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systemic racism

American  
[si-stem-ik rey-siz-uhm] / sɪˈstɛm ɪk ˈreɪ sɪz əm /

noun

  1. racism.


Etymology

Origin of systemic racism

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"Now we need to go beyond the symbolic," he said, urging a "real reparations programme", including for example more funds for educational projects to transmit history and help battle systemic racism.

From Barron's • May 28, 2026

When Welteroth took the helm in 2016, the Black Lives Matter movement was bringing renewed attention to police brutality and systemic racism in the criminal legal system.

From Salon • Nov. 16, 2025

Floyd's death ignited a nationwide reckoning with systemic racism, prompting widespread calls to remove Confederate monuments.

From BBC • Oct. 28, 2025

Yet Boggs makes a strong case for these books as successful formal experiments in which Baldwin once again transmuted the storms of his personal life into eloquent indictments of systemic racism.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 18, 2025

He starts by talking about his experience growing up Black in Mississippi and moves on to talk about systemic racism and how we don’t even realize how embedded it is in our world.

From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh

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