it appears public administrators have done a poor job of discussing race. For instance, scholars have demonstrated a dearth of race-related academic writing stemming from the field of public administration (Alexander, 1997, Alexander & Stivers, 2010; Witt, 2011) which is disconcerting considering the role of race in America. Scholarly work retains the capacity to lay the groundwork for current and future public administration teachings. With a lack of literature concerning how race and public administration coincide issues may be continuous. Admittedly, public administration plays a small role in the ecosystem of racism and discrimination but the role is important. Alexander writes:
I contend that current approaches have facilitated an avoidance
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Essentially, discrimination is the Otherization of classes and comprehending the tenants of Otherization engenders comprehension of discrimination. For instance, there are several key themes in the Otherization process, one of which is the “Reality of Everyday Life.” Farmbry suggests “The most important direct interaction within the context of the reality of everyday life is face-to-face interaction” (2009, Kindle Locations 362-363). Essentially, when we interact with individuals they become tangible while those we do not interact with are mere “abstractions” (Farmbry, 2009, Kindle location 364). These abstractions are based on preconceptions, memories, and socializations which may yield unconscious bias. In concert with the ”Reality of Everday Life”, a recent study has demonstrated that “. . . brief personal interactions with strangers could markedly and enduringly reduce prejudice in a field setting” (Broockman & Kalla, 2016, p.223). These results are promising and suggest that public administrators engaging in face-to-face contact with the community may have personal positive impacts and lasting positive impacts on the community. Thus, public administrators ought to prioritize interactions with groups they traditionally have little contact with in order to attain a true representation of that group within their worldview. If public administrators choose to disregard …show more content…
Author, Ta-Nehesi Coates is the foremost black intellectual in the country and his frank discussion of race have stirred dramatic discourse which is the first step in destigmatizing the topic. Coates essay, “The Case for Reparations” explores how slavery, Jim Crow laws, and housing policy produced widespread inequality within the Black community (2014). Coates opinions resonated with more than just the Black community and caused an uproar. Additional Coates essays, such as “The Black Family in the age of Mass Incarceration” depict the black community as a victim of racist policies stemming from the infamous Moynihan Report (2015). Harmful ideas from the Moynihan Report, such as the notion the black family is to blame for the black community’s ills, are still prevalent today. These ideas may be self-perpetuating and must be addressed. With that in mind, stereotype threat is the theory individuals often self-fulfill stereotypes if they are reminded they have been categorized as that stereotype. Steel and Aronson found that African American students do worse on standardized tests when primed with the information they were being compared to white counterparts (1995). To prevent self-perpetuating stereotypes and stereotype threat discourse concerning race must occur. Coates essays are beneficial in advancing the idea that the misfortunes of the black community are due in large
From the study, Michelle Alexander’s argument is true and correct that the mass incarcerations are just a representation of Jim Crow. The Jim Crow has just been redesigned as the blacks have continued to be mistreated and denied some of the rights and privileges that their counterparts enjoy. There is discernment against the African Americans towards different privileges which are essential to their lives. This discrimination is political as leaders steer operations that are aimed at racially discriminating people from particular groups of race.
In his essay, “On Being Black and Middle Class” (1988), writer and middle-class black American, Shelby Steele adopts a concerned tone in order to argue that because of the social conflicts that arise pertaining to black heritage and middle class wealth, individuals that fit under both of these statuses are ostracized. Steele proposes that the solution to this ostracization is for people to individualize themselves, and to ‘“move beyond the victim-focused black identity” (611). Steele supports his assertion by using evidence from his own life and incorporating social patterns to his text. To reach his intended audience of middle-class, black people, Steele’s utilizes casual yet, imperative diction.
He believes that because of what past generations have endured and the lack of freedom that was given to blacks, they were not provided the same rights and were looked at as inferior human beings. Social matters, such as mass incarceration of blacks and the idea that black people are criminals, stem from the disparity between races as explained by Coates who emphasizes, “blacks who could not find work were labeled vagrants and sent to jail, where they were leased as labor to the very people who had once enslaved them” (Coates). The situation did not change even when they were freed from enslavement as blacks were not able to live the same as the white people. This reinforced blacks being inferior as they were not given the same opportunities as white people had. To this day, many black men looking for jobs struggle with the same disadvantages that existed years ago. They are targeted by the criminal justice system, and once they have a criminal history, it is hard for them to find jobs. Unfortunately, even with a clean record it is still difficult for black men to find jobs since, “the job market in America regards black men who have never been criminals as though they were” (Coates). Coates draws parallels between incarceration and slavery, but also provides explanation as to why minorities find themselves with certain unequal and employment
Social and financial status have been the safety net or “go to” protection for African American people for many years back, leading one to assume education and an affluent life style could become a shield of protection over the black body. However, society has proven that your safety net ends where your skin begins. No matter how rich or established a person is, the fact will remain that they are black. Ta- Nehisi Coates describes his life growing up the ghettos of Baltimore. Throughout his book, Ta-Nehisi Coates repeatedly emphasizes that growing up his, “highest priority was the simple security of my body,” (p.130) Then he goes on to describe how his wife grew up in a more affluent and privileged lifestyle, a lifestyle that
Though slavery was arguably abolished, “for thousands of blacks, the badge of slavery [lives] on” (Alexander 141). Many young black men today face similar discrimination as a black man in the Jim Crow era - in housing, employment, public benefits, and so-called constitutional rights. This discrimination characterizes itself on a basis of a person’s criminal record, making it perfectly legal. As Alexander suggests, “This is the new normal, the new racial equilibrium” (Alexander, 181).
