a framework for understanding the causes of racial inequities in 21 st century america
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A FRAMEWORK FOR UNDERSTANDING THE CAUSES OF RACIAL INEQUITIES IN 21 ST CENTURY AMERICA. Presented by: The Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change Anne Kubisch, Keith Lawrence, Raymond Codrington October 2, 2012 Detroit, MI. OUR AGENDA FOR TODAY:. A language to talk about race - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
A FRAMEWORK FOR UNDERSTANDING THE CAUSES OF RACIAL INEQUITIES
IN 21ST CENTURY AMERICA
Presented by:The Aspen Institute
Roundtable on Community ChangeAnne Kubisch, Keith Lawrence, Raymond
CodringtonOctober 2, 2012
Detroit, MI
OUR AGENDA FOR TODAY:A language to talk about race
A framework for understanding how race and ethnicity operate in contemporary America (post-civil rights legislation)
New ideas and strategies for promoting racial equity
What is race and how do we understand it?
“A social construct”
No biological or scientific basis behind it
Best understood in social and political terms
New Language – we need to 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
Source: Kaiser Family Foundation State Health Facts. http://www.statehealthfacts.org/profileind.jsp?cmprgn=1&cat=1&rgn=24&ind=14&sub=2
Black Hispanic Other White0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%
14%4% 5%
76%
41%33%
20%15%
Percent of Michigan Population Liv-ing Under the Poverty Line by Race
(2010)
Percentage of population Percentage living in poverty
Black/ African American
Hispanic or Latino
White Asian0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
100%
Racial Disparities in Michigan High School Graduation Rates (2009)
Dropout Will not graduate on timeOn track to graduate
Source: Race Matters for Michigan Children, 2011. http://www.michiganschildren.org/Equity
Common explanations of entrenched racial and/or ethnic disparity:
StructuralInstitutional Individual
How is structural racism different?
Racism at the individual or inter-group level:
• Personal prejudice• Racial slurs, the n-word• Inter-group tensionsSolution strategies include:
• Diversity and multi-culturalism
• Cultural competence
…these are important,
and these
personal attitudes and beliefs color
decision-making and
actions.
The bigger problem…
Racism at the institutional and
structural levels
Institutional RacismEduca-
tion
Employ-ment
Housing
Environ-ment
Criminal Justice
Health
Examples of Institutional Racism
Discriminatory practices, intentional or not
Redlining or “steering”Occupational segregationRacial profiling
One example: Racial profiling
0.00%4.00%8.00%
12.00%16.00%
Police Traffic Stops, Searches & Outcomes, by Race/Ethnicity
WhiteBlackHispanic
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics. Contacts Between Police and the Public: Findings from the 2002 National Survey. April 2005.
Institutional Racism: A Systems Perspective
Educa-tion
Employ-ment
Housing
Environ-ment
Criminal Justice
Health
Structural Racism
Hist
ory
CultureValues
Educa-tion
Employ-ment
Housing
Environ-ment
Criminal
Justice
Health
What is Structural Racism?It describes the complex ways that
history, public policies, institutional practices
and cultural representations (e.g., stereotypes, norms)
interact to maintain racial hierarchy and inequitable racial group outcomes; thereby
allowing privileges associated with “whiteness”
and disadvantages associated with “color”
to endure and adapt.
Structural Racism and Racial Inequities
Contemporary Culture
Historically Accumulated
White PrivilegeNational Values
Social Processes Maintaining
RacialHierarchies
Institutional Racism & Inter-Institutional Interactions
Production & Reproduction of Racial Inequities
Knowledge or Ideological Context
Social Manifestations
Institutional Manifestations
Education
Environment
Employment
Housing
Health
CriminalJustice
Structural Racism and Racial Inequities
Contemporary Culture
Historically Accumulated
White PrivilegeNational Values
Social Processes Maintaining
RacialHierarchies
Institutional Racism & Inter-Institutional Interactions
Production & Reproduction of Racial Inequities
Knowledge or Ideological Context
Social Manifestations
Institutional Manifestations
Education
Environment
Employment
Housing
Health
CriminalJustice
WE ARE
HERE
Historically Accumulated White Privilege
• 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.
Since the “Great Recession,” wealth gap widest in 25 yrsWhite net worth = 20 X wealth of Blacks; 18 X wealth of HispanicsIn 2009, one-quarter of all Black, Hispanic households had ZERO assets.
