Ethnic Studies Practice Exam

Racism is embedded in systems of power and policing. Both Kelley and Coates argue that racial inequities aren’t just about individual attitudes; they are produced and sustained by institutions, laws, and practices that distribute power and control. Policing and state violence are visible ways this hierarchy is enacted, tying discrimination to the structure of the state and its institutions. To understand racism, you have to look at how power operates in society, not just at personal prejudice or isolated incidents. That’s why the other options don’t fit: framing racism as a public health issue with no structural basis ignores the institutional underpinnings they stress; treating state violence and systemic racism as separate misses the connection they draw between enforcement, policy, and racial hierarchy; and saying individuals are solely responsible ignores the systemic forces they highlight that shape outcomes on a broad scale.