Race is integral to the functioning and ideological underpinnings of marketplace actions yet remains undertheorized in marketing.To understand and transform the insidious ways in which race operates, the authors examine its impact in marketplaces and howthese effects are shaped by intersecting forms of systemic oppression. They introduce critical race theory (CRT) to the marketingcommunity as a useful framework for understanding consumers, consumption, and contemporary marketplaces. They outlinecritical theory traditions as utilized in marketing and specify the particular role of CRT as a lens through which scholars canunderstand marketplace dynamics. The authors delineate key CRT tenets and how they may shape the way scholars conductresearch, teach, and influence practice in the marketing discipline. To clearly highlight CRT’s overall potential as a robust analyticaltool in marketplace studies, the authors elaborate on the application of artificial intelligence to consumption markets. This analysisdemonstrates how CRT can support an enhanced understanding of the role of race in markets and lead to a more equitableversion of the marketplace than what currently exists. Beyond mere procedural modifications, applying CRT to marketplacestudies mandates a paradigm shift in how marketplace equity is understood and practiced.