Racism and African-American Poverty

Picture taken from linked article.

I highly recommend this article for anyone engaged in discussions on race in America:

Black Poverty Is Rooted in Real-Estate Exploitation

This article is a must read. It does a fantastic job explaining succinctly so many of the themes we've been talking about on this site regarding racism.

Redistribution of Wealth

Many in the U.S. don't like the term "redistribution of wealth." They say it sounds "socialist." However, the U.S. has been engaging in redistribution of wealth through its entire history. Slavery literally stole the labor, the freedom, the lives and family structures of millions of people. The theft was not merely financial. This continued through oppressive Jim Crow laws. It continued even after Civil Rights became the law of the land 50 years ago through housing practices that literally stole wealth from African Americans. The linked article above makes this case so well.

Despite Civil Rights legislation, there has not been a massive move of African Americans out of poverty into the middle and upper classes. Some individuals managed to achieve this, but it was largely unavailable to the vast majority. Why? 

One of the primary ways to "move up" in the U.S. is through home ownership. As you can see in the linked article, black people have faced very different housing and finance options compared to white people. This has has very real, tangible, visceral results.

Booming Economy?

They say the economy now is booming--the stock market may be going up and there are available jobs, but that doesn't translate into a better standard of living for the vast majority: 

*    Wages have been stagnant since the 1970s.

*    Young people are finding jobs that pay $10/hour but require college degrees. 

*    Those college degrees mean that a person in their early 20s is often saddled with the equivalent of a home loan in student loans--nothing any previous generation has had to face.

*    Retirement options are minimal and pension plans are virtually nonexistent. 

*    Many do not have full access to health care, and those that do often go into bankruptcy in order to get it.  

STILL, the white people I know do fare better than African Americans. Why? Inheritance.

I've seen this play out with people I know. I know a white couple who run an organic farm. They moved onto land that the husbands's parents owned. There is no way they could have acquired land with only their own money or credit. So even in a tough economy, white people are faring better because so many have access to houses or land that they got from their parents and grandparents. Since black people largely do not have this option, they struggle far more. This white couple are able to use this inherited land to establish a business and perhaps build equity.

As you can see in the linked article, home and land ownership was far more difficult for black people to get than for white people. These policies continue to have a lasting effect for generations, even if cases were the policies themselves are no longer in effect.

It's not just Home Ownership

There are certainly other reasons for disparity along racial lines in America. Mass incarceration and the well-documented disproportionate treatment of black people in every stage of the criminal justice system factors heavily. So is implicit bias and other covert forms of racism that impact everything from a sense of belonging in this country to getting jobs and securing higher salaries.

Individualism in the White Community

So white people: Before you take too much credit for "pulling yourself up by the bootstraps" and claiming you achieved so much with "no one helping you," first make sure that is actually accurate. You most likely did work hard and you did struggle. No one is going to deny your right to say this. But you also had help that a black person in the same situation would not have had: In the case of the linked article above, that help included reasonable home loans, the G.I. Bill, sensible financing options, access to any neighborhood you wanted to live or conduct your business, etc. 

All of these translate very directly into upward class mobility, and their impact lasts for generations. Case in point: Most wealth in America is inherited (at least 60% of private wealth according to this link), NOT earned by the individuals who have it.

We white people can be humble about this and give thanks to the community and nation that supported our goals and work hard to make sure that all of our sisters and brothers have those same opportunities that we had.