Tis is the introduction and the body of my essay #2. Still working on the conclusion, but it will be ready by Monday !
The issue on Race and Racism has existed in the United States for a long time. Although, the country has progressed notably from slavery to having an African American President, the problem still seems to be unsolved. Nowadays there's a possibility that race and racism play a role in the opportunity of individuals to move from one social class to another.
In one of his election speeches in March 2008 “A More Perfect Union,” then-senator Barack Obama to answer controversial statements made by his former pastor about racial inequality in the United States said:”…that history helps explain the wealth and income gap between black and white,…A lack of economic opportunity among black men…a problem that Welfare policies for many years may have worsened,…lack of basic services in so many urban black neighborhoods …” (Durst 368). In other words, racial inequality is an issue that emanated from the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow that got reinforced by the legislation on Welfare for example and passed on to future generations without really been the object of public debate.
Along the same lines, Michael Luo, in his article “In Job Hunt, College Degree Can’t Close Racial Gap” published in The New York Times says:”That race remains a serious obstacle in the job market for African-Americans, even those with degrees from respected colleges, may seem to some people a jarring contrast to decades of progress by blacks, culminating in President Obama’s election.”(Luo 1). Apparently even after the election of an African-American President, America is still unable to move beyond the racial issue.
According to then-senator Obama, to understand why the gap between the African-American community and the white community is becoming wider, one has to look back all the way to slavery. During that time, the foundations of segregation were established by certain laws like Jim Crow that enforced segregation, primarily in the south of the United States after the Civil Rights Act was passed by Congress. The black community became then a victim of lack of opportunity due to a poor education system which is still not fixed since, an exclusion from certain type of jobs, and unions like the fire departments, or more to own a property. These practices have continued thanks to policies on fields like healthcare, education, and other basic services in urban black neighborhoods that lead to a poor education system, and healthcare. Also, he stressed that one of the most influential things that is still contributing to inequality and racism is stereotyping. Stereotypes had been built up for centuries, and they still exist in both black and white communities. They may be based in some cases, but not in all cases; all black people are not criminals, and all white people are not rich either. This is the case of this confession once made to him by his grandmother:“…her fear of black men who passed by her on the street…uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes…”(Durst 366). This is a phenomenon that Americans need to break, as it doesn’t help build a “perfect union”. The black men his grandmother is referring to may be good people, but they are not given the benefit of doubt. If only the black people weren’t stereotyped and condemned without being understood, the diversity in America would have been perfect. People from all social classes regardless of their race will have the same opportunities.
Now that may be possible because, things have notably changed since the segregation time. Black children can go to the same school as whites; they can ride the same bus, even seat next to each other and drink from the same fountain now. However, since Barack Obama’s election to the presidency of the United States of America, there is still no change in the way the black community is treated compared to the time when he made that speech. In his article “In Job Hunt, College Degree Can’t Close Racial Gap,” Michael Luo says that there is work to do when it comes to the opportunity given to African Americans men when it come to hiring for prestigious jobs. Therefore, it seems that race and racism still have an effect on the chances people have for class mobility.
Actually, joblessness in the black community is striking especially with those with a college degree. This seems paradoxical because, for a long time the idea was that black men did not occupy prestigious positions because they didn’t have the necessary education. Luo’s article shows that in 2009, black men with a college degree had an unemployment rate of 8.4% compared to 4.4% for their white counterpart (Luo 4). In other words, white men with a college degree are being two times more hired than black men. When companies see their names, and some others details on their resumes, they tend to not call them for an interview. When they succeed in arriving at the interview without the recruiter paying attention to their names and other details, they see the disappointment on the face of the recruiter as soon as they meet. Here is the testimony of Mr. Williams who applied for a position with top business schools at a Dallas money management firm. The hiring manager had already told him how excited he’s about him moving down to Dallas; no one from the prestigious schools wanted to that. When they meet says Mr. Williams, talking about the recruiters:” Their eyes kind hit the ceiling a bit…It was kind of quiet for about 45seconds”. This reduces their chance for class mobility by half; at least for those with a college degree. Beside the fact that it‘s illegal to discriminate based on race. Some companies don’t even post the openings anymore to avoid someone they don’t want to apply for it; the announcement is made by mouth in their circle of friends.
