a framework for understanding the causes of racial inequalities in 21 st century america

A Framework for A Framework for Understanding the Causes Understanding the Causes

of Racial Inequalities of Racial Inequalities in 21in 21stst Century America Century America

DISPARATE OUTCOMES

Source: Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project. 2006. http://depts.washington.edu/civilr2/slides/today/Equality_today.pdf

DISPARATE OUTCOMES

DISPARATE OUTCOMES

Source: U.S. Census Bureau. Educational Attainment in the United States: 2007. January 2009


Black males earn 2/3rds of what white males at the same education level earn.

DISPARATE OUTCOMES


DISPARATE OUTCOMES

DISPARATE OUTCOMES

Source: http://www.ofm.wa.gov/pop/poptrends/default.asp and http://www.doc.wa.gov/aboutdoc/statistics.asp

Why are Why are “race” “race” and “and “racism” racism” such difficult issues to grasp such difficult issues to grasp and deal with? and deal with? We are still struggling over the meanings of

race and equality We are reluctant to acknowledge the legacies

of our racial history and how much race has been a fundamental axis of social organization

We are proud of our civil rights accomplishments

We think of ourselves as an “equal opportunity” society where anyone who works hard enough can succeed

We often prefer to address symptoms rather than the roots of social problems

LEADERS WHO WORK ONLEADERS WHO WORK ON RACIAL EQUITY NEED… RACIAL EQUITY NEED…

A language to talk about race

A framework for understanding how race and ethnicity operate in modern America (post-civil rights legislation)

New ideas and strategies for reducing racial inequities in key opportunity domains and promoting racial equity

What is race and how do we What is race and how do we understand it?understand it?

No biological or scientific basis behind it

Best understood in social and political terms

Race is a “Social Construct”

New Language – New Language – we need to we need to identify and talk about:identify and talk about:

The ongoing advantages associated with being "white” – sometimes referred to as a white privilege

The ongoing disadvantages associated with being a person of “color”— which we refer to as structural racism

Common explanations of entrenched racial and/or ethnic disparity:

StructuralInstitutional Individual

How is structural racism How is structural racism different?different?

Racism at the individual or Racism at the individual or inter-group level:inter-group level:

• Personal prejudice

• Racial slurs, the n-word

• Inter-group tensions

• Diversity and multi-culturalism

• Cultural competence

• Personal prejudice

• Racial slurs, the n-word

• Inter-group tensions

• Diversity and multi-culturalism

• Cultural competence

…these are important,

and these

personal attitudes and beliefs color

decision-making and

actions.

…these are important,

and these

personal attitudes and beliefs color

decision-making and

actions.

Individual Racial Attitudes“Are racial disparities due to inborn learning ability?”

Source: General Social Surveys: 1972-2006. http://www.norc.org/GSS+Website/

Individual Racial Attitudes“Are racial disparities due to blacks’ lack of will?”


Individual Racial Attitudes“Would you favor a law against interracial marriage?”



Individual Racial Attitudes“Would you vote for a Black candidate for President?”

The bigger problem…The bigger problem…

Racism at the institutional and

structural levels

Institutional RacismInstitutional Racism

Examples of Institutional Examples of Institutional RacismRacism

Discriminatory practices, intentional or not

Redlining or “steering”

Occupational segregation

Racial profiling

Does racial profiling still exist?Does racial profiling still exist?

In 2002, Black and Hispanic drivers were stopped by police at the same rate as Whites.

The cover of this report from the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics might make you think that racial profiling is no longer a problem…

But the data inside tells a more complex But the data inside tells a more complex storystory

Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics. Contacts Between Police and the Public: Findings from the 2002 National Survey. April 2005.

Disparities Beneath the SurfaceDisparities Beneath the Surface

As the cover of the report advertised, police stopped black, white, and Hispanic drivers at roughly equal rates.

Even though black drivers were searched much more often than whites, searches of black drivers yielded less criminal evidence than one quarter as often as searches of white drivers.

However, among stopped drivers, police searched blacks and Hispanics roughly three times as often as whites.

Institutional Racism in Institutional Racism in EducationEducation

Source: The Education Trust. Core Problems: Out-of-Field Teaching in Key Academic Courses and High Poverty Schools. November 2008. Note: “Out-of-Field Instructors” refers to teachers without either a certification or major in the subject they teach.

