Prejudice plus power

Prejudice plus power, also known as R = P + P, is a stipulative definition of racism used in the United States. Patricia Bidol-Padva first proposed this definition in a 1970 book, where she defined racism as "prejudice plus institutional power". According to this definition, two elements are required in order for racism to exist: racial prejudice, and social power to codify and enforce this prejudice into an entire society. Adherents write that while all people can be racially prejudiced, minorities are powerless and therefore only the majority group has the power to be racist. This definition is supported by the argument that power is responsible for the process of racialization and that social power is distributed in a zero-sum game.

The People's Institute for Survival and Beyond (The People's Institute) has used this definition and affirmed that racism stemmed not just from individual prejudices but from institutional systems of power, such as wealth and privilege. In the context of this definition, The People's Institute maintained that the effects of systematic oppression have negatively impacted various communities, with impoverishment being a concern. It affirmed that prejudice is not the sole cause of racism and that since it is based institutionally and not individually, changing or removing these structures could then offset the effects of racism. The use of this definition intended to place emphasis on looking at racism in terms of community and not the individual.

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