African American Wealth

Is it racism or economics which hinders many African American communities from progressing economically in the 21st Century? This research proposal will address this question by examining the social and psychological impact caused by racism and the economic impact it’s had on the African American community. This proposal will further investigate whether the emotional scars of slavery continue to hamper African American progress or if racism is actually the cause.

African Americans didn’t know that is was a Great Depression. African Americans have always been poor and knew how to survive. By 1932, approximately half of black Americans were unemployed, blacks always felt unemployed and under paid. Whites attempted to keep blacks out of work by not hiring African Americans. They used racial violence, and discrimination tactics to keep an underprivileged population depressed.

When Affirmative Action was White written by Ira Katznelson he addresses how throughout history whites and blacks had a extreme gap between them. He demonstrates conclusively that the gap of wealth between black and white americans result not simply from slavery but by benefits for white while excluding blacks over time.

The common bond of slavery is what draws Black Americans together, but is what drives Black Americans and African immigrants apart. Many African immigrants have only read or heard about racial discrimination, but have never faced it first-hand. They admire what Black Americans have done, but when they come to this country they and maintain a separate identity from native-born blacks. Because of the separation, whites were more willing to serve Africans and Black Americans thought African immigrants were receiving better treatment from society (Reddick, 1998). Being Black in America is already a complicated existence, but being a Black immigrant is a very different existence. Black Americans often do not know the country their ancestors came from and feel more American than African or Caribbean. African immigrants are often in an identity complex because often they are not considered Black enough for the Black community and not being American enough for the white communities. They are often overlooked when discussing immigration policies though they are the fastest growing immigration population. Even though African immigrants are more educated and find success they also struggle to find jobs in their field due to racial discrimination (Omara, 2017)

Slavery still affects the African American community to this day, creating a social divide between races through the belief reparations are due from the horrible events of the past. Reparations would still need to be given to African Americans for the inhuman treatment of their past ancestors, and the social inequality that followed after the Union’s victory of the Civil War. The United States repaying African Americans for their horrible past would bring justice to the those who actually faced the effects of slavery. While reparations seem like a sensible way to pay back the African American community, people have argued they no longer deserve this repayment. Since current African Americans have not lived through the hardships of their ancestors,

it is through the widespread dissemination of black history during Black History Month and elsewhere that the historical category of the post-racial era has been constituted. The post racial era is not, as is so often claimed, a denial of historical context.” (VAN DE MIEROOP, KENAN. "On the Advantage and Disadvantage of Black History Month for Life: The Creation of the Post-Racial Era." History & Theory, vol. 55, no. 1, Feb. 2016, pp. 3-24. EBSCOhost,

We are reminded of that history with every breath we take of injustice. The unfair treatment of blacks can mostly be attributed to lingering after effects of the end of the civil war and the bitter-sweet downfall of the confederacy. Violence that claims the pavement that we walk on and the lives of those who are our future. Poverty takes hold of the lives of the youth. The dehumanization of those who do not fit the social confines that have been drafted by those who try to crush the people they consider beneath them: It creates a new, invisible barrier that many choose to hold as the definitive disparity that cordially distinguishes the blacks from the

“All Men are created equal” a quote from the United States Constitution. Freedom is what the United States stands for it is what it was rooted from. However, we are into the 21st century and the idea that the United States still discriminates against a certain race is taboo to many. Everyone likes to walk around thinking that everything is alright and equal. Sadly this is not true. The African American, especially those found in the urban setting of Chicago is at a disadvantage. This is due to the erosion of the public education system along with fractured families along with other socioeconomic factors which have contributed to the cycles of poverty and ultimately creates a disadvantaged for African Americans in Chicago. For this research paper I’m going to focus on Chicago for its strong roots in the African American Community, but this isn’t just a one city problem the disadvantages to African Americans are spread out throughout the entire country in every major city in every state and there is no hiding from it.

have inherited” (Race: The Power of an Illusion). For a long time, Black people were informed that

Throughout the years of American history, African Americans have been treated unfair by white Europeans, and Americans. They were brought from Africa to work as slaves; and since their arrival, they suffered from oppression and were deprived from any constitutional rights that could protect them against discrimination from the settles. However, after the time of the Emancipation Act during the reign of Abraham Lincoln, and blacks were able to slightly improve their livelihood by obtaining their freedom, some acquired property, and were able to vote and hold office all with the help of the federal government. After the Republican Party lost its power in congress, President Grant grew tired of helping the south; the North stopped

The problems of race the United States confronted are deeply imbedded in the historical past of the nation. Due to the fact that a great majority of the nation’s African Americans lived

When African Americans first arrived in American colonies in 1619, religion and wealth were the determining factors of superiority. Most labor was performed by indentured servants of European decent at this time. However as immigrant arrivals slowed and the need for labor increased, African American slaves were shipped over and considered to be a never ending supply of labor. Colonial law and statues began to use the word White opposed to Englishmen or Christians to show superiority. Lower class Europeans thus obtained more rights and had access to better job opportunities as they were replaced by the inferior African Americans. At this time African Americans were believed to be a different species while Natives were considered to be white

In American history, the people of color narrative have historically been invisible; the dominant discourse of American society has been predominantly white with Eurocentric emphasis. Thus, we see the silencing of the narrative of minority groups in American history. In his literature The Price of Reconciliation, Ronald Walters argues for a Black political agenda that includes reparations; he believes that the legacy of slavery has produced a domino effect that produces the oppression of Blacks till this day. Conservatives on the other hand disagree with Walter’s argument; they believe that reparation is unnecessary because America is now fair to Blacks. Furthermore, conservatives believe that Blacks should move on since slavery happened a

(Andersen and Taylor 234-243) These family ties are the believed reasoning to minority’s imperfections. For example, history’s patterns of slavery and discrimination are said to be the foundation of many social problems. Even after slavery was abolished, people still continued to see those certain groups as slaves. The reasoning being groups of people who feel they were once “superior” to others often continue to hold these beliefs. Things such as high divorce rates, children born out of wedlock, welfare dependency, and female-headed households are many times seen as a result of the slavery and discrimination that people once heavily dealt with. However, this explanation concentrates on blaming the victim and disregards the flaws in society’s structure. (Lauer) Yet, this belief is still a common perception among the American society. A third explanation concentrates on the use of racism on the majority of society whom hold prejudiced attitudes. This bias explanation suggests that Caucasians generate institutional and individual racism to preserve their placement in the social stratification system. Their hatred based on actions and standardized perceptions are a reaction to the struggle of resources and jobs between races. However, prejudiced attitudes can’t be the sole underlying explanation behind racism. Many white

African Americans have witnessed much discrimination throughout the years. The issue of reparations for all African Americans is argued by one scholar and a credible newspaper. The debate about reparations started with the agreement side from the opinion of Robert Allen. He stated historical aspects that showed the crusade that many African American leaders started to get a compromise with the government. Allen continues to research the problems of African American involving with financial worth in America throughout history. He even goes as far to say that “Reparations provides a framework for the redistribution of wealth within the existing political economy.” The opposition of the debate was from the writers of The Economist. They defended their argument with a policy that focused on the difficulty of identifying the victims and past perpetrators. The writers also brought up the fact that corporations involved in exploitation of slaves made amends a long time ago and cannot be responsible for the predicament of African Americans. This debate has heightened over the years as new forms of oppression of African Americans have appeared in recent years. In my view of the debate, Robert Allen has the most logical argument over the writers of The Economist about the need for the government to make reparations for African Americans as way for racial equality.