To name & frame racism is to explicitly and publicly use language and analysis that describes an issue as a matter of racial justice...you are addressing an issue for which racism is one of the root causes, and you clearly explain how [Black] people are disproportionately impacted by the issue. This framing has to be done intentionally and consistently, even if that is not the only frame put on the issue.
- Moving a Racial Justice Agenda: Naming & Framing Racism
Centering on and naming anti-Black racism is key in dismantling systems of oppression. You cannot fix a problem if you do not acknowledge its presence. Oftentimes our institutions like to use terms like diversity and equity without actually calling out racism. This is part of the problem. If we want to see real targeted change, we have to be comfortable identifying the problem and using terms like racism and anti-racism publicly.
We urge you all to review Section 1 of "Toward the Abolition of Biological Race in Medicine" by the Institute for Healing and Justice in Medicine to ground yourself in the definitions of race, racism, white supremacy, and institutional racism.