Tag: racism
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The Paradox of Anti-Racism Activism: Perpetuating Racism Instead of Ending It
As a former university professor and diversity officer, I once asked a black-student union if their goal was to become obsolete. While most students didn’t understand the question, one student, the group’s leader, replied that the group would continue to exist even if racism were eradicated. Today, I’m more concerned about the creation of seemingly…
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Redlining and the Reality of Homeownership in Black Neighborhoods
As a black taxpayer, I’ve always heard about redlining, a practice that makes it harder for African Americans to obtain home loans in black neighborhoods. It’s a common belief that this practice is responsible for the lack of wealth in black families in comparison to their Caucasian counterparts. However, a recent academic deep dive into…
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Redlining and the Accepted Narrative: Examining Discrepancies Between Truth and Perception
As a black taxpayer, I have always been aware of redlining, the practice of making it harder for African Americans in black neighborhoods to obtain home loans. This practice has been blamed for the lack of wealth in black families compared to their Caucasian counterparts. However, a recent academic study by economist Price V. Fishback…
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The Problem with Perpetuating Racism in Anti-Racism Activism and Diversity Positions
As a former diversity officer and professor at a university, I once asked the black-student union if their goal was to become obsolete in the near future. While most of the students didn’t understand the question, the group’s de facto leader stated that the group would continue to exist even if racism went away. This…
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The Problem with Perpetuating Racism in the Name of Anti-Racism
At a former university where I served as a diversity officer and taught, I had a meeting with the school’s black-student union. Toward the end of the meeting, I asked if their goal was to become obsolete in the near future. Most of the students didn’t understand the question, but one student, who appeared to…
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Redlining and the Black Wealth Gap: Separating Fact from Fiction
As a black taxpayer, I have always heard about redlining, the practice of making it harder for African Americans in black neighborhoods to obtain home loans, and how it contributed to the wealth gap between my family and my Caucasian high-school friends. A quick Google search for “redlining stole black wealth” confirms this narrative, with…
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Harvard Law Professor Discusses Challenges to African American Advancement in the US
Harvard Law professor Randall Kennedy, in a guest essay for The New York Times titled “The Truth Is, Many Americans Just Don’t Want Black People to Get Ahead,” discusses the challenges faced by efforts to promote African American advancement and address racial disparities. Kennedy highlights the history of criticisms of “reverse discrimination” and “preference” in…