How would you describe some of the long term impacts of slavery in the US?
We can easily identify how racism was institutionalized, long after the 13th Amendment officially abolished slavery. Isn't it possible to then empirically identify the effects of these policies ? For example, think about our discussion on crack/cocaine as just one example of many.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Of course feel free to start your own thread! I like how this discussion has few boundaries so far.
Carl LeVan
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Slavery has undeniable lasting effects. One can argue that overwhelming drug abuse among African Americans, and affirmative action are both effects of the institution of slavery. However, the influence of slavery on modern American athletics is often overlooked. A myriad of young, hopeful boys use sports to try to better their lives, but only a select few have the opportunity to leave the impoverished inner cities. Their parents encourage them to play basketball, football, or baseball (among other sports) in order to stay off the streets and avoid gang memberships. The lucky and talented few are given athletic scholarships and have the chance to have a brighter future. Making the NBA is a rare feat, and even though many athletes aspire to become the next Michael Jordan, their dreams are crushed. The documentary, Hoop Dreams, follows the lives of two African American boys named Arthur and William who aspire to play basketball. Their high school careers are documented over the course of four years, as they try to survive the Chicago slums. Both of the boys were given a prestigious scholarship to attend a private high school in the suburbs. Arthur’s performance on the freshman team was less than satisfactory, and his scholarship was taken away. He was kicked out of private school because his parents could not afford the tuition. In spite of the trials and tribulations, William and Arthur faced, they were both able to attend college because of basketball scholarships. The documentary stressed basketball as a method to escape the tumult and dangers of the inner city projects.
William C. Rhoden created an interesting debate on African American athleticism in his controversial and provocative book 40 Million Dollar Slaves. Rhoden argues that black athletes, have always been "largely feared and despised," and downgraded to the "periphery of true power" in spite of their talents and contributions to American sporting life. Moreover, he explores the idea that the modern American athlete is greatly similar to the slaves who were forced to race and fight by their masters. In spite of the ridiculous amounts of money they make, they are confined to their own, personal shackles.
-Therese Quiao
The institution of slavery has profoundly influenced almost every aspect of the American social environment. The history of slavery has been the founding history of race relations and has projected its influence upon every issue of race and relation to people of other ethnicities since. Examination of the institutional oppression used today against African American among other groups is necessary to any reparations. These institutions like the death penalty and prison system are our history and present until someone works to change them. Poverty, bad health care and urban crime can all be vastly improved by well designed social policy.
Reparations in concrete ways should improve quality of life among many minorities and all poor people generally. A lot of astounding statistics highlight the gap of wealth between the wealthiest and the poorest as well as between white and black. A significant narrowing of this would represent enormous improvement but must be understood as part of a solution for a mistake which was not repayable. Just as ending slavery was not a repayment for the wrongs done, current reparations cannot be seen as a paying back. While reparations are owed is not the kind of debt that slowly paid off then finished with. Given the best effort only time could heal, given less even time isn't enough.
Reparations can hopefully free enough people in our society that the problem of racism can be better addressed in the future. After we dissolve or repair the institutions that act as self fulfilling stereotypes our society should be a more amenable place to discussing prejudice. Unfortunately I expect the solution to this particular legacy of slavery to take longer than policy solutions would, were they enacted.
So while public policy from the federal government can't work as directly to end racism it can make our society more equitable such that further work is more effective. I don't think the most subtle effects of slavery are the ones reflected in economic statistics but rather in literature. Change for the majority of people though is most quickly enabled by economics, even if the problem stretches far beyond that disciples ability to describe.
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