ERIC ED438383: The State of Black America, 1999: The Impact of Color-Consciousness in the United States.

241 Pages·1999·3 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
UD 033 353
ED 438 383
Spriggs, William, Ed.
AUTHOR
The State of Black America, 1999: The Impact of
TITLE
Color-Consciousness in the United States.
National Urban League, Inc., New York, NY.
INSTITUTION
ISBN-0-914758-98-5
ISBN
1999-00-00
PUB DATE
NOTE
240p.
National Urban League, Publications Dept., 120 Wall Street,
AVAILABLE FROM
8th Floor, New York, NY ($24.95). Tel: [phone]; Fax:
212-344-5189; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site:
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Accountability; *Affirmative Action; *Blacks; Economic
DESCRIPTORS
Factors; Elementary Secondary Education; Foreign Countries;
*Racial Attitudes; Urban Problems
*African Americans; Europe
IDENTIFIERS
ABSTRACT
The economic state of black America has never been
healthier, vet persistent racial gaps leave African American unemployment at
levels more typical of recession for whits in the United States. By
challenging the predominant use of race, this compilation refocuses attention
on the effects of discrimination and on the lost term "institutional racism."
In so doing, it helps maintain the defense of affirmative action. These
essays reinforce the position that race is not a biological category but a
social category, one that becomes a marker for creating or denying access to
"The Cancer Gap: Research Needs of African
wealth. The essays are:
(1)
"Family Environment and Intergenerational
Americans" (Brian D. Smedley);
(2)
"The State of
Well-Being: Some Preliminary Results" (Patrick L. Mason);
(3)
"Color-Blind Redistricting and the
Black Europe" (Clarence Lusane);
(4)
"Unfinished Business:
Efficacy of Black Representation" (Ronald Walters);
(5)
African-American Political Economy during the Age of 'Color-Blind' Politics"
"History, Discrimination, and Racial Inequality"
(Rhonda M. Williams);
(6)
"A Critical Assessment of Skills Explanations of
(William Darity, Jr.);
(7)
"The
Black-White Employment and Wage Gaps" (William M. Rodgers, III);
(8)
Reliance of African Americans on the Public Sector" (Lynn C. Burbridge); and
"Education Accountability: First the School Systems--Then the Students"
(9)
(Hugh B. Price). Five appendixes contain a history of the National Urban
League, a statistical overview of the progress of African Americans, an index
of authors and articles, profiles of the authors, and selected tables from
"The Shape of the River: Long-term Consequences of Considering Race in
College and University Admissions" by William G. Bowen and Derek Bok, 1998.
(Contains 67 tables and 1 figure.)
(SLD)
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from the original document.
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BESTCOPYAVAILABLE
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BniE,SAITaOk
AMERICA
1 9 9 9
PUBLISHED BY NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE 0
BLACK
AMERICA
1 9 9 9
EDITOR
William Spriggs
SENIOR EDITOR
Lee A. Daniels
MANAGING EDITORS
Doug Miller
Lisa Bland Malone
ASSOCIATE EDITORS
Dachell McSween
Rose Jefferson-Frazier
David W. Brown
IMAGE PARTNERS
CUSTOM PUBLISHING
PRESIDENT AND
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
John Shearer
VICE PRESIDENT
Marianne Shearer
DESIGN DIRECTOR
Lisa Weber
ART DIRECTOR
Jeffry A. Braun
SALES
Dave Weiner and Associates
Copyright° National Urban League, 1999
Library of Congress Catalog Number 77-647469
ISBN 0-914758-98-5
$24.95
4
LEAGUE
NATIONAL URBAN
0 Our Destiny
Our Children
JONATHAN S. LINEN
Chairman
B. PRICE
HUGH
President and
Chief Executive Officer
MILTON J. LITTLE, JR.
Executive Vice President
and Chief Operating Officer
GREELY
M. GASBY
Senior Vice President,
Development and Communications
MILDRED L. LOVE
Senior Vice President of Operations
PAUL WYCISK
Senior Vice President,
Finance and Administration
ANNELLE LEWIS
Vice President, Affiliate Development
retouching by Dennis Chalkin
Cover photo by Alan Haywood/ Digital
Interior illustrations by David Wariner
Charts by Bruce Armenante
BLACK
AMERICA
1 9 9 9
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FOREWORD:
9
Volume overview
ARTICLE 1
"The Cancer Gap: Research Needs of African Americans"
21
by Brian D. Smedley
ARTICLE 2
"Family Environment and Intergenerational Well-being:
Some Preliminary Results"
45
by Patrick L. Mason
ARTICLE 3
"The State of Black Europe"
91
by Clarence Lusane
ARTICLE 4
"Color-Blind Redistricting and the Efficacy of Black
Representation"
107
by Ronald Walters
ARTICLE 5
"Unfinished Business: African-American Political Economy
During the Age of 'Color-Blind' Politics"
137
by Rhonda M. Williams
ARTICLE 6
"History, Discrimination and Racial Inequality"
153
by William Darity Jr
ARTICLE 7
"A Critical Assessment of Skills Explanations of Black-
White Employment and Wage Gaps"
167
by William M. Rodgers III
continued on the next page
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ARTICLE 8
"The Reliance of African Americans on the Public Sector"
185
by Lynn C. Burbridge
ARTICLE 9
"Education Accountability: First the School Systems
Then the Students"
193
by Hugh B. Price
APPENDIX I
205
A History of the National Urban League
APPENDIX II
African Americans Then and Now: A Statistical
211
Overview
APPENDIX III
215
Index of Authors and Articles, 1987-1999
APPENDIX IV
227
About the Authors
APPENDIX V
Selected Tables from The Shape of the River: Long-term
Consequences of Considering Race in College and University
229
Admissions
7
FOREWORD
Volume Overview
BY HUGH B. PRICE
been
The economic state of Black America has never
healthier. Unemployment is at a record low, the share of
adults with jobs is at a record high, every segment of
income distributionfrom the bottom fifth to the topis at a
claims
record high. Clearly at such levels, it is difficult to maintain
about the lack of skills among African Americans in a modern econ-
for African-American men in
omy. After all, the unemployment rate
of
this highly competitive, well-functioning economythe envy
males in most
the worldis lower than the unemployment rate for
policies
European countries. So . it follows that national economic
than we have focused on.
