Question
Complete the statement:
Racism differs from prejudice and discrimination on the grounds of ______.
Answer
Power completes the statement in the framework used by the Ontario Human Rights Commission—specifically, social, political, economic, and institutional power.
In that framework, prejudice can describe biased attitudes or judgments, while discrimination concerns unequal treatment or practices. Racism is distinguished when racialized beliefs and practices are connected to power that can shape rules, institutions, access, and outcomes beyond a single interaction.
Why “power” matters here
- Social and cultural power can establish which groups are treated as the norm.
- Political and institutional power can embed unequal effects in laws, policies, or routine procedures.
- Economic power can influence access to housing, employment, credit, and other resources.
The completed statement is therefore: Racism differs from prejudice and discrimination on the grounds of power. This does not mean that every source defines the three terms identically; it states the answer within the cited power-aware framework.
Evidence boundary
This answer uses the power-aware framework stated by the Ontario Human Rights Commission and the cited public-sector guidance. Definitions of racism vary across legal, academic, and community contexts, so the page does not claim that “prejudice plus power” is the only valid definition everywhere. It distinguishes attitudes, discriminatory conduct, and systemic power for this specific fill-in prompt; it does not decide whether a particular event legally constitutes racial discrimination.
Sources
These references support the concepts and methods used in the explanation above.