No one alive today is guilty of slavery, but the legacy of slavery still causes problems today. What should be done about that?
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Good question. Do you have an answer?
Donât forget a very important factor at play: Color.
My parents had grandparents who came to the U.S. from Poland and Ireland. Their families were poor and uneducated. My father was discriminated against for being Polish ⊠so much so that he legally changed our last name to an âAmericanâ name. Once he did that, the discrimination he had been up against in the job market disappeared. My family was fortunate, because they could find ways to hide their âdifferentnessâ in order to be able to have greater opportunity ⊠black people cannot do that, because they canât change the color of their skin. It just makes things harder.
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I think there are two parts to this. The first issue is regarding what, if anything, should be done about past discrimination that resulted in Black families having much less wealth, such as redlining. Ideally you want the people who performed the harm to pay those that were harmed, but very few people alive today were responsible for those actions.
My view on this is that if someone is poor, it doesnât matter what the reason is, they are equally deserving of financial assistance. A Black person might be poor because their parents were redlined. A white person might be poor because they grew up in rural Appalachia. Another person might be poor because they faced catastrophic medical bills and this country canât figure out health care. They are all equally deserving of help. If this approach is funded (a big if), it will disproportionately help Black people because more of them are poor, but the fact that it is race neutral makes it more likely to be widely supported than something targeted to help black people specifically, like reparations.
The second issue is how to restore hope to the Black community to the point that more of them develop the âfire in the bellyâ that creates success stories, wealth, role models, and mentors that in turn creates further success. To me this seems to be the more difficult problem to solve.
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Yiiiiikes
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Some problems are difficult to find answers for. That does not mean that we should not think about them.
On the other hand, there are plenty of obvious things that make the problem worse, such as making it more difficult to vote, denying that a problem exists, not addressing current racial discrimination, etc⊠Unfortunately, trying to address those things consumes effort that people have only a finite amount of ability to make, so that makes it more difficult to address âlegacyâ problems that perpetuate themselves.
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I can see how crippling this could be. Thank you @ChangeTheGame and others for an illuminating and enlightening discussion.
The Destruction of Hope (as aptly termed by @hebegebe) is devastating for the human condition. I am a first generation American and my belief that a better future lay ahead (i.e., hope) was instrumental in helping me overcome a challenging childhood and early adulthood.
Relating this discussion to the focus of CC, I have often wondered what it would take to close the academic attainment gaps between different racial groups. What I have failed to consider until now is the critical role of hope (more accurately, I wrongly assumed that all of us believe a brighter future is possible).
In the realm of education, what do you think are the most impactful measures to prevent a sense of hopelessness from taking root in young people?
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Education is definitely a big part of the solution. My opinion on how to narrow the academic achievement gaps is to focus on early childhood education and reading comprehension (ages 3-8) and that is where I have always believed an investment in all young children would have an outsized effect in the African-American community.
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There are no easy answers, but we should be looking for those answers. My own personal opinion is that politics have to be completely removed from any answer because there is always an agenda (like gathering power) that matters more in that realm than real solutions. The honesty that I have seen on this thread is something that I believe brings us closer to a solution. It is okay that we donât agree on everything, but I hope that we are all hearing what each other has to say. I believe the most important answers to overcoming the legacy of slavery involves Black people changing the narrative by doing the following:
- Leaders in the Black community have to stand up and lead, not only with words, but by example.
- Rebuilding our families (Black men, please do more to support our women and kids).
- Emphasize Education and Wealth Building/Creation.
- Invest in our communities (with your time, talent, and treasures).
- Fight Hate with Love whenever possible and fight ignorance with knowledge.
- Emphasize the struggles, sacrifices, and triumphs made by our ancestors by sharing family history. It is hard to underachieve when you truly know what has been sacrificed and endured.
From other Americans, I would ask for empathy. Provide a random act of kindness to someone in need. âDo unto others as you would have them do unto youâ. Share your time, talents, and treasures with others. There is no reason to feel guilty for sins of the past, but not acknowledging the scope and continued effects of past wrongs on the African-American community is what is missed by a portion of the American populace.
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I appreciate your answers to what should be done. I think they are well thought out and accurate. The fact is there are good and bad examples of parenting, upbringing, teaching, etc across all races and cultures. All of us are born into different circumstances, some much better or worse than others.
I appreciate you taking the time to have this conversation. I canât put myself in your shoes but I can listen to your side and try to understand better. I would like to see all people of all races/sexes given equal opportunities. In the end our outcomes might not be the same but we should be afforded the opportunity.
I think your point about kindness is important. Thanks for sharing.
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Beautifully said.
Yes. Not acknowledging this is representative of the larger problem. What Douglass said then is still relevant now.
Someone asked what the solution is. The OPâs response is spot on. Part of the solution also is that we need to stop putting people in power who whitewash and downplay racism in this country. If they walk like ducks and quack like ducks, they are ducks. And then all the other ducks go quacking along behind them.
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Protecting and expanding voting rights is crucial to that. I have been disappointed that we are not getting more help at the federal level to do so.
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Wihtout wishing to digress into an unrelated topic that will likely become political, various states are currently enacting restrictive voter laws, not the federal government.
This conversation is about the 4th of July as seen from the eyes of African Americans. We the people need to stop voting racist politicians into office who perpetuate harmful ideology.
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Exactly.
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I am hopeful that one thing that might be effective is creating mentorship programs like My Brotherâs Keeper. I think disadvantaged kids need to see people who look like them who have become successful through education. I support our local program.
Itâs an old book (1998) however I donât think much has changed, A Hope in the Unseen: An American Odyssey from the Inner City to the Ivy League was very informative in actually understanding what a disadvantage so many of these kids have. And this is a kid who was on the right track and had a supportive parent.
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A very good mentoring program I have worked with is called Year Up. In that one, professionals in the Finance and IT industries are each matched with one inner city youth for a year. Volunteers teach them about the structure of the industries they work for, and help them with resumes, interviews and guidance on developing technical and social skills for an entry level job in the industry. About 80% of kids who go through the program get jobs in the industry or head off to college. The ones that get jobs start off at about $44k per year.
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I think one should be very careful about suggesting that education (especially college education) is the primary path to success.
I thought Chris Arnadeâs book Dignity was very eye opening. This article gives an excerpt of his views on education:
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That seems seems like the usual set of complaints about how college is too expensive and liberal arts subjects are not very useful for many jobs in todayâs economy.
It ends with the following:
But doesnât that already describe the majority of post-secondary education, including community colleges and trade schools, as well as non-elite four year colleges where one can study various pre-professional subjects like nursing or farming or whatever?
Of course, the complaint about cost (to be paid up front by students who often cannot afford it) still remains. Affordability often limits what students can choose in terms of educational paths for their desired goals.
I am well aware that some state legislatures are passing laws their constituents do not want, but canât prevent due to gerrymandering. Hence our increasingly desperate requests for federal help to ensure that all can vote, and that all votes are counted, as that helps ensure leaders responsive to civil rights and civic participation by all, which is the topic of this thread
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