FAMILY QUESTIONS FOR THE FINAL EXAM

Below are the family questions (and answers) that will be on the final exam. You'll note that I also did some editing. Remember that our exam is scheduled for Thursday, 12/15 from 9-12, and you may drop in to ask questions on Wednesday, 12/14 from 12-2. I will be in our classroom (Main 122) or in my office (Main 121) during that time.


ORANGE FAMILY (Emily, Shelby, T.J., Brianna, Ethan) earn 6 activity points.

1. Michelle Alexander uses the term "RACIAL CASTE" to describe the group of people being affected by mass incarceration. What does this mean? (1)

ANSWER: A racial caste is a stigmatized racial group locked into an inferior position by law and custom.

2. In Chapter 3 of Dr. Tatum's book, she quotes David Mura who describes interracial friendships that lack genuine authenticity. What point does Mura make? (1)

ANSWER: These are friendships where a person of color has to present a version of himself or herself that he or she thinks will please his or her white friends.

3. Identify THREE of the seven parallels between mass incarceration and Jim Crow which Michelle Alexander discusses in Chapter 5. (3)

ANSWER: Any three of the following: (1) historical parallels, (2) legalized discrimination, (3) political disenfranchisement, (4) exclusion from juries, (5) closing the courthouse doors, (6) racial segregation, (7) symbolic production of race.


BLUE FAMILY (Mimi, Mary Katherine, Krystal, Jarell, Julisa) earn 6 activity points, plus 1 bonus point.

1. (fill-in-the-blank) "The stigma of race was once the shame of the slave, then (in the context of Jim Crow) it was the shame of the second-class citizen; today the stigma of race is the shame of the _______________________." (1)

ANSWER: criminal

2. (fill-in-the-blank) Michelle Alexander explains that if 100% of the individuals charged with drug crimes were African American, then the veil of ______________________ would be lost. (1)

ANSWER: colorblindness

3. How is it that Asian Americans occupy a space between black and white? (2)

ANSWER: Because they are regarded as neither "American" (associated with white, nor "minority" (associated with black), hence they are "gray."

4. Basically, what did the New Jersey study of racial profiling find, as Michelle Alexander notes in Chapter 3 of "The New Jim Crow?" (1)

ANSWER: Whites were actually MORE LIKELY than people of color to be carrying illegal drugs or contraband in their vehicles.


GREEN FAMILY (Jared, Jessi, Nygia, Lucy) earn 6 activity points.
(Note: None of your questions were very good, but I was able to salvage a couple of them.)

1. Chapter 3 of "Yellow," The Perpetual Foreigner: Yellow Peril in the Pacific Century, opens with Frank Wu talking about a "pet peeve" of his (and many Asian Americans). What is this pet peeve, and how does it illustrate the title of this chapter? (2)

ANSWER: the pet peeve of being asked where he is REALLY from (or the observation that he speaks such good English, even though he was born here), the assumption being that no matter how long Asian Americans have been in America they are seen as "perpetual foreigners."

2. Basically, how does Frank Wu view the rise of interracial marriages and the mixed race movement? (2)

ANSWER: "...they are certainly positive, but no panacea."
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That's all folks. See you Thursday.

More Lecture Notes on "Yellow"

Let me pick up where I left off on Monday (12/5) in Chapter 3:

1. "A Jap is a Jap and That's All There Is To It" (p. 95)

a.) The subtitle of this section is a quote from General DeWitt, which accurately captures the belief common among military leaders during WWII, as well as the general public.

b.) Regarding the loyalty of Japanese Americans, the facts certainly did NOT warrant the suspicions -- not a single case of Japanese American espionage was documented. Even J. Edgar Hoover and his FBI were unable to turn up any evidence that they were a threat.

c.) Nonetheless, we decided to put Japanese Americans in internment camps. Many liberals even supported the move as a precaution.

d.) The racial rationale for this policy could not be more obvious. They were "perpetual foreigners." Also, it was believed we could not easily sort out loyal from disloyal Japanese Americans because they are so INSCRUTABLE.
(The film, "Snow Falling on Cedars," captures this very well.)

