What did Ghost Boys teach you about the history of racism and racial violence in America?

Systemic racism is among the most important themes in Ghost Boys. Also known as institutional racism, systemic racism is defined as the unfair or harmful treatment of racialized people as a consequence of society-wide policies and practices. Rhodes highlights the theme of systemic racism by depicting a white police officer not facing charges for fatally shooting a Black twelve-year-old while the boy's back was turned. Officer Moore justifies his actions by claiming that Jerome appeared large and threatening, but when the prosecutor reveals that Jerome is the same size as Moore's own twelve-year-old child, these perceived attributes betray Moore's unconscious racial bias. If Jerome were white, statistics show that the police would have been more likely to address the situation with less impulsiveness and with greater adherence to operating procedures such as announcing themselves as police, ordering Jerome to drop the gun, and then rendering medical aid after disarming him. Systemic racism also arises in the sections regarding Emmett Till. Accused of flirting with a white woman in Mississippi, the Black fourteen-year-old was abducted, mutilated, and lynched by two men who were acquitted by an all-white jury. In both Jerome's and Emmett's case, the justice system didn't hold the white killers accountable despite the evidence against them. These two cases highlight how racist sentiment is embedded in the American law enforcement and justice systems, with Black people's lives being seen as mattering less than those of white people.