Introduction to the Special Issue on Race and Racism

Racism plays a fundamental role in institutions, intergroup and interpersonal relations, and intrapersonal life. Although some areas of research in psychology have made progress toward addressing issues of race and racism, the discipline continues to grapple with questions of racial inequality. Given the persistence of racism, it seems as important as ever that researchers in psychology direct our efforts toward understanding the role of race in everyday life and reducing the impact of racism in society. This special issue brings together cutting-edge psychological scholarship on race and racism. Collectively, these articles contribute new substantive knowledge about the nature of race and racism and their psychological consequences for individuals and society, provide recommendations for law and policy that draw on this substantive knowledge, and offer new insights into best practices in psychological science and education. In this introductory article, we outline the background and origins of this special issue and provide a summary of the articles in it.