Racism Without Racists: Color-Blind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in America

Eduardo Bonilla-Silva writes that he did not think there would be a sixth edition of Racism Without Racists, but the events of the last few years changed his mind. First, Donald Trump’s overt rhetoric gave further fuel to the old-style racism that became more common during the presidency of Barack Obama. Bonilla-Silva lists several examples of Trump’s racist rhetoric and notes that his “relentless racism advanced the cause of extremists” over the course of his campaign, presidency, and during the transition to the presidency of Joe Biden, culminating with the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021 (17).

Other events Bonilla-Silva notes encouraged him to write a sixth edition is the outbreak of COVID-19, the economic problems caused by the pandemic, and the civil unrest following the murder of George Floyd by officers of the Minneapolis Police Department in May 2020. While the vast movement initiated by that murder is dissipating, a question remains about what will happen when other Black and Brown people are killed unjustly by police officers. There is palpable excitement about the prospects of advancing racial justice, but Bonilla-Silva notes that in previous periods of change far too little has actually been accomplished. As an example, he cites the hippies of the 1960s who moved to the political right in the 1970s and adapted what he calls “color-blind racism” (18). As such, it’s only fair to ask what white people are willing to do today to advance the cause of racial justice.

Despite Trumpism, Bonilla-Silva notes that not much about his original thesis has changed. He still believes the “dominant form of systemic racism in America is suave,” and he notes it is practiced by white people who behave overly politely to Black people or speak in code words about racial concerns (19). These are the themes of Chapters 2 and 3. Despite the crude vulgarity of Trumpist racism, color-blind racism remains dominant, with white people alleging that they “don’t see color” or that affirmative action is “reverse discrimination.” That is, racism is “not mostly about the rotten apples” but is also about “the nice apples” (20). Old-school racism still exists, but the majority of racism is more subtle, which is why he has not changed the title of his book.

However, though his thesis remains the same, he has made changes to the new edition of the book.

Mostly, he wants readers to engage differently with this edition and to realize that all of us, even people reading this book, are participating in systemic racism every day. It is not a system you necessarily created, but it is a system “you” (his words at times in the book) absolutely participate in. Bonilla-Silva seems concerned with who exactly the reader of this book is and seems to assume a lot of readers have not chosen to read the book. He uses the second person singular to make the reader feel immediately engaged with the point, but he notes that you, a white reader, live in the white world and “navigate” the “white habitus,” even though you may wish to improve the world racially (21). He notes this is not a personal indictment of the reader, but he also makes it clear this book is meant to challenge. Because of this, the book now contains a new chapter, “What Is Systemic Racism.” This chapter is a risk, he admits, but he feels it is necessary. He dwells on the fact that a white reader may already be upset because they think they have been called a racist. But singling out individual racists is not even close to his project. Rather, Bonilla-Silva wants to point out the ways white people uphold the racial system simply by following the rules and etiquette of the system. That means that most white people did not oppose slavery and actually helped enforce slave curfews and supply the planter class with goods. It also means that during Jim Crow, white people demanded deference from Black people at all times. Today, it means most white people live in segregated communities and only interact in superficial ways with Black people. Thus, the behavior of white people cements the racial regime of any era.

He offers another point of clarification though. Any white person can choose to fight the “prison of whiteness” in a real and meaningful way (23). The use of “prison” powerfully captures the way Bonilla-Silva treats systemic racism throughout the book. It is a system of injustice that prevents all people—regardless of their relative power in the system—from truly being free. Bonilla-Silva notes that he will offer real solutions for white people in the conclusion of the book.

Next, Bonilla-Silva discusses readers of color. This book is meant to be a healing balm for them, as has been the case with the book since it was first published in 2003. However, he notes that a segment of “you” (Black readers) will have a problem with the book. As with the sections addressed specifically for white readers, the author uses the second person singular to speak directly to readers of color. He notes some readers will have enough money to not experience the racism the book discusses, or they may have different cultural values than other readers of color. That’s fine. Bonilla-Silva does not “need” the reader to “agree with anything” he states, he merely asks that they engage with what he says in a meaningful way (25). As is the case for white readers, readers of color are given a specific task in the book.

Finally, Bonilla-Silva addresses Afro-Latinx readers. He himself is Afro-Latino, he notes, and as a Black man raised in Puerto Rico, he speaks with a “so-called thick accent” (25). This has meant that he experiences both racism from white people as a Black man and also from Black people as a Latinx man. African-American scholars often try to separate Afro-Latinx peoples from their own studies, and that encourages Afro-Latinx people to identify themselves not as Black but by other terms and monikers. As with other readers, some Afro-Latinx readers will be excited by the book and others upset by it. Again, that is fine, so long as the reader understands the assignment of engaging critically with the work.

As for specific changes he’s made to the book, he’s added quite a bit of racial theory to Chapter 2 to help inform his basic argument. Chapter 3 has been enhanced to include information on police surveillance. There is a new Chapter 10 that deals specifically with the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, he has been pushed by readers and editors to offer solutions, so he has tried to add that to the conclusion. He hopes the reader enjoys the new version of the book and that it helps “you” understand the “slippery way most race transactions operate in the place” we just a few years ago referred to as “post-racial America” (28). That is, even at the end of the foreword, he reminds the reader that the Trump years have changed the way we all think about America itself.