What's remarkable is not how many failed in the face of discrimination, but rather how many men and women overcame the odds; how many were able to make a way out of no way for those like me who would come after them. But for all those who scratched and clawed their way to get a piece of the American Dream, there were many who didn't make it - those who were ultimately defeated, in one way or another, by discrimination. That legacy of defeat was passed on to future generations - those young men and increasingly young women who we see standing on street corners or languishing in our prisons, without hope or prospects for the future.
“An interesting and often overlooked trend ……. is the extraordinary number of people incarcerated in the U.S., and the cost of the corrections system; both have increased rapidly over the last quarter century. The U.S. already has the largest prison population and the highest rate of incarceration in the world. One in every 32 American adults was behind bars, on probation or on parole at the end of 2005 (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2006). …… . African Americans account for the largest share of the growth in the number of persons incarcerated over the past two decades. If present trends continue, by 2020, two out of three African American men between the ages of 18 and 24 will be in prison (Joel, 2000). The nation’s failures in education, integration, and access to jobs have directly impacted the lives of families living in distressed neighborhoods. Residents of such neighborhoods are more likely to enter the criminal justice system, and once having entered, are likely to suffer from life-long negative impacts of it. …… The ever-expanding prison systems have reduced state funds available for programs that promote economic growth such as higher education.
Just as black anger often proved counterproductive, so have these white resentments distracted attention from the real culprits of the middle class squeeze - a corporate culture rife with inside dealing, questionable accounting practices, and short-term greed; a Washington dominated by lobbyists and special interests; economic policies that favor the few over the many.
“Extreme wealth inequality creates a distortion in political priorities, such that policies get put in place which protect the assets of the wealthy and neglect the concerns of the masses. In this distorted climate, it is the middle classes that have lost the most ground in recent decades.”
[The path of a more perfect Union] …. also means binding our particular grievances - for better health care, and better schools, and better jobs - to the larger aspirations of all Americans -- the white woman struggling to break the glass ceiling, the white man whose been laid off, the immigrant trying to feed his family.
[M]any of the challenges facing America’s lower-income and minority households are similar to those impacting middle income families. Each day, more families find themselves with diminished employer-provided health care coverage or no employer health care plan at all. ……. And, each day, more employees find their jobs have been eliminated or have left the country. When these challenges are combined with stagnant wages, diminished savings, increasing debt, and rapidly rising housing, health, and transportation costs, a growing number of middle class families are worrying about their futures and the futures of their children. …… By the middle of this century, half of the U.S. population will consist of people of color. Yet that fastest growing share of the nation’s population is the least well-housed, has the most tenuous connections to the labor and financial markets, has exceptionally low levels of wealth, and is becoming increasingly isolated from quality educational opportunities. These trends do not bode well for America. Minority households will grow as a share of the nation’s labor force. Their ability to compete effectively in an increasingly competitive global marketplace will impact all Americans. ……… Interestingly, policies to shore up the growing instability of America’s middle class, such as improved access to quality education, good jobs, adequate health care, and reasonable retirement savings are also essential to the upward mobility of lower-income and minority households.…………..many problems that traditionally have plagued lower-income and minority households are increasingly challenging the stability of America’s middle class. The time has come to review our public policy agenda more broadly and comprehensively and take the appropriate steps necessary to ensure our long-term economic competitiveness and social stability.
In the white community, the path to a more perfect union means acknowledging that what ails the African-American community does not just exist in the minds of black people; that the legacy of discrimination - and current incidents of discrimination, while less overt than in the past - are real and must be addressed.
“Contemporary Housing Discrimination and Segregation
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