Kozul - Institutional Racism vs. Individual Racism

Institutional Racism vs. Individual Racism 

More often than not, society never specifies the type of racism that occurs, in fact, most people do not even know that there are different types of racism. Individual racism is the act of an individual or a small selection casting racism upon another group or individual. Whereas, Institutional racism is the act of racism upon systems or from the system. For example, institutional racism is the act of not providing a successful hospital to a poorer population because they are poor.

South Bronx 

In Jonathon Kozul's, Amazing Grace, he shines a light on both of these ideas but focuses on institutional racism. Kozul starts out his small book on displaying the train ride from Manhattan to South Bronx.

"The number 6 train from Manhattan to the South Bronx makes nice stops in the 18-minute ride between East 59th Street and Brook Avenue. When you enter the train, you are in the seventh richest congressional district in the nation. When you leave, you are in the poorest"

 - Kozul

A simple 18 minute train ride shows the regression of a society. Not only is Manhattan one of the riches communities but it also shows how 18 minutes beyond that higher class section is the lowest of the lower class. The South Bronx is an underfunded and underprivileged community that struggles to provide food and a roof over their families head. Kozul shines a light on how a residential area in the South Bronx named Mott Haven struggles day by day and receives limited help from anyone. 

Institutional Racism 

Institutional Racism can simplistically be defined as racism through systems or structures, whether that structure is the government, educational or healthcare. In Mott Haven there is a different story to be told. In Mott haven, 

"Crack-cocaine addiction and intravenous use of heroin, which children I have met here call "the needle drug," are women into the texture of existence in Mott Haven. Nearly 4,000 heron injectors, many of whom are HIV-infected live here. Virtually every child at St. Ann's knows someone, a relative or neighbor, who has died of AIDS, and most children here know many others who are dying of the disease now... Asthma is the most common illness among children here. many struggle to take in a deep breath. "

- Kozul

The first question needed to be ask is why? Why hasn't anyone stepped in? If the Mott Haven case were to occur in a higher class town, the government step in to change the system, yet, since they are in an extremely low class community nothing is done. Simple medical supplies such as penicillin,  even rehabilitation or therapy are not being provided for drug addicts, or people with life threatening diseases. People experience extreme temperatures in the winter and summer with out any ability to turn on the heat or air conditioning. Essentially, these people have close to nothing, but Why hasn't the government stepped in to help? This simple question proves institutional racism exists. America as a whole provides medical assistance daily with access to some of the best medicines and care in the entire world, but, every one does not have access to that medicine and care. Leaving a section of society behind purposely, implementing institution racism.