A Nation Apart: The African-American Experience and White Nationalism

209 Pages·2019·2.042 MB·English

by  Arnold Birenbaum

“This is a thought-provoking book. A timely work which highlights the
complexities of racial dynamics in the United States since Reconstruction.
It reframes our perspectives by contesting interpretations of racial progress
during the first half of the twentieth century, and positing new views on
the post-Civil Rights era.”
Leslie Wilson, Professor of History, Montclair State University, USA
“Arnold Birenbaum’s book gives an in-depth account of the African-
American struggle for human dignity, respect, and honor in America that
has taken place over multiple centuries. He masterfully strikes a moral
chord that sends a piercing sound which causes all ‘True Americans’ to no
longer turn away from such injustices.”
Corey L. Kennard, Senior Pastor, Amplify Christian Church, USA

A NATION APART
This book examines the ongoing struggle for social justice by and for African
Americans. Examining the persistent rolling back of civil and voting rights for
this population and other minorities since the end of Reconstruction, the author
discusses the continued colonization of African Americans and the rise of white
nationalism before considering what can be done to create a democratic version
of Americanism. With discussions on the possibilities that exist for eliminating
health disparities, increasing income and reducing wealth inequality, enhancing
the urban environment and housing stability, reforming criminal justice, and
reconsidering the case for reparations for the descendants of slaves, the author
considers whether white nationalism is a threat to Democratic Americanism and
if the declining fortunes of working class Americans can be reversed by means of
a “Marshall Plan” for the United States. A study of the sustained racial injustices
of American society over the last century and a half and their possible remedies,
A Nation Apart will appeal to all those with interests in race and ethnicity and
questions of social justice.
Arnold Birenbaum is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Pediatrics at
Albert Einstein College of Medicine, USA. He is the co-author of Norms and
Human Behavior and the co-editor of Social Problems: Private Troubles and Public Issues
and People in Places: The Sociology of the Familiar.
Routledge Research in Race and Ethnicity
For a full list of titles in this series, please visit https://www.routledge.com/
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A NATION APART
The African-American Experience
and White Nationalism
Arnold Birenbaum
First published 2019
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2019 Arnold Birenbaum
The right of Arnold Birenbaum to be identified as author of this work
has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation
without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record has been requested for this book
ISBN: 978-1-138-32436-7 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-138-32437-4 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-0-429-45093-8 (ebk)
Typeset in Bembo
by Deanta Global Publishing Services, Chennai, India
CONTENTS
A brief introduction 1
PART I
The continued colonization of African Americans 3
1 Contemporary African-American insecurity 5
2 The building of incapacity: Race, poverty, subordination,
and gaps in health services 10
3 The impact of slavery and Jim Crow on today’s
African-American communities 17
4 The emerging and continued importance of racial stigma 25
5 Gaps in government services and regulation:
Maintaining incapacity and insecurity 34
6 Insecurity on the streets and the criminal justice system 40
Works cited 49
viii Contents
PART II
The systematic undoing of civil rights and federal supports for
African Americans 53
7 The promise of Reconstruction 55
8 Jim Crow law and customs: A return to white hegemony 62
9 States’ rights as a form of resistance, black deaths,
and freedom fighters in the South 70
10 Twentieth-century civil rights legislation: Expanding
civil rights and protecting voting rights 74
11 The incubation of white populism 82
Works cited 98
PART III
The triumph of the white nationalists 101
12 The making of the American working class:
A brief historical discussion 105
13 The emergence of white nationalism in the twentieth century 113
Works cited 136
PART IV
Advancing democratic Americanism 139
14 Ideas for diminishing white nationalism 141
15 Targeted interventions 146
16 Ending insecurity brought on by unacceptable living conditions 157
17 Reforming criminal justice in the twenty-first century 163
Contents ix
18 Considering the case for reparations 175
19 White nationalism trumped by democratic Americanism 179
Works cited 189
Index 193