The denial of racism is an obsession of white America. In what has become a holy trinity of sorts - accusing others of playing the "race card;" noting the election of Barack Obama; and citing the success of the black middle class and/or the black elite - the denial of racism and the demonization of those who demand that America fulfill its creed of equality plagues contemporary racial discussions. It is a rarity to witness a conversation about race, whereupon this holy trinity isn't deployed, derailing the conversation before it even begins. Whether highlighting segregation or inequality in access to education, health care, or countless institutions, whether noting the realities of stop-and-frisk or daily confrontations with American racism, the response is often the same: denial, denial, denial.
In an effort to have an honest conversation and to push the conversation beyond this myopic fantasy, I thought I would give the denial crowd some facts. This is for those who like to cite the black middle class as evidence of a post-racial America; this is for those who cite the black middle class (likely never having a meaningful conversation with a person of color of any class status) as evidence that poverty rates, incarceration rates, educational inequality or health disparities is the result of faulty values or a poor work ethic. This is my response to those who dismiss the injustice and inequality endured by poor communities of color - the working poor - by noting the purported American Dream experienced by the black middle-class. For all of them, here is a little dose of reality.
Wealth
Despite the continued invoking of the black middle-class, the realities of inequality and persistent wealth disparities within the middle-class reveal a different reality. In other words, the wealth on the ground reveals a reality rather entirely different from this white fantasy. According to a 2011 study from Pew Research Center, whites possess 20 times more wealth than African Americans and 18 times that of Latinos. More succinctly, whereas the average white family had $113,149 dollars of wealth, "the typical black household had just $5,677 in wealth (assets minus debts) in 2009, and the typical Hispanic household had $6,325 in wealth." As of 1999, whites and blacks similarly situated within the "educational middle class" live in distinct wealth words. Whereas whites possessed $111,000 in median net worth, black families had only $33,5000 dollars; in terms of assets the disparity with $56,000 to $15,000 (Shapiro, 2004, p. 90-91). If we look at "the occupational middle-class" an equally pronounced gap is visible: whites had only $123,000 in median net worth and $60,000 in median net financial assets compare to $26,500 and $11,200 for African Americans. Across the various categories that comprise the middle class, white families possess "between three and five times as much wealth as equally achieving black middle class families." (Shapiro 2004, p. 90-91)
While persistent wealth disparities stratified along racial lines are nothing new, the Great Recession has worsened this divide. According to Algernon Austin, director of the Economic Policy Institute's Program on Race, Ethnicity and the Economy, "In 2009, for every dollar of wealth the average white household had, black households only had two cents." Wealth is not only transferable from generation to generation, but wealth is what allows people to generate more wealth, to invest, to borrow money for education, to pay for gymnastics or swimming lessons at some elite school, or to otherwise invest in the future. And the ongoing history of discrimination is systematically destroying the black middle-class. "History is going to say that the black middle class was decimated" during the first half of the twenty-first century, notes Maya Wiley, director of the Center for Social Inclusion. "But we're not done writing history." One reason we are not done writing this history is because for too many Americans, this history and this reality is both denied and obscured.
According to Melvin Oliver and Thomas Shapiro, "Blacks' claim to middle-class status is based on income not assets. . . . "Without wealth reserves, especially liquid assets, the black middle class depends on income for its standard of living" (p. 97). A job loss, a health crisis, depleting housing values, a desire to go back to school or worse a global recession undermine the value in this position, since there are few/no wealth assets or wealth reserves to "fall back on."
Employment
While monthly newscasts spotlight the nation's unemployment rate, the gross disparities across racial lines are often obscured from national conversation. In June 2012, black unemployment reached 14.6%; only 62% of African Americans have a job or actively searching for paid work. When we look at specific cities, we see a dire situation: in 2010, black unemployment in Los Angeles (19.7%), in Las Vegas was 21.4%, and in Detroit 24.7%. The situation for the often- cited black middle-class is equally dire. Whereas whites possessing a college degree face unemployment rates in the 4% range, African Americans graduates face 7% unemployment. Attributable to segregation, the practice of locking African Americans out of networks, a diploma isn't a pathway to the middle-class, challenging the adage that education is the great equalizer.
