There are so many ways to define 'Racism' that, usually, any two people discussing it are on the defensive against one another before any common ground can be established.

When we talk about systemic racism-- one of my areas of expertise-- we can picture it as this metaphor. Picture a 3-legged ladder where one leg is Prejudice, one is Power (and connecting these are rung after rung of Privilege (can also be Class), holding those two legs locked together. The supporting leg? "Tradition," not disturbed by actual knowledge of the real practices of the past.

Knock out any one of those legs and it all falls down.

~Susan