Institutional Discrimination: A study of Family Institution in Their Eyes were Watching God and Passing This study brings to light the effects of institutional discrimination on African American families depicted in Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston and Passing by Nella Larsen. African Americans try to use institution of marriage as a lever to uplift their social, moral and political status but American laws i.e. the Law of Legalization of Marriage, Naturalization (1855) , Jim Crow Laws (Florida law) and other established political, economic, social and marriage institutions framed discriminatory rules and created hurdles in their way. Under the aggravation of these rules, African American families are depicted insecure, weak, pathetic and loosely built. The issues of wretched Black American families have been analyzed in the selected novels in the backdrop of Critical Race theory. The theory deals with the issues of law, race and racial problems and works for the emancipation of victims. Textual analysis technique has been used in this study. The study concludes that racism is engrained in the fabric of American society resulting into devastating outcomes for African American family institutions which are no more institutionalized love affairs based on respect and mutual reciprocity. This ultimately has become the cause of poverty, suppression, split personalities, discrimination, sexual objectification, terrible hardships and stereotyping.