e.) Interesting to note that in Hawaii we took a more pragmatic approach: Japanese there were not interned because that would have brought the economy to a standstill.

f.) A 1980 Congressional study of WWII Internment led to a Presidential apology and a $20,000 payment to survivors (1988). But among those opposed to this, racism was plainly evident -- "Senator Jesse Helms insisted that the United States should not compensate Japanese Americans until Japan paid the families of those killed at Pearl Harbor." (p. 103) Sounds logical, but it is based on the fallacious assumption that JAPANESE AMERICANS WERE SOMEHOW RESPONSIBLE, OR SHARED RESPONSIBILITY WITH THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT FOR WHAT HAPPENED AT PEARL HARBOR.

2. During the 1996 election, a scandal broke involving the Chinese government funneling money to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) through a DNC fundraiser by the name of John Huang.

a.) The accusation involved a racial stereotype -- a belief on the part of some politicians and pundits that Asian Americans were more prone to bribery, and in this specific case, that Asian Americans were willing to do the bidding of the Chinese government.
(I'll show in class a demeaning caricature of Pres. Clinton, his wife, and Vice Pres. Gore that appeared on the cover of the "National Review.")

b.) A subsequent investigation did not turn up much. Interestingly, it did disclose that several NON-Asians were involved in this scandal, but no one paid much attention to them. It was all about the "Asian Connection."

c.) Unfortunately, the fallout from this was that some Asians were discouraged from getting more involved in politics, despite legitimate interests they had in issues such as immigration policy.

d.) Wu was even more troubled by the indiffrent response to Asian American protests, which were often dismissed as merely "playing the race card."

3. Finally, in the section, "Back to the Future," Wu comments on the rise of China in the 21st century and increased competition with the U.S., which could very well lead to Chinese Americans' loyalty being called into question at some point.


Chapter 7: The Changing Face of America: Intermarriage and the Mixed Race Movement

A. Wu opens this chapter by referring to a letter to Dear Abby from a mixed-race couple confused about how to fill out forms for their children -- which box do they check off. This is becoming an increasingly common problem. (Although the Bureau of the Census did (finally) allow acknowledgment of mixed race heritage for the first time in the 2000 Census.)

B. Growing up outside Cleveland in a predominantly white community where there was only one Chinese girl in his 6th grade class, Wu himself considered crossing over.

1. He asked his mother about crossing over and she did not object, but she said she would love him more if he married Chinese. In the end, he married a Japanese-American woman, who his parents see as more or less white; and her parents were relieved that at least he looks Japanese.

C. "In just my lifetime, intermarriage has become the taboo that binds," Wu observes.

1. In 1960, just 149,000 interracial marriages (and it was still outlawed in several states such as SC).

2. By 1990, there were 1.46 million interracial marriages, or 5% of all marriages, and 1 in 6 in California.

3. (Not in the Book) The "Population Bulletin" reports that in 2000 there were 3.1 million such marriages.

4. A fairly recent survey (2004) reported, in of all places, AARP Magazine (not in "Yellow"): (a) 70% of whites approve of interracial marriage (compared to only 4% in 1958), (b) 77% of Hispanics approved, and (c) 80% of Blacks approved. (Of course, we should recognize that attitudes are one thing, and behavior is another, as Wu observes a bit later in the chapter in commenting on a similar survey.)

D. Wu, then, contends that: "Intermarriage and the mixed race movement are positive, but they are no panacea." (p. 264)
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That brings us to "The Core of the Heart of the Problem" (p. 264), which is where I'll pick up on Thursday.

Lecture Notes on "Yellow"

Given that this is the last week of classes of this semester, and one of those classes will be taken up with Interview presentations (tomorrow, 12/6), that does not leave me much time to talk about "Yellow" in class. So, below are lecture notes on Chapters 1 & 3, and I may also post some notes on Chapter 7. In any case, remember that you should be reading those three chapters in "Yellow," and the families need to be working on some questions for the final exam.

