reverse racism is not real.

And I can hear the objections already. “But wait,” you’re saying, “what if a Black person doesn’t like White people? What if they refuse to hire White people? What if they make generalizations about White people? Isn’t that racism?”

No. It’s prejudice. And there’s a difference.

Prejudice is pre-judging someone based on their race. Anyone can be prejudiced. A Black person can absolutely hold prejudiced views about White people. That prejudice can even cause harm on an individual level.

But racism isn’t just prejudice. Racism is prejudice plus power. Specifically, it’s prejudice backed by institutional and systemic power.

Here’s why that distinction matters:

When a White person’s prejudice against Black people combines with their position of power in a system that’s already biased in favor of White people, the result is systemic discrimination that shapes Black people’s access to jobs, housing, education, healthcare, justice, and wealth. It’s not just one person’s bias; it’s that bias operating through systems that amplify its effects.

When a Black person has prejudice against White people, they don’t have the institutional power to turn that prejudice into systemic discrimination. They can’t redline White neighborhoods. They can’t create a school-to-prison pipeline for White children. They can’t establish a criminal justice system that incarcerates White people at five times the rate of Black people. They don’t control the institutions that would make their prejudice systemic.

Yes, an individual Black person in a position of power could discriminate against an individual White person. That would be wrong. That would be prejudice. But it’s not systemic. It’s not supported and reinforced by centuries of laws, policies, and practices. It doesn’t operate through every major institution in society.

That’s the difference.

The Power Dynamics

Think about it this way: In America, White people make up about 60% of the population but hold significantly more than 60% of the power:

• 90% of Fortune 500 CEOs are White
• 77% of Congress is White
• 84% of federal judges are White
• White families hold 86% of the nation’s wealth

This isn’t ancient history. This is now. Today. The people making decisions about hiring, lending, policing, sentencing, legislation, and policy are overwhelmingly White.

When prejudice flows through systems controlled by White people, it becomes systemic racism. When prejudice exists without that systemic power behind it, it’s still wrong, but it’s not racism in the systemic sense we’re discussing in this book.

Why This Distinction Matters

I’m not playing word games here. This distinction matters because:

1. It helps us understand where the real harm is. Individual prejudice can hurt feelings. Systemic racism destroys lives, communities, and generations.

2. It shows us where to focus our energy. We can’t dismantle systemic racism by just addressing individual prejudice. We have to change the systems themselves.

3. It prevents false equivalences. Saying “Black people can be racist too” is often used to deflect from conversations about systemic racism, as if individual Black prejudice somehow cancels out centuries of systemic White supremacy. It doesn’t.

So no, “reverse racism” isn’t real. Not because Black people can’t be prejudiced (they can), but because that prejudice doesn’t operate through systems of power to create institutional discrimination against White people as a group.