Throughout American history, there have been plenty of attempts to demonize marginalized communities by using underhanded methods. In many cases, it is common for those with authority to purposefully create hardships and abuse people in less fortunate situations as a means to maintain their position of power. The monsterization of Black communities, perpetuated through redlining and reinforced by political rhetoric, constitutes a deliberate strategy employed by institutions in power to maintain the status quo of white supremacy in the United States. The practice of redlining puts black families at a disadvantage in finding decent housing and healthcare, exacerbating socioeconomic disparities and perpetuating cycles of poverty and marginalization. …show more content…
Politicians and media outlets have often used fear-mongering tactics and coded language to scapegoat Black individuals and communities for social problems. This demonization not only reinforces negative stereotypes but also justifies discriminatory policies and practices, further marginalizing Black people and perpetuating systemic inequalities. The consequences of this monsterization are profound and enduring. Black communities continue to experience disproportionate rates of poverty, unemployment, inadequate housing, and limited access to quality healthcare and education (Egede). The intergenerational trauma resulting from centuries of systemic racism allows these disparities to continue and traps Black individuals and communities in cycles of disadvantage and marginalization. Addressing the monsterization of Black communities requires comprehensive approaches that address both the root causes and manifestations of systemic racism. First and foremost, policymakers must enact legislation to dismantle discriminatory practices such as redlining and ensure equity in access to housing, healthcare, education, and economic opportunities. In less desirable communities, affordable housing has been …show more content…
Those who grew up during the civil rights movement may argue that further solutions for the perpetuation of racism are not necessary because of the vast improvements they witnessed between 1940 to 2024. Individuals with this viewpoint may point to policies such as the Fair Housing Act, a key piece of legislation that was meant to undo decades of systematic racism (von Kempelen). The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination based on race, color, region, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, disability, or familial status (ibid). The Fair Housing Act includes: renting a house, buying a house, getting a mortgage, appraisals, and homeowners insurance (ibid). The Fair Housing Act may have been a step in the right direction, however, it is a flawed solution, as it completely ignores the results of hundreds of years of systematic oppression that had already occurred, causing millions of black
This book will give you an understanding of how structural racism among blacks is installed throughout history. The system is created to make sure the subject matter, blacks, in this case, are subjected to fail. The crack epidemic in a Chicago neighborhood was only the beginning. Since the first day of this course the terms, drugs and crime have been introduced as not only enemies to society but good friends for the government.
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.
The Author transitions the past and present signatures of Jim Crow and the New Jim Crow with the suggestion that the New Jim Crow, by mass incarceration and racism as a whole, marginalizes and relegates Blacks to residential, educational and constitutionally endowed service to the Country. The final chapter of The New Jim Crow reviews the manner in which the Black community might respond to the racism that exists today. Some research implies that we in America have reached a point of attrition as to incarceration, and the positive effects outweigh the negative effects of marginalization and collateral damage to the community. By some research, the "War on Drugs" procreates poverty, joblessness, family breakdown, and crime.
In the level of institutionalized racism, it is what all community organizers strive to overcome. This form of racism entails the power and access to materials that everyone should be able to obtain. When there is racism involved, there is a level of differentiation in the access that each race is entitled to. For example, Blacks have less access to nutritional food and health care when the live in an urban residential area. These inequities are the result of an institutionalized difference between racial groups and it may lead to health disparities. Dr. Jones believes that the root of association between socioeconomic status and race in the United States is in direct correlation to this form of racism.
She argues that segregation has larger implications than just material goods, so programs that merely redistribute these goods do not fully solve the problem. She discusses three additional effects that only integration can mitigate: “ social/cultural capital inequality, racial stigmatization, and anti-democratic effects” (Anderson 2). Anderson points out that members of isolated communities do not receive similar opportunities, “[undermining] disadvantaged groups’ accumulation of the cultural capital needed for advancement” (2). In addition, she argues that geographic isolation reinforces negative stereotypes, functioning to stigmatize minorities or members of out-groups in general. Racial stigmas do not just occur only with extremist thinking. Anderson points out that, “even people who consciously reject anti-black stereotypes have been found to discriminate against blacks” (17). She finally argues that segregation causes a lack of “both communication and accountability” between political elites and isolated minorities (17). Not only are these three effects byproducts of community separation, but they cannot be fixed simply by moving resources around. Anderson contends that integration is the only answer and is enacted through stages of formal desegregation, spatial integration, and formal social integration. These steps are the only way to ensure that isolated minorities will have equality under law, sharing of public institutions such as schools, and cooperation within those institutions leading to better
“The New Jim Crow” is an article by Michelle Alexander, published by the Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law. Michelle is a professor at the Ohio State Moritz college of criminal law as well as a civil rights advocate. Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law is part of the world’s top education system, is accredited by the American Bar Association, and is a long-time member of the American Law association. The goal of “The New Jim Crow” is to inform the public about the issues of race in our country, especially our legal system. The article is written in plain English, so the common person can fully understand it, but it also remains very professional. Throughout the article, Alexander provides factual information about racial issues in our country. She relates them back to the Jim Crow era and explains how the large social problem affects individual lives of people of color all over the country. By doing this, Alexander appeals to the reader’s ethos, logos, and pathos, forming a persuasive essay that shifts the understanding and opinions of all readers.
While whites lived comfortable lives in their extravagant mansions and driving their fancy cars blacks had to live in a disease infested neighborhood with no electricity or in door plumbing. Approximately one thousand people lived in shacks that were squeezed together in a one-mile zone. The alleys were filled with dirt, rats, human wasted and diseases. Blacks lived in houses made of “old whitewash, a leaking ceiling of rusted Inx propped up by a thin wall of crumbling adobe bricks, two tiny windows made of cardboard and pieces of glass, a creaky, termite-eaten door low for a person of average height to pass through...and a floor made of patches of cement earth”(31). Living in such a degrading environment kills self-esteem, lowers work ethic and leaves no hope for the future.