The Net Job Loss for Black Workers was disproportionately high compared to white workers during the recession in the early

1990’s.

Institutional Racism in Employment

Source: Rochelle Sharpe. 1993. “Losing Ground: In Last Recession, Only Blacks Suffered Net Employment Loss” Wall Street Journal, (September).

Institutional Racism in EmploymentInstitutional Racism in Employment

Source: Sum, Andrew, Ishwar Khatiwada, and Joseph McLaughlin. The 2007-2009 Recession’s Impact on New England's African American Males. Communities and Banking . 2010.

Changes in New England Civilian Employment Age 16 and Older

2007-2009.

Institutional Racism: Institutional Racism: A Systems PerspectiveA Systems Perspective

Structural RacismStructural Racism

Histor

y

Attitudes

Valu

e

s

What is Structural Racism?What is Structural Racism?It describes the complex ways that

• history• national values• cultural representations

• public policies and institutional practices

interact to maintain racial hierarchy and inequitable racial group outcomes; so that privileges associated with “whiteness” and disadvantages associated with “color” to endure and adapt.

The Context: Dominant Consensus on Race

Current Manifestations: Social and Institutional Dynamics

Inequitable Outcomes in Major Opportunity Areas

Capacity for Individual and Community Improvement is Undermined

Production and Reproduction of Racial Inequities






WE ARE

HERE

Historically Accumulated White Historically Accumulated White PrivilegePrivilege

• quality education

• decent jobs

• livable wages

• home ownership

• retirement

benefits

Whites’ historical and contemporary advantages in access to:

… have helped create and sustain advantages in wealth accumulation.

What is White Privilege? What is White Privilege?

“As a white person, I had been taught about racism as something

that puts others at a disadvantage,

but had been taught not to see one of its corollary aspects, white

privilege, which puts me at an advantage.”

Peggy Macintosh, “White Privilege:

Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack.”

Net Worth by RaceNet Worth by Race

Source: Federal Reserve Bank of the United States. 2007 Survey of Consumer Finances Chartbook. May 6, 2009.10

Homeownership Rates by Race Homeownership Rates by Race Seattle – Everett Metropolitan Area, 2006Seattle – Everett Metropolitan Area, 2006

Source: Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project:. 2006. http://depts.washington.edu/civilr2/slides/today/Equality_today.pdf

Homeownership Values by Race Homeownership Values by Race Seattle –Everett Metropolitan Area, 2006Seattle –Everett Metropolitan Area, 2006


How do we explain this How do we explain this difference in wealth difference in wealth

accumulation? accumulation?

Parents/Grandparents of WHITE AMERICANS:

Parents/Grandparents of BLACK AMERICANS:

Had higher incomes/earned salaries

Accumulated retirement through union membership, participation in social security, etc.

Benefited from home ownership policies and were able to buy property in rising neighborhoods.

Had lower incomes because of educational segregation and discrimination in employment.

Were denied access to suburban real estate because of exclusionary brokering and community planning

Were denied low-interest Federal Housing Authority mortgage loans due to “redlining”

Recent Causes of Wealth DisparityRecent Causes of Wealth Disparity

• Wealth disparity is not merely a consequence of past policies, such as redlining and segregation. Current practices perpetuate it.

So, for example:

• The recent financial crisis was triggered, in part, by financial deregulation, which led to an increase in “subprime” mortgage lending.

• Subprime lending grew from 5 percent of the mortgage market in 1994 to 20 percent in 2005.

Racial Disparity in LendingRacial Disparity in Lending

Blacks and Hispanics received these loans at a much higher rate than whites.

Source: Robert B. Avery et al. “The 2006 HDMA Data.” The Federal Reserve Bulletin. December 21, 2007.

The Racial RemainderThe Racial Remainder

Credit ratings do not fully explain the disparity.

A 2004 study found that black borrowers were

more likely to receive higher-rate home purchase

and refinance loans than whites,

even while controlling for borrower credit score,

loan-to-value ratio, ability to document income,

and other underwriting factors.Source: Debbie Gruenstein Bocian et al. Unfair Lending: The Affect of Race and Ethnicity on the Price of Subprime Mortgages. Center for Responsible Lending. May 31, 2006.