CHAPTER 1: EAST IS EAST, EAST IS WEST: ASIANS IN AMERICA

Last Tuesday (11/29), I got as far as "Literal Yellow, Figurative Gray." (p. 18) So, let me pick up there with these notes:

D. "Literal Yellow, Figurative Gray" -- race is more than black and white, literally and figuratively. Wu and Asian Americans are LITERALLY "yellow" but FIGURATIVELY "gray" in that they occupy a space between black and white, and they do not automatically side with one or the other, although in most cases (and perhaps surprisingly) Wu contends they have been in the same boat as blacks.

1. In law for a long time, Asians were not considered white (as we saw in the Ozawa and Thind cases, which Wu discusses later (p. 94); they were segregated in education, could not own land or testify against a white person in court, etc. -- like blacks in many ways.

2. Wu notes how Asian Americans are regarded as neither "American" (associated with white) nor "minority" (associated with black) -- again, gray. Wu feels that Asian Americans should be included in BOTH categories for the sake of truthfulness.

E. Wu, then, brings some of the astute observations of black intellectual, W.E.B. DuBois, to bear on the issue of how we need to look at race in general (as I also brought out earlier in the course). See bottom of p. 27, beginning with: "Following DuBois's lead, we must be conscious of black and white to transcend black and white. We can acquire such a consciousness by raising Asian Americans out of the background. Asian American perspectives modify the overall picture by supplementing other perspectives and not replacing them...." (see rest of p. 27, down to the middle of p. 28).

1. At the same time, he recognizes, yet decries, the use of Asian Americans as a wedge for purposes of invidious comparison with blacks (which is a major point he argues in exposing the "model minority myth" in Chapter 2).


CHAPTER 3: THE PERPETUAL FOREIGNER: YELLOW PERIL IN THE PACIFIC CENTURY

A. Wu opens this chapter with a "pet peeve" of his, as well as many Asian Americans (something you would do well to take note of in interacting with Asian Americans) -- that is, the question, "where are you from?" which he does not mind answering (in his case, Cleveland), but it is usually followed by, "but where are you REALLY from? which he REALLY hates to answer. (Helen Zia makes a similar point in the Xerox handout).

1. Other similar questions or observations: how long have you been in this country? or, "My, you speak English so well!" Such questions and observations clearly reflect a focus on race, based on the assumption that you are not a "real" American. This is what is meant Asian Americans being considered "perpetual foreigners."

B. Federal immigration policy reflects this perpetual foreigner assumption (as well as aspects of the model minority myth). See bottom paragraph, p. 91 to middle of p. 92. (And, again, over on p. 94, Wu discusses the Ozawa and Thind cases that were covered in our video, "Race: the power of an illusion.")

C. A contemporary example of this anti-Asian prejudice can be found in the story of Maya Lin, who won the contest to design the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C. She was called a "gook". H. Ross Perot, a major promoter and benefactor of the project, called her an "eggroll." He hated that she was Asian (even if she was born in Ohio). (There is a nice documentary on this in our library. Let me add, that she also was asked to do the civil rights memorial outside the headquarters of the Southern Poverty Law Canter in Montgomery, Alabama.)

D. In the rest of the chapter, Wu discusses "...how the perpetual foreigner syndrome works to deprive Asian Americans of civil rights and transform us into a racial threat. Two episodes in Asian-American history -- the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II and the 1996 campaign finance scandal -- and recurring anxieties about Asian dominance of Americans, exemplify the syndrome." p. 95
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That's all for now. I will be posting more notes over the next few days, so be looking for them.

