Definitions
Historical Context
Current/Recent Events
From Harris’ POV
Famous Figures
100

The societal advantages that white people experience based solely on their race, often without being aware of them

white privilege

100

This was issued in 1863 by the president at the time and declared that all enslaved people in Confederate states were to be set free, marking a pivotal moment in the fight against slavery

The Emancipation Proclamation

100

This pandemic highlighted racial disparities in health care.

The Covid-19 Pandemic

(The pandemic disproportionately affected communities of color, revealing pre-existing health disparities and inequities in access to care)

100

The act of pretending to be white to benefit from greater social privilege

Passing

100

This American group, known for wearing white hoods, terrorized Black people in the South after the Civil War.

Ku Klux Klan

200

A form of racism embedded in the laws and regulations of a society, resulting in discriminatory outcomes based on race

systematic racism

200

The purpose of these set of laws was to enforce racial segregation and disenfranchise Black citizens in the Southern United States from the late 19th century until the Civil Rights

Jim Crow Laws

200

This movement addresses systemic racism and violence against Black individuals and  advocates for racial justice

The Black Lives Matter movement

200

A defining feature of Harris’ definition of property is the right to “use and ___ “

Enjoy

200

This law enforcement agency in the U.S. tracks and investigates domestic terrorism, including white supremacist groups.

FBI

300

The overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage that individuals may experience based on multiple identities (e.g., race, gender, class)

intersectionality

300

This Supreme Court ruling declared that segregation in schools unconstitutional.

Brown v. Board of Education

300

The death of this man brought renewed attention to the issues of race and privilege in 2020

George Floyd

300

Whiteness, College Degrees, and Government licenses are all examples of property that Harris would consider to be ________.

Inalienable

300

This American president was criticized for saying there were "very fine people on both sides" after a violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville in 2017.

Donald Trump

400

The adoption of elements of one culture by members of another culture, often without permission or understanding, typically where the appropriating culture holds power over the appropriated

cultural appropriation

400

After World War 2 this bill was passed, which disproportionately benefited white veterans and excluded many veterans of color from receiving its benefits

The GI Bill

400

A strategy used to influence the outcome of an election by discouraging or preventing specific groups of people from voting

Voter Suppression 

(example: In 2020 Georgia closed polling places in communities of color to save money, causing the people of those communities to struggle to get to the polls)

400

What does Harris mention as a modern way to delegitimize the idea of whiteness as property?

Affirmative Action

400

This former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan ran for office multiple times and became a symbol of modern white nationalism in the U.S.

David Duke

500

The belief or ideology that one does not see or consider race in interactions, often dismissing the importance of racial identity and systemic issues

colorblindness

500

The impact of this effort was that it disproportionately targeted communities of color, leading to mass incarceration and social destabilization, exacerbating existing inequalities

The War on Drugs

500

Since 2023, the overturning of this executive order has dropped enrollment by over 10% at Harvard, and other prestigious schools, from students who identify as being black, Hispanic, Native American and/or Pacific Islander

Affirmative Action

500

W.E.B. DuBois used this term to describe the benefits that Working class whites received from their whiteness

Public and Psychological Wages

500

Who was the co-founder of the NAACP and a leading figure in the early civil rights movement, who is known for his advocacy for African American education and the concept of “double consciousness”?

W.E.B. Du Bois