Possible Explanations of DisparityPossible Explanations of Disparity

• Lack of banks in majority-minority communities, which leads minority borrowers towards higher-cost mortgage brokers.

• Prevalence of predatory mortgage brokers, who profit from selling high-interest loans, in poor minority communities.

• Lending criteria that consider the location of the property, and local delinquency rates, in setting interest rates.

• Lack of financial education and historical distrust of conventional lenders in minority communities, which leads borrowers to higher-costs brokers.

The Consequences for Minority The Consequences for Minority WealthWealth

A 2008 report from United for a Fair Economy estimates that the total loss of wealth for people of color from subprime loans

taken out between 2000 and 2008 will be between

$164 and $213 Billion.

Source: Amaad Rivera et al. Foreclosed: State of the Dream, 2008. United for a Fair Economy. January 15, 2008.

Structural Racism in Mortgage Finance

Homeowners in California seek assistance at an event to help people restructure high-risk loans (Washington Post, Dec 2009

Racially-neutral policy decisions to deregulate the financial sector, and thus enable high-cost, high-risk lending at a huge scale, interacted with existing inequalities to strip people of color of their wealth.






WE ARE

HERE

National Values

Such as:

Equal opportunity: • A “level playing field”

Meritocracy: • Advancement depends on talent and effort

Individualism/ Personal Responsibility: • Individual choices and behaviors determine outcomes

Often implies inherent laziness and a poor work ethic for

many people of color.

These views can be held by whites or POC

National ValuesFor too many people of color, these national values do not apply:

Equal Opportunit

y

Race: The Power of an Race: The Power of an IllusionIllusion25-minute

video






WE ARE

HERE

Societal norms, values and practices reinforce racial stereotypes and emphasize “innate” capacities of

different groups.

The media’s creation and perpetuation of racial stereotypes

has been particularly pernicious. For example…

Contemporary Culture

Cultural Representations in Cultural Representations in Television and Print NewsTelevision and Print News

76% of people say they form opinions about crime from the news

African Americans are over reported as perpetrators of crime

African Americans are presented as more threatening than their white counterparts

Paucity of positive information about and images of young men of color

Effects of Cultural Effects of Cultural RepresentationsRepresentations

Perceptions of weapon possession

Beliefs about perpetrators

Attitudes about crime and beliefs about race

Racial Attitudes: ViolenceRacial Attitudes: Violence

Prone Not Prone Neutral

Blacks 47.0 15.5 37.5Hispanics 37.4 18.5

44.1Asians 16.9 36.6 46.5White 21.4 30.7 47.9

Source: 2000 National Opinion Research Center General Social Survey as cited in Young Men of Color in the Media: Images and Impacts, Robert M. Entman 2006, pg. 7.

Racial Attitudes: IntelligenceRacial Attitudes: Intelligence

Unintelligent Intelligent Neutral

Blacks 21.9 29.6 48.5Hispanics 23.9 25.3 50.8Asians 10.5 49.8 39.7 White 6.7 52.4 40.9


Racial Attitudes: HardworkingRacial Attitudes: Hardworking

Lazy Hardworking Neutral

Blacks 34.3 22.0 43.7Hispanics 21.9 37.8

40.3Asians 10.9 57.2 31.9White 10.8 45.9 43.3


Perceptions of Young Black Perceptions of Young Black MenMen

• It becomes common sense to deny public resources, judge them differently

• People can point to culture as an individual not structural impediment to progress.

• These stereotypes are often recycled and have appeared in the past.

When people are seen as possessing “deficient” or “deviant” cultural practices:

Cultural Perceptions:Cultural Perceptions:“Everything’s in a Name”“Everything’s in a Name”

Percentage of applicants that received interview requests:

Common WHITE names

Source: Alan B. Krueger. Economic Scene: sticks and stones can break bones, but the wrong name can make a job hard to find. The New York Times. (December 1, 2002), C2.