Final Family Activity: Making Up Questions for the Final Exam

With the end of the semester rapidly approaching, and our final exam barely two weeks off (Thursday, Dec. 15th, 9-12), the families need to start racking their collective brains to come up with some questions for the final exam. This exercise is similar to what you did for the midterm exam, only now I am asking for you to make up questions from the latter half of the course. Specifically, I want each family to come up with FIVE short-answer questions (and answers) from the latter half of the course. The "latter half" begins with class lecture/discussion of Chapter 2 in Dr. Tatum's book, starting midway in that chapter, p. 57, "The Psychological Threat of Stereotypes." Anything that we've covered since then is fair game to make up questions; that would include class lectures and blog material on the rest of Dr. Tatum's book, "The New Jim Crow," and even Chapters 1, 3, & 7 of "Yellow." I trust you all should have a good idea of what I mean by "short-answer" questions, since you've done this before and you've taken the midterm exam. Given the time constraint of having only three classes left, at least one and a half of which will be devoted to presentations of your interview papers, that does not leave much class time for brainstorming with your fellow family members. But I will give you some time next week, however, you probably will have to confer outside of class as well.

I WILL NEED THE FAMILIES TO SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSED QUESTIONS (AND ANSWERS) NO LATER THAN NOON, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9TH (WHICH IS THE LAST DAY OF CLASSES BEFORE FINAL EXAM WEEK). You can submit them via email or in writing. I will then read over your proposed questions and try to accept at least three from each family. For each question beyond three that I accept, that family will earn a bonus point. I will then post these questions & answers on this blog NO LATER THAN MONDAY AFTERNOON (DEC. 12), so that you can review them for the final exam. For all PARTICIPATING family members, you will earn 6 activity points, plus any bonus points.

Finally, remember this is a FAMILY (OR GROUP) activity. In that regard, I WILL NOT ACCEPT INDIVIDUAL SUBMISSIONS FROM FAMILY MEMBERS. THE FAMILY, AS A WHOLE OR GROUP, SHOULD SUBMIT THE BEST FIVE QUESTIONS YOU CAN COME UP WITH.
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Remember, your Interview paper is due tomorrow, and all of you should be prepared to give a 10-minute presentation, hitting the highlghts of what you found.

Highlights from "The New Jim Crow"

As I promised before Thanksgiving break, I was going to post some notes on the portion of "The New Jim Crow" that I was not able to get to in class, which is well over half the book. Please keep in mind, these notes are NOT intended to be comprehensive; rather, I would call them mere "highlights." Nonetheless, this material will be fair game to make up questions for the final exam. So, here goes ---

CHAPTER 3: THE COLOR OF JUSTICE

Dr. Alexander had a nice passage which clearly described the circular logic of those who defend racial profiling. Referring to studies from New Jersey and Maryland, she says, "What most surprised many analysts was that, in both studies, whites were actually MORE LIKELY than people of color to be carrying illegal drugs or contraband in their vehicles. In fact, in New Jersey, whites were almost twice as likely to be found with illegal drugs or contraband as African Americans, and five times as likely to be found with contraband as Latinos. Although whites were more likely to be guilty of carrying drugs, they were far less likely to be viewed as suspicious, resulting in relatively few stops, searches, and arrests of whites. The former New Jersey attorney general dubbed this the 'circular logic of racial profiling.' Law enforcement officials, he explained, often point to the racial composition of our prisons and jails as a justification for targeting racial minorities, but the empirical evidence actually suggested the opposite conclusion was warranted. The disproportionate imprisonment of people of color was, in part, a product of racial profiling -- not a justification for it." (p. 131)

Of course, in addition to the above point, you should be aware, in general, of how a number of Supreme Court rulings have made it difficult, if not impossible, to prove there is racial discrimination in different aspects of our criminal justice system.