In 2003, Marianne Bertrand and Sendhil Mullainathan, both professors of economics at the MIT, found that applicants with "white sounding names" were 50% more likely to receive a callback after submitting a resume than were those with "black sounding names." In stark terms, whiteness was worth 8 years of work experience, revealing how it is determinant of one's job future; race impacts the prospect of being unemployed, a member of the "working class" or the "middle-class." In their study, "Are Emily and Greg More Employable than Lakisha and Jamal? A Field Experiment on Labor Market Discrimination," the authors argue: "While one may have expected that improved credentials may alleviate employers' fear that African-American applicants are deficient in some unobservable skills, this is not the case in our data. Discrimination therefore appears to bite twice, making it harder not only for African-Americans to find a job but also to improve their employability" ("Employers' Replies to Racial Names" 2003). In "Names Make a Difference," researchers at the Discrimination Research Center identified racial discrimination as a significant obstacle within the contemporary labor force. Researchers sent out 6,200 resumes to temporary employment agencies throughout California. Each applicant possessed similar qualifications. Applicants with Latino and white "sounding names" received callbacks more frequently than those presumed to be African American or South Asian/Arab American, who were called back the least frequently (Miller 2004). I guess it is difficult to build a middle-class when its prospective members are not employable; when middle-class status doesn't preclude discrimination in employment. The same applies when searching for housing (as I will discuss below). I guess qualifications and experiences mean something different when as revealed by Devah Praeger whites with felony convictions are more likely to be hired than African Americans without any criminal background. You can wish away these facts, and erase these experiences, but denial and silence will not lead to change. In part 2, I will return to this discussion in looking at housing and segregation.
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What is interesting is the statistics cited about Hispanics. Most lived as poor people, they are equally capable of being identified for racial discrimination and many have an additional of having a language barrier and/or are recent immigrants. Yet their average household wealth is higher than African Americans. The article is silent about blacks who are immigrants from Africa or the Caribbean and many of the black owned business are owned by this cohort. Barack Obama grew up outside of the typical African American experience (an apparently had an identiy crisis coming of age as a result).
However, as the African American middle class continues to grow, as parents develop wealth to pass onto their children along with the assumptions that make wealth possible, the income gap will begin to close. America has always been a work in progress and will continue to evolve.
I work in Corporate America and yeah.. The majority of blacks have a degree and experience and the whites in similar positions do not. That's how it is. My last job my white coworker would get angry and leave work WITHOUT permission all the time without his work being completed. Mgrs would come by asking where was he. They would bring me his work.
I knew if I did that, left without permission when I felt like it I would be fired. He was promoted.
Blacks should all seek to work for themselves. If no one will hire you, Hire Yourself. Shame most of the businesses in our communities are owned by Asians and Arabs who aren't black.
The more convenient route is for most to assume that there is something inherently wrong with Black people, that it is solely the fault of everything that everyone needs to imagine is wrong except for that simple truth that the playing field was never level. Some got to play some had to sit outside the fence and just watch.
"…In 1863 the Negro was told that he was free as a result of the Emancipation Proclamation being signed by Abraham Lincoln. But he was not given any land to make that freedom meaningful….
…And the irony of it all is that at the same time the nation failed to do anything for the black man, though an act of Congress was giving away millions of acres of land in the West and the Midwest. Which meant that it was willing to undergird its white peasants from Europe with an economic floor.
But not only did it give the land, it built land-grant colleges to teach them how to farm. Not only that, it provided county agents to further their expertise in farming; not only that, as the years unfolded it provided low interest rates so that they could mechanize their farms. And to this day thousands of these very persons are receiving millions of dollars in federal subsidies every years not to farm…"
MLK 1968:
http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/documentsentry/doc_remaining_awake_through_a_great_revolution
They are not talking about this problem, but it affects a lot of people and it needs to be addressed.
We are entering a period of everyone for themselves, even Whites are getting a taste of hardship, so complaints about racism, though valid, won't cut it now.
Everyone should look at their individual lives, and find ways to improve even if it is without outside help. Until we're 'individually strong', we can't collectively achieve our aims. The aim is not be hired, but to be the one doing the hiring.
I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that you have no idea of these things, but the information is easily available. Research "Black Wall St." and go from there.
However: The heck with that: This is my thought and what we do in my home
i do know that unless and until the Afrikan stands up and cleans up, that shackles and chains will always temper the lot It is time and past time to stop being the VICTIM. Manhhod training is required to be in my hood!
No more baby daddy BS, or running to other people for acceptance thereby abandoning the children and families..if u go elsewhere TAKE care of those who u father! manup!
No more taking every dime from every paycheck and throwing it away in strip joints watching women take your money Or spending your pennies on TOYS a new cell phone each month to look good and impress some airhead on welfare herself.
No more lies and deceit and FAKING THE FUNK! MANUP
Fact the grass is not greener everywhere men they leave their seed I say this
Be the change u want to see and man up
When i was with the CorpCounsel in DC in the 80's i saw that convicted felons esp white boys were chosen more than others for courthouse cleaning jobs, office cleaners and assignments with the DPW? The pay was 5.25 an hour and white men were paid $ 6:00? This resulted in a laws suit and a fight with EEOC /USLD
I also know this because a few of them had the decency to speak and also knew how to try get out of line with any sistah with a big butt?
Just like an Afrikan in the same predicament. However, the racial discrimination was clear in hiring and pay
We very seldom saw any Afrikan men pushing brooms or garbage cans during those times and many yrs after the MLK death. Why is that?? oooops already answered and i already know
great article F&F