Ebony 10.5%Latonya 9.1%Kenya 9.1%Latoya 8.8%Tanisha 6.3%Lakisha 5.5%Tamika 5.4%Keisha 3.8%Aisha 2.2%

Average 6.9%

Kristen 13.6%Carrie 13.1%Laurie 10.8%Meredith 10.6%Sarah 9.8%Allison 9.4%Jill 9.3%Anne 9.0%Emily 8.3%

Average 10.3%

Common BLACK names

Cultural Perceptions and School Cultural Perceptions and School DisciplinesDisciplines

Source: U.S. Department of Education. Civil Rights Data Collection: 2006. http://ocrdata.ed.gov/ocr2006rv30/wdsdata.html

Influence of Cultural Perceptions in Influence of Cultural Perceptions in determining outcomes in opportunity determining outcomes in opportunity

domainsdomains

Source: The Civil Rights Project. “Opportunities Suspended: The Devastating Consequences of Zero Tolerance and School Discipline.” Harvard University. (2000): P.8.

Internalized White PrivilegeInternalized White Privilege

“…an invisible package of unearned assets which I can count on cashing in each day, but about which I was meant to remain oblivious….”

- Peggy Macintosh, “White Privilege:

Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack.”

Contents of a KnapsackContents of a Knapsack• I can go shopping alone most of the time, pretty well

assured that I will not be followed or harassed.

• I can turn on the television or open to the front page of the paper and see people of my race widely represented.

• I am never asked to speak for all the people of my racial group.

• I can if I wish arrange to be in the company of people of my race most of the time.

• If a traffic cop pulls me over or if the IRS audits my tax return, I can be sure I haven't been singled out because of my race.

• I do not have to educate my children to be aware of systemic racism for their own daily physical protection.

Internalized Oppression Internalized Oppression by African Americansby African Americans

“Stereotype Threat”

• African American students perform as well as their white peers on exams when they are told the test is merely an exercise

• They perform more poorly than their white peers when told that the exam is intended to assess their competence and intelligence

Source: http://www.ReduceStereotypeThreat.org

A Class DividedA Class Divided15-minute

video

BREAKBREAK






WE ARE

HERE

Social Processes that Maintain Racial Hierarchies

Progress and Retrenchment:

Progress has been made through major “racial equality” victories

Gains on some fronts are often challenged, neutralized or undermined.

Significant backlashes develop in key public policy areas .

BUT

Structural Racism Structural Racism is reconstructed is reconstructed and preserved through various social and preserved through various social processes such as: processes such as:

Marginalization

Social Isolation & Exclusion

Exploitation

SortingIncluded

but relegated

Notincluded

Taken advantage

of

Spatial,Institutional,

&Individual






WE ARE

HERE

What does the Structural Racism Framework mean for people who

want to reduce inequalities?



It means four types of changes in the way we work:

• Internal change

• Policy change

• Practice change

• Cultural/representational change




want to reduce inequalities? “Internal” Change

Accepting and establishing racial equity as a central tenet and operating principle in our work to improve outcomes for youth and in our internal work environment.

For example: Focus not just on improving outcomes for all but also on

reducing racial gaps

Focus not just on diversity in the workplace, but also on racial equity in opportunities for advancement and leadership

Also… We believe it is important to align your internal work policies and

practices with your external work so that the theme of racial equity is consistent.





“Policy” change:Working on the fundamental rules of the

game within your organization and your field, and not shrinking from challenging traditional power bases and networks.

For example:• Focus on the fundamental distribution of resources in

terms of money, infrastructure, and opportunities within your organization and outside your organization by examining its programs and alliances



“Practice” Change:Focusing carefully on all of the ways in

which standard practices reproduce – or fail to counteract – racially disparate outcomes.

For example:• Critically examine informal practices within your

organization and their impact on racial and ethnic minorities (e.g. mentoring, access to positions which lead to leadership opportunities, visibility etc.)





“Cultural” or “representational” change:

Reframing and changing stereotypical messages, images and interpretations of information about people of color.

For Example:• Challenge assumptions that employees, board members,

policymakers, the citizens of our communities, and other key actors bring to discussions about people of color because these assumptions “frame” how problems are perceived and how solutions are developed.

A Girl Like MeA Girl Like Me7-minute

video

Thank You

The Aspen InstituteRoundtable on Community Change281 Park Avenue South, 5th Floor

New York, NY 10010(212) 677-5510

a framework for understanding the causes of racial inequalities in 21 st century america

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