Systemic Racism’s Multi-Dimensional Nature & Historical Methods of Oppression used to create & maintain the Great Racial Wealth Divide
Special Guest Meredith Martin aka ‘Ahmahl’ from New Orleans shares his well-read historical and personal experiences as we reveal the main drivers and features of ‘systemic racism’ post slavery.
Systemic Racism is a term that is often stated in our mainstream discourse especially since President Biden gained office. But the focus is overwhelmingly on the individual level discrimination rather than its cumulative overall social outcomes. Tonight, whether you are a racist or not is not our interest and focus. Rather the cumulative effect of systemic racism is the focus of our show tonight. The historical antecedents and the material manifestations of systemic racism that has resulted in the great racial wealth divide is explicated. Rather than educational attainment and greater need for personal responsibility we place the spotlight on and suggest the real primary root cause of the great racial wealth divide, is the pernicious character of the system itself which has exuded systemic racism, albeit in different forms since our country’s founding.
We show how. We examine how embedded in laws and regulations throughout our history obstacles to the accumulation of wealth for African Americans has occurred. From slavery to the post Reconstruction Jim Crow era, through modern day forms of discrimination that have continued right up until present day, the result has been the great racial wealth divide, which well into the 21st century (2016), has resulted in a median wealth inequality that is a tenfold difference between black and white families.
Jim Crow era black codes and convict leasing stunted the ability of African Americans to accumulate wealth. The 1935 Social Security Act and the Selective Service Readjustment Act (GI Bill-1944) also had discriminating impacts on African Americans relative to whites in accumulating wealth as well and are detailed in tonight’s show. Finally, documented examples of the multiple forms and reach of systemic racism and their impact throughout housing, education, health and the criminal justice system and incarceration rates round out our presentation.
We have been acculturated to believe because we have now had a black president that we are a post-racial nation. We have been acculturated by that same President and others towards blaming the victim for not taking greater personal responsibility for pulling themselves up by their bootstraps. Personal responsibility is an important factor. However, the dominant factor the system itself and its deeply prejudicial advantages it gives to a small elite, is largely ignored, or minimized. A system that denies boots to too many of the people it serves is arguably the real problem. You have to have “boots” before you can pull yourself up “by the bootstraps.”
In pursuit of social justice & Siempre fieles,
Pgatos pgatos00@gmail.com 7/19/2021
If you are not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing. Malcolm X