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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

In a post on X, Rev Sharpton said Floyd's death had "forced a long overdue reckoning with systemic racism and galvanized millions to take to the streets in protest".

From BBC • May 25, 2025

Appelbuam argues that systemic racism and NIMBYism are not the only factors that have led to bad outcomes for minorities.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2025

Believe it or not, the members of all of those organizations, while they are religiously divergent from one another, are often discussing the same exact things such as protecting reproductive rights and fighting systemic racism.

From Salon • Sep. 3, 2024

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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