Gary Martin: It’s not enough to ‘not be racist’ — people need to actively work toward real change

For too long, we’ve viewed racism as a black-and-white issue — you’re either racist or you’re not.

This oversimplification hides how deep and widespread the problem is in our workplaces and social settings.

In reality, racism exists on a spectrum, and we all sit somewhere along it, whether we realise it or not.

People can hold a range of beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours along this continuum, from unconscious bias to outright discrimination.

Viewing racism as all-or-nothing prevents us from recognising the everyday biases that shape our actions.

These biases often go unnoticed because they don’t fit the extreme examples of racism we’re conditioned to acknowledge, such as open hostility or blatant discrimination.

At one end of the spectrum is unconscious bias, where individuals or organisations may hold prejudiced views without realising it.

For instance, an employer might assume someone from a particular racial background isn’t suited for leadership, without any real basis for that belief.

Further along the continuum, exclusion becomes more deliberate but still subtle, like excluding colleagues from informal networks due to ingrained stereotypes.

In the middle lies passive racism, where people acknowledge racism but do nothing to stop it.

Ignoring a racist joke, for example, allows harmful behaviours to continue.

At the far end, racism becomes explicit and aggressive, with individuals openly engaging in discriminatory acts.

The good news is we can shift along this spectrum.

It’s not enough to be “not racist” — we need to actively work against racism in all its forms by confronting our own biases and taking meaningful action.

It’s time to look beyond the black-and-white view of racism and work toward real change.

Professor Gary Martin is CEO of AIM WA and a specialist in workplace and social trends