Between a rock and a hard place: The social and emotional consequences of institutional racism perceived by ethnic minorities in the Netherlands.

In 2022 institutional racism within the tax and customs office was officially acknowledged by the Dutch PM. The aftermath of what is known as the ‘Childcare Benefit scandal’ led to the investigation of multiple State bodies to further identify patterns of institutional racism. However, the perspectives and perceptions of institutional racism among ethnic minorities have often been overlooked, despite being valuable to detect patterns of institutional racism. This paper centers the perspectives of Dutch communities of color by assessing how they perceive the consequences of institutional racism. Participants perceive the consequences of institutional racism through their disadvantaged social position that State institutions could improve, but instead uphold. Moreover, ethnic minorities affirmed being impacted emotionally and behaviorally by institutional racism, leading to the development and use of several coping mechanisms to survive the daily manifestations of institutional racism.