Structural racism can exist independently of overt racist attitudes among individuals, indicating that societal structures can perpetuate inequality without explicit racism being expressed.

Structural racism refers to the ways in which society's systems and institutions create and maintain racial inequality, even if individuals do not hold overtly racist beliefs. This means that laws, policies, and practices can be designed in ways that disadvantage certain racial groups without any specific person intending to be racist. For example, if a city invests more money in schools in predominantly white neighborhoods than in schools in neighborhoods with many people of color, this can lead to unequal educational opportunities. In this case, the system itself is perpetuating inequality, regardless of the intentions of the people making the decisions. Understanding structural racism helps us see that changing individual attitudes is not enough; we must also change the systems that create and support these inequalities.