A Study of Power Structures in Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man and Richard Wright's Black Boy The study deals with novels Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison and Black Boy by Richard Wright which depict bitter experiential realities of institutional racism of late 19th and early20th century American society. Institutional racism is a policy based on racial prejudice aimed at to generate different outcomes for races, marginalizing in particular the minority group and granting more rights and privileges to the majority group. The research study has probed into Institutional Racism vis-a-vis Critical Race Theory with a particular focus on identifying power structures existing in educational, legal, political, social, economic etc. institutions which further institutional racism. The study employed qualitative content analysis technique to analyze the texts of the novels Invisible Man and Black Boy. Power structures are elite groups formed by people who hold influential positions within a government, society, organization or institution. They employ their power base to achieve their vested interests. Whites with more opportunities try to maintain their existing power base and at the same time try to enhance it. This power base which endows the Whites social power or social control forms the core of power structures. This social power or social control is based on resources distributed unequally. The research study has found that Whites exercise their power or social control over the Blacks in order to maintain this power basis or to enhance it and prevent Blacks from acquiring it.