Source: Pew Research CenterPew Social & Demographic Trends ReportWealth Gaps Rise to Record Highs Between Whites, Blacks, Hispanics July 26,2011
Net Worth by Race
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”
Structural Racism and Racial Inequities
Contemporary Culture
Historically Accumulated
White PrivilegeNational Values
Social Processes Maintaining
RacialHierarchies
Institutional Racism & Inter-Institutional Interactions
Production & Reproduction of Racial Inequities
Knowledge or Ideological Context
Social Manifestations
Institutional Manifestations
Education
Environment
Employment
Housing
Health
CriminalJustice
WE ARE
HERE
National ValuesSuch 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
yReinforces the
myth that individual skills and effort wholly
determine outcomes
Negates the material and psychological advantages of some groups
Structural Racism and Racial Inequities
Contemporary Culture
Historically Accumulated
White PrivilegeNational Values
Social Processes Maintaining
RacialHierarchies
Institutional Racism & Inter-Institutional Interactions
Production & Reproduction of Racial Inequities
Knowledge or Ideological Context
Social Manifestations
Institutional Manifestations
Education
Environment
Employment
Housing
Health
CriminalJustice
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
Perceptions of Young Black Men
• 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:“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 Latonya
Kenya Latoya TanishaLakishaTamikaKeishaAisha
Average6.9%
KristenCarrieLaurieMeredith
Sarah Allison Jill
Anne Emily
Average10.3%
Common BLACK names
Influence of Cultural Perceptions in determining outcomes in opportunity
domains
Source: The Civil Rights Project. “Opportunities Suspended: The Devastating Consequences of Zero Tolerance and School Discipline.” Harvard University. (2000): P.8.
Internalized 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 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 by 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
Structural Racism and Racial Inequities
Contemporary Culture
Historically Accumulated
White PrivilegeNational Values
Social Processes Maintaining
RacialHierarchies
Institutional Racism & Inter-Institutional Interactions
Production & Reproduction of Racial Inequities
Knowledge or Ideological Context
Social Manifestations
Institutional Manifestations
Education
Environment
Employment
Housing
Health
CriminalJustice
WE ARE
HERE
Structural Racism is reconstructed and preserved through various sorting processes, such as …
Marginalization
Social Isolation & Exclusion
Exploitation
Included but
relegated
Notincluded
Taken advantage
of
… that often reposition groups of color … rather than eliminate racial hierarchy.
Latin Americans – Examples of exclusion, marginalization, exploitationPressure to deport illegal Mexican workersSouthern border fencePeriodic “English only” campaignsCommunity mobilizations against “day
laborers.” Occupation segregation, e.g., Mexicans
relegated to low-wage jobs in food service industry, agriculture, construction
Deportation initiativesLabor exploitation in agriculture (migrant
farm workers), manufacturing (the garment industry), and home care (housekeeping, child and elder care).
Another social process that maintainsracial 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
A recent retrenchment example…
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 and Racial Inequities
Contemporary Culture
Historically Accumulated
White PrivilegeNational Values
Social Processes Maintaining
RacialHierarchies
Institutional Racism & Inter-Institutional Interactions
Production & Reproduction of Racial Inequities
Knowledge or Ideological Context
Social Manifestations
Institutional Manifestations
Education
Environment
Employment
Housing
Health
CriminalJustice
Video: An Example of Structural Racism?
“The Color Line and the Bus Line”◦Nightline by Ted Koppel
Table Exercise: Break into small groupsIdentify one racial inequity in
MichiganIdentify the historical originIdentify a contemporary policy or
practice that helps perpetuate itIdentity an aspect of
contemporary culture that helps perpetuate it
In Conclusion….
WHAT CAN BE DONE?
Why focus on structural racism?
Structural causes of inequalities are difficult to see because:
We are so embedded in themThey are woven into the fabric of our
assumptions about how things operateThey are self-perpetuating and don’t require
active work to be maintained
“Fish don’t notice the water they’re swimming in”
What does the Structural Racism Framework mean for people who
want to reduce inequities? It means four types of changes in the way
we work:
• Internal change
• Policy change
• Practice change
• Cultural/representational change
“Internal” Change
Accepting and establishing racial equity as a central tenet and operating principle in our work to improve outcomes 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
“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
“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.
PROJECT BREAKTHROUGH: CHANGING THE STORY OF RACE IN JACKSONVILLE
A partnership of • The Community Foundation in Jacksonville, • The Jacksonville Human Rights Commission, • The OneJax Institute
Since 2008, Project Breakthrough has worked on:
Promoting Civic Leadership: Convened Jacksonville’s key leaders in a seminar on structural racism
Changing Key Policies and Practices:• Conducted training seminars for middle- & high-school educators• Developed a curriculum for judges in Florida
Changing Media Messages:• Convened Jacksonville’s media professionals in a seminar• Conducted training seminars for the staff of the city’s newspaper, The
Florida Times Union
Constructing a Racial Equity Theory of Change
Desired Racial Equity Outcome
BuildingBlock
P +/- P +/- R+/- P+/- R+/-P +/-P +/-R +/-P +/-
Who has most power, influence to shape PPRs
Possible sources of retrenchment
Assess our organizational capacity realistically
BuildingBlock
BuildingBlock
BuildingBlock
BuildingBlock
What we want
Our priorities
What helps, hinders
What wemust know
What we must do
How governance works in our context
Given our capacities, decide role we can play, set strategic priorities, identify allies
Take action!!
Thank You
The Aspen InstituteRoundtable on Community Change281 Park Avenue South, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10010(212) 677-5510