Today, more African American adults are under correctional control than were enslaved in 1850, a decade before the Civil War began (Alexander 180). Throughout history, there have been multiple racial caste systems in the United States. In her book The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, Michelle Alexander defines a “racial caste” as “a racial group locked into an inferior position by law and custom” (12). Alexander argues that both Jim Crow and slavery functioned as racial caste systems, and that our current system of mass incarceration functions as a similar caste system, which she labels “The New Jim Crow”. There is now a silent Jim Crow in our nation.
For 75 years following reconstruction the United States made little advancement towards racial equality. Many parts of the nation enacted Jim Crowe laws making separation of the races not just a matter of practice but a matter of law. The laws were implemented with the explicit purpose of keeping black American’s from being able to enjoy the rights and freedoms their white counterparts took for granted. Despite the efforts of so many nameless forgotten heroes, the fate of African Americans seemed to be in the hands of a racist society bent on keeping them down; however that all began to change following World War II. Thousands of African American men returned from Europe with a renewed purpose and determined to break the proverbial chains segregation had keep them in since the end of the American Civil War. With a piece of Civil Rights legislation in 1957, the federal government took its first step towards breaking the bonds that had held too many citizens down for far too long. The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was a watered down version of the law initially proposed but what has been perceived as a small step towards correcting the mistakes of the past was actually a giant leap forward for a nation still stuck in the muck of racial division. What some historians have dismissed as an insignificant and weak act was perhaps the most important law passed during the nation’s civil rights movement, because it was the first and that cannot be underestimated.
The New Jim Crow primarily appeals to more mature audiences consisting of young adults and adults of various socioeconomic backgrounds and races, those already incarcerated, policy makers, and those that are skeptical about these racial issues in the criminal justice system. While it may seem that Alexander’s book limits readers by forcing them to formulate their own interpretation of the information presented which can ultimately downplay the severity of the issues at hand, her substantial amount of credible facts and statistics forces the reader to step out of their comfort zone and truly visualize the staggering statistics presented. While The House I Live In and The New Jim Crow are both effective and complement one another, Alexander’s use of concrete statistics and factual information fails to dominate the heavy use of imagery and ethical appeals Jarecki’s uses in conjunction with the statistics presented in his
Throughout the years, the black community has been looked down upon as a community of criminals and a community of lesser educated and poor who have a lesser purpose in life. Journalist Brent Staples, the author of Black Men And Public Spaces, takes us into his own thoughts as a young black man growing up in Chester, Pennsylvania to becoming a journalist in New York City. He tells us his own challenges that he faces on a daily basis along with challenges that many black men his own age faced and the way he changed in order to minimize the tension between himself and the common white person. Growing up in the post-segregation era was a challenge for most blacks. Having the same rights and privileges as many white Americans, but still fighting for the sense of equality, was a brick wall that many blacks had to overcome.
Housing segregation is as the taken for granted to any feature of urban life in the United States (Squires, Friedman, & Siadat, 2001). It is the application of denying minority groups, especially African Americans, equal access to housing through misinterpretation, which denies people of color finance services and opportunities to afford decent housing. Caucasians usually live in areas that are mostly white communities. However, African Americans are most likely lives in areas that are racially combines with African Americans and Hispanics. A miscommunication of property owners not giving African American groups gives an accurate description of available housing for a decent area. This book focuses on various concepts that relates to housing segregation and minority groups living apart for the majority group.
If more research about America’s racist history was conducted, there could be a more accurate understanding of our current society, specifically race relations. It is imperative for a nation to acknowledge and understand it’s past in order to truly progress. America tends to hide its history because of guilt. This guilt leads to the teaching of revised history, which is detrimental to contemporary society because it leaves out crucial events that should have been learning instances. For example, if people do not understand or even know what redlining is or how it affected black people, then they would not understand black people’s current status in America. Redlining is the practice of denying services, either directly or through selectively raising prices, to residents of certain areas based on the racial or ethnic makeups of those areas. Redlining was exercised through financial services such as banking and insurance services. Banks denied black people mortgages because of racism. This impeded the development of black wealth. A person who doesn’t know this history may blame the current economic state of black people on laziness or incompetence, but in reality the systemic oppression of racism is to blame. Research and data could be used to debunk harmful myths associated with black
Although discrimination against minorities, such as Latinos, Asians, and Native Americans exists, residential segregation is imposed on African-Americans at a highly sustained level, more than any other racial or ethnic group in American society. “Blacks continue to live apart from whites; of all minorities, blacks are most segregated from whites. ‘They are also more segregated from whites than any other ethnic group has ever been segregated. The most well-off blacks find themselves more segregated than even the poorest Hispanics’” (Swain 214). Thus, it is evident that segregation imposed upon African-Americans subsists at a level that is not comparable to that experience by other minorities.
From slavery to Jim Crow, the impact of racial discrimination has had a long lasting influence on the lives of African Americans. While inequality is by no means a new concept within the United States, the after effects have continued to have an unmatched impact on the racial disparities in society. Specifically, in the housing market, as residential segregation persists along racial and ethnic lines. Moreover, limiting the resources available to black communities such as homeownership, quality education, and wealth accumulation. Essentially leaving African Americans with an unequal access of resources and greatly affecting their ability to move upward in society due to being segregated in impoverished neighborhoods. Thus, residential segregation plays a significant role in