I want to better educate myself about race, Black Lives Matter

Received from a Park University student of mine several days ago...

Dear Professor Youngblood: 

There is a lot of information floating around on social media about the Black Lives Matters movement and about police brutality. I feel strongly that this is a problem in America but I don’t feel like I know enough to be fully aware of it or how to speak out to help my African American friends. I was wondering if you knew of any news sources or articles from both sides that I could read to better educate myself that would be much appreciated. 

Sincerely, Alyssa

 

Dear Alyssa:

Thank you for your insightful, thoughtful question. I’ll do my best to answer it, with the help of some writers and researchers who have much more expertise on this subject than I. Please follow the links I’ve provided, and analyze the information yourself.

 

Like you, I am still learning.

 

Whether we’re talking about policing, housing, health care, education, or a hundred other domains, what we really should be discussing is systemic racism—policies and practices embedded in societal structures that favor or disadvantage one group. I’ve found a great, Four minute video that explains systemic racism in a way that even I can understand. 

The most revealing article about systemic racism I’ve read is “The Case for Reparations” by Ta- Nehisi Coates, who anchors his argument around housing discrimination. Specifically, Coates draws on a mountain of facts that discuss redlining and how African Americans were and continue to be relegated to “less desirable” neighborhoods. Even today, studies show that racist practices called racial steering by realty companies mean that blacks aren’t even shown properties in “white neighborhoods.” (For details, see Newsday article, and Academic Study). Until the mid-1960’s, government housing loans were systematically denied to African Americans, while mortgage lenders have also traditionally discriminated against African Americans (Coates).

 

Systemic, racist housing discrimination has led to a litany of other problems for black majority communities. Property tax- supported schools in African American areas receive less funding since the houses in these neighborhoods are less valuable. (NPR article) These schools, then, struggle to offer competitive teacher salaries and extracurricular activities compared to their suburban counterparts. Students attending urban schools, who often live in poverty, are less likely to attend and succeed in college. Employment discrimination exacerbates the situation. Poverty is concentrated in inner cities, though it has recently spread as well to smaller towns. Not surprisingly, black unemployment is consistently twice as high as white unemployment. Where schools are poor, jobs are scarce, and poverty is prevalent, crime flourishes. As has been well publicized in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, entrenched racism is manifest in discriminatory treatment of African Americans in the criminal justice system. 

 

Not everyone believes these facts. 

 

Skeptics are quick to fall back on “what-about-isms.” For example, in response to Black Lives Matter,  we hear in traditional and social media, “what about white lives?” According to their website, Black Lives Matter's mission is “to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on black communities by the state and vigilantes,” not to discriminate against any other group. Just because you believe black lives matter doesn’t mean that you think other lives aren't important, too. Why the zero-sum thinking? Incidentally, there is a movement called “White Lives Matter” that is, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, "a racist response to the civil rights movement Black Lives Matter. (It) is a neo-Nazi group that is growing into a movement as more and more white supremacist groups take up its slogans and tactics." 

Another “what about” pops up on Fox News after every police shooting and asks, “what about black on black crime?” Of course, this is a problem, but so is, for example, affordable child care. But what do these have to do with police brutality? Nothing. When discussing racist policing, bringing up black crime or any other subject for that matter is simply a distraction that diverts us from the real issue of systemic racism. At any rate, this black on black crime argument is a red herring, since a report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics found that most violence occurs “between victims and offenders of the same race, regardless of race.” So, most black crime is perpetrated against other blacks, while most white crime victims are also white, a fact conveniently omitted by the conservative press. 

One other spurious opposing argument/distraction regards Antifa, an anti-fascist protest movement (it’s too loosely constituted to even be called an organization) that has sometimes had violent encounters with neo-Nazis. Antifa is a favorite Fox News bogeyman. During these protests, a study shows that Fox News mentioned Antifa six times more than CNN, even though, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, “The FBI has found no evidence that the American militant anti-fascist movement Antifa was involved in violence that erupted during national protests over the death of George Floyd.”

 

Coverage of recent unrest has generally emphasized violence (the 1%) over legitimate, peaceful protests (the 99%). See my blog below for details. The previously mentioned study showed that Fox has used the terms “riots” or “rioters” five times more than CNN, while Fox has discussed looting 25% more than CNN. 

 

In summary, Alyssa, I hope I’ve provided you some food for thought. I know you wanted “both sides,” but I honestly can’t see another side to systemic racism. Those who defend the status quo and distract with “what-about-isms” are enabling this racism, in my view. As I said, I’m still learning, and look forward to hearing your thoughts as well.

 

Stay safe,

Professor Youngblood