LAUSR

Civil rights activists Kwame Ture and Charles Hamilton originated the term institutional racism in their 1967 work, Black Power: The Politics of Liberation. They described institutional racism as the “exploitative slumlords, merchants, loan sharks and discriminatory real estate agents” that coordinated to suppress Black communities in generational poverty. Although the United States had become increasingly willing to condemn interpersonal racism, Ture and Hamilton decried America's unwillingness to address institutional racism, stating, “Society either pretends it does not know of [institutional racism], or is in fact incapable of doing anythingmeaningful about it.” The words of Ture and Hamilton hold true today. We face a pivotal crossroads that will be defined by medicine's willingness to eradicate racism from our practice. Academic medical centers (AMCs) have responded with various commitments, such as developing antiracism curricula and increasing diversity in the physician workforce. However, confronting the long-standing institutional racism embedded in the economics of health care is equally critical. Although the factors influencing AMC business practices are complex, we identify 3 issues to be addressed as AMCs launch antiracism initiatives.