CHAPTER 4: THE CRUEL HAND

In noting the widespread employment discrimination against ex-convicts, Dr. Alexander makes a very appropriate comment about the importance of work, which cannot be overemphasized. She says, "Even beyond the need to comply with the conditions of parole, employment satisfies a more basic human need -- the fundamental need to be self-sufficient, to contribute, to support one's family, and to add value to society at large. Finding a job allows a person to establish a positive role in the community, develop a healthy self-image, and keep a distance from negative influences and opportunities for illegal behavior. Work is deemed so fundamental to human existence in many countries around the world that it is regarded as a basic human right. Deprivation of work, particularly among men, is strongly associated with depression and violence." (p. 145)

She also brings out the phenomenon of a "spatial mismatch," which works against black ex-cons especially because most of the jobs these days are in the suburbs (if not overseas). As she goes on, "Manufacturing jobs,...have all but disappeared from the urban core during the past thirty years. Not long ago, young, unskilled men could find decent, well-paying jobs at large factories in most Northern cities. Today, due to globalization and deindustrialization, that is no longer the case. Jobs can be found in the suburbs -- mostly service sector jobs -- but employment for unskilled men with criminal convictions, while difficult to find anywhere, is especially hard to find close to home." (p. 147) Also: "An ex-offender whose driver's license has been suspended or who does ot have access to a car, often faces nearly insurmountable barriers to finding employment." (p. 147)

Dr. Alexander closes this chapter with a very important observation, which I know addresses some of your concerns about her argument. Please read over all of pp. 171-172, beginning with: "None of this is to suggest that those who break the law bear no responsibility for their conduct or exist merely as 'products of their environment.'"....

CHAPTER 5: THE NEW JIM CROW

Dr. Alexander makes a very important point regarding what she believes is a profound misunderstanding of how racial oppression actually works -- that it is NOT just about individual attitudes but the basic structure of our social system. SEE ALL OF PAGES 178-179 (especially, p. 178).

Criminality today carries a clear RACIAL STIGMA: "Every racial caste system in the United States has produced racial stigma. Mass incarceration is no exception. Racial stigma is produced by defining negatively what it means to be black. The stigma of race was once the shame of the slave; then [in the context of Jim Crow] it was the shame of the second-class citizen; today the stigma of race is the shame of the criminal..." (p. 192), and note what she goes on to say on the rest of p. 192 and 193.

Of course, you should be able to identify the SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES between Jim Crow and mass incarceration, all of which are in bold print. (pp. 185-205)

Finally, pay particular attention to pp. 206-207, where Dr. Alexander notes how we could have responded more constructively to the collapse of inner-city communities in the 1970s and 80s:
"The economic collapse of inner-city black communities could have inspired a national outpouring of compassion and support. A new War on Poverty could have been launched. Economic stimulus packages could have sailed through Congress to bail out those trapped in jobless ghettos through no fault of their own. Education, job training, public transportation, and relocation assistance could have been provided, so that youth of color would have been able to survive the rough transition to a new global economy and secure jobs in the suburbs. Constructive interventions would have been good not only for African Americans trapped in ghettos, but also for blue collar workers of all colors, many of whom were suffering too, if less severely. A wave of compassion and concern could have flooded poor and working-class communities, in honor of the late Martin Luther King, Jr. All of this could have happened, but it didn't. Instead we declared War on Drugs."
"The collapse of inner-city economies coincided with the conservative backlash against the Civil Rights Movement, resulting in the perfect storm. Almost overnight, black men found themselves unnecessary to the American society and demonized by mainstream society...." (pp. 206-207)

CHAPTER 6: THE FIRE THIS TIME

Dr. Alexander poses an important rhetorical question: "Have we unwittingly exaggerated the importance of individuals succeeding within pre-existing structures of power, and thereby undermined King's call for a 'complete restructuring of our society?" (p. 241), and note what she goes on to point out about being blinded by our belief in individualism (just as we are blinded by colorblindness).

Finally, I appreciate what she observes about Dr. King near the end, that today we are stuck in an approach to civil rights' advocacy which Dr. King had abandoned during his final years. We have not appreciated King's radicalism.
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That's it. Please be sure to review these highlights along with class lectures on "The New Jim Crow." We will make the transition to Asian Americans tomorrow (Tues. 11/29). Start reading "Yellow." As I said in the blast email I sent yesterday, we are going to try to cover just Chapters 1, 3, & 7 in that book.

EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITY - "TULIA"

As I mentioned in class this morning, I've decided to show the documentary on the book, "Tulia: Race, Cocaine, and Corruption in a Small Texas Town," which I am using in my criminology class. Michelle Alexander also refers to this incident in "The New Jim Crow." It is clearly an incident with racial overtones. So, after viewing the film next Tuesday (11/22), for 5 EXTRA CREDIT POINTS you may post a comment on this blog in which I want you to discuss (IN ONE OR TWO PARAGRAPHS) how you feel the documentary supports (or does not support) Michelle Alexander's argument in "The New Jim Crow."

If you decide to do this, make sure to post your comment on this blog NO LATER THAN TUESDAY, NOV. 29TH.

Follow-up to "Lecture" on Chapter 1 of The New Jim Crow

Sorry about getting side-tracked on the JFK assassination this morning. I felt I could and should have done a better job talking about Chapter 1, The Rebirth of Caste. Let me follow-up a bit on my remarks to make sense of what Michelle Alexander is trying to do in that chapter.

A. First and foremost, this is a historical chapter which I believe does a good job of describing the different forms of racial caste systems, going back to the development of slavery. I believe she adds confirmation to many points we made earlier in connection with the video series, for example that passage on origin of the concept of race and how it was used both to justify slavery and justify the extermination of the Indians (p. 23). I believe she is right on target in talking about the origin of Jim Crow after Reconstruction. Where her argument becomes more controversial, of course, is her interpretation of the post-Civil Rights era (1970-present) in which she argues that "law and order" and the "War on Drugs" are the colorblind slogans of the new racial caste system. In Chapter 2 she goes into much more detail on the evidence of racial bias in the law and order regime of modern times. In Chapter 1 she talks more about the politics of this all, which cuts across political party lines. I especially appreciate what she says about the Clinton Administration, which, in its effort to be tough on crime and drugs, escalated mass incarceration. Rather than try to address some of the underlying problems in the black community, they went after the drug abusers and dealers who could be seen more as symptoms of these problems rather than the cause. Parenthetically, I would even say that the Obama Administration has been reluctant to address this issue for fear of being labeled "soft" on crime and drugs.

So, that brings us up to Chapter 2, which I will take up on Thursday. You should be much father along in your reading and keep in mind those two essay topics, of which you will write on one for next Tuesday.

Reminders & Emily's Research on the Benefits of Diversity in Higher Education

REMNDERS: Continue reading in "The New Jim Crow." Remember that I plan to finish covering this book by Nov. 22nd, which is our last class before the Thanksgiving break. In this context, I will be handing out (or possibly emailing you) a description of our third and final short essay which will involve analyzing some aspect of "The New Jim Crow." Be looking for this as early as next Monday or Tuesday (Nov. 14 or 15). This will be due on the 22nd.

Also, I trust most of you have not forgotten about the Interview paper, which will be due on Thursday, Dec. 1st. You should have either done your interview by now or are planning to do it soon so that you will have time to write up the results. You will also be presenting a synopsis of your findings in class beginning on that Thursday.

EMILY'S RESEARCH ON THE BENEFITS OF DIVERSITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Let me preface these points that Emily covered in class on Thursday (11/10) by noting that this information came from footnotes #7, 8, & 9 from pp. 110-111 in Dr. Tatum's book.

Supreme Court case, "Grutter v. Bollinger"
* Grutter was a white Michigan resident with a high GPA and LSAT score who alleged that she was rejected by the University of Michigan Law School because race was a predominant factor in admissions. The case was argued on April 1, 2003 and decided on June 23, 2003. The Supreme Court ruled that the University of Michigan Law School's admissions program that gave special consideration for certain racial minority applicants did NOT violate the 14th Amnendment (equal protection clause, I assume). Justice Sandra Day O'Connor was the deciding vote. She said that the Constitution does not prevent the law school's tailored use of race in admissions. It was her hope [and I would say the hope of affirmative action programs in general] that 25 years from now (around 2027), racial preferences should no longer be needed to insure diversity in