may have much more to say to us
African
Yet, despite a 1990s growth pattern that has benefited
Americans far more than the growth path of a decade ago, persistent
racial gaps leave African-American unemployment at levels more
typical of recessions for white America. The African-American
the
unemployment rate has slid just below a level that is double
national average, where it persistently hovers.
of
Continued growth may push it lower. But why did the effect
background of
economic policy on African Americans drift into the
from the
discussion? Why did the national debate move away
America
effects of racism to a discussion on race? The State of Black
It lifts
1999 looks at a philosophy of approaching racial differences.
9
FOREWORD
and
that clouds our view of race
social science research
a veil on
income, wealth and life
racial disparities in
policies addressing
compila-
predominant use of race, this
chances. By challenging the
well as on a
effects of discrimination, as
tion refocuses us on the
it helps to main-
racism." And by so doing,
lost term: "institutional
affirmative action.
tain the defense of
disparities
science research on racial
Surprisingly, most social
be surprising;
of race. To many, that may
begins with no definition
how race is defined deter-
be self-evident. But
to others it may
racial disparities.
mines how we understand
Immediately,
that examines "success."
Imagine reading an article
defines success, since it
know how the author
you would want to
think we know
author's conclusion. We
probably would affect the
researcher con-
but do we really? When a
what we mean by race,
racial differences are
of The Bell Curve, that
cludes, like the authors
naturally occur-
definition of racea
genetic differences, that is one
ring, gene-based grouping.
data sets, a
subject, using the same
Yet, writing on the same
real-
concluded that racial differences were
different set of authors
practicesa social con-
unobserved child-rearing
ly differences in
cultural definition of race.
based on ethnic affinities, a
struct of race
authors
from? How did those
Where did those definitions come
meanings of race?
assert those
into the
differences plunges us deep
Understanding racial
scientists who can
science. Unlike physical
methodologies of social
one field
experimentsfor instance, giving water to
do controlled
nothing to
another field of corn and
of corn, water and fertilizer to
existing differ-
scientists must rely on
another field of cornsocial
with
variations, relate. People
how those differences, or
ences, and
higher-
for instance, tend to earn
higher-than-average education,
than-average incomes.
issues, there
deals with real-world
But because social science
People
education is the same.
different variations. Not all
are many
10
THE STATE OF BLACK AMERICA
different settings, and some study harder than
get educated in very
the number of years of
others. Some variations are observed, like
social scientist to see.
schooling, and the data is collected for the
in getting an educa-
Other variations, such as the effort expended
becomes very impor-
tion, are not collected. So the meaning of race
interpret differences in those things
tant in understanding how to
observed.
that are observed and most things that are not
those things
The State of Black America 1999 highlights how, among
background, income and school resources,
we observe like family
differences within races.
there are more similarities across races than
in looking at race and
It's the approach anthropologists have taken
genetics, and they have found that genetic differences across races are
groupings. The conclu-
far fewer than genetic differences within race
sion: Race is not a biological category, but a social category.
policy in an
Brian Smedley highlights how race influences
subjected to such scrutiny: cancer research.
arena not usually
death. Except for a few cancers, they
Cancer is a leading cause of
African Americans die at a higher rate
are not related to genetics.
genetic basis for racial
than whites from cancer. Because there is no
it's a startling sta-
categories, and very little genetic basis for cancer,
glib way race-
tistic. Smedley's piece emphasizes how the almost
led to a national
based differences in cancer rates are reported has
differences in cancer
lack of emphasis in researching race-based
reported
death rates. The way racial differences in cancer rates are
the differences, which to some does
suggests a biological base to
That is disturbing, because other studies
not warrant extra study.
aggressiveness with
have pointed to race-based differences in the
confirmation
which some diseases are treated. It's just one dramatic
important.
that defining what we mean by race can be extremely
that is,
Most social science research assumes race is "exogenous,"
racial dis-
determined by naturean immutable variable. That allows
might be racial in
parities to be associated with other differences that
implications of
origin, like culture or family structure. The policy
11