“…Everybody jumped on him, and beat him senseless… Everybody was hitting him or kicking him. One guy was kicking at his spine. Another guy was hitting him on the side of his face… he was unconscious. He was bleeding. Everybody had blood on their forearms. We ran back up the hill laughing… He should have died… He lost so much blood he turned white. He got what he deserved…” (Ridgeway 167). The skinheads who were beating this man up had no reason to do so except for the fact that he was Mexican. Racism in this day and age is still as big of a problem as it was in the past, and as long as hate groups are still around to promote violence, society is never going to grow to love one another.
In public schools, students are subjected to acts of institutional racism that may change how they interact with other students. In the short story “Drinking Coffee Elsewhere” by Packer, readers are allowed to view firsthand how institutionalized racism affects Dina, who is the main character in the story. Packer states “As a person of color, you shouldn’t have to fit in any white, patriarchal system” (Drinking Coffee Elsewhere 117). The article “Disguised Racism in Public Schools” by Brodbelt states “first, the attitudes of teachers toward minority group pupils” (Brodbelt 699). Like the ideas in the article “Disguised Racism in Public Schools” Dina encounters institutionalized oppression on orientation day at Yale.
For as long as I can remember, racial injustice has been the topic of discussion amongst the American nation. A nation commercializing itself as being free and having equality for all, however, one questions how this is true when every other day on the news we hear about the injustices and discriminations of one race over another. Eula Biss published an essay called “White Debt” which unveils her thoughts on discrimination and what she believes white Americans owe, the debt they owe, to a dark past that essentially provided what is out there today. Ta-Nehisi Coates published “Between the World and Me,” offering his perspective about “the Dream” that Americans want, the fear that he faced being black growing up and that black bodies are what
Ghettos, low-riders, hip-hop, rap, drugs and crime, it has got to be a Black man right? Saggy pants, unintelligible language, lazy, and the lists continue to both stereotype and describe Blacks. Do Black Americans perpetuate their own discrimination? Are Black Americans creating their own low status in society? Black people around the world have been hypnotized into believing all their failures in life are due to discrimination, but are they correct? Blacks are often their own worst enemies, often the cause of their own disasters, and many don’t see that until it’s too late, if ever. Discrimination and prejudice are imposed upon Blacks, often because the culture they live in is not “acceptable” to the dominant society. On the other hand, an understandable reason for Blacks actions is often due to unattainable opportunities towards the American Dream.
Alexander (2010) describes the New Jim Crow as a moment where society have already internalized the stereotypes of African American men as violent and more likely to commit crimes and where mass incarceration has been normalized – especially in poor areas– . That is, today is seen as normal that black parents are missing in their homes because they are in institutions of control (p.181). She also stresses American society denies racism when they assume the justice system works. Therefore, she claims that “mass incarceration is colorblind” (p.183). American society does not see the race biased within the institutions of control.
It can be argued that there is no way a person can develop positive self-expectations and self-mastery if they are daily being feed negative views of how society sees them. Societal expectations play a role in this development. Negative images of African American males are constantly being viewed in the media creating a source of negative stereotypes (Jackson and Moore 2008). Along with the negative images there is poverty. Among African Americans, poverty can be seen in the neighborhoods that they grow up in. The neighborhoods are frequently characterized by high rates of crime, joblessness, social isolation and few resources for child development (Brooks-Gunn, Duncan, Klebanov, & Sealand 1993). Incarceration is factor that also affects African American males more than their white counterparts. In a study by Bruce Western and Christopher Wildeman it was found that “around one in five African American men exp...
In this paper I will argue that America should pay reparations to black communities that have suffered most from institutionalized racism. My view is not that reparations should be paid via checks mailed by the federal government, of an undeterminable sum, to families that are most eligible, but rather, through changes in policy. These policies would tackle racial inequality at it most obvious sources, the wage gap, the mistreatment of black Americans by our criminal justice system, quality of education, and the disparity in housing between black and white Americans.
...tory, racism been present through issues of politics, philosophy, and other facets of life. Mills brought attention to the separation of black and white philosophy based upon the certain values that existed between the two races during the times of racial discrimination. He also used the theory of the racial polity in order to explain issues such as imperialism and colonialism. Ta-Nehisi Coates focused on more intimate cases of discrimination through the eyes of figures like Clyde Ross, who faced the devastating effects of redlining in his community. Although the government’s plan of redlining certain areas has passed, the consequences of it have ruined the demographics that appeal to a community. By looking more carefully at the African American experience from a philosophical perspective, one may more fully understand the significance of reconceptualizing politics.
Wilson’s focused on the importance of the separation of public administration from the political ramifications. He articulates how colleges have recognized the need for in depth studies of public administration, apart from politics.
Public administration as a field of study and as a practice has continually evolved with American society. The United States has survived and thrived through major cultural shifts, varying degrees of economic climates, and both civil and world wars. Through out all these changes in our country, one thing has always remained the same, the fact that we are an ever evolving and always changing nation. Theories and forms of practice of public administration have also evolved parallel with the history of the United States. There have been numerous events in American history have lead to changes in society and the practice of public administration has both led and followed in the adaptation process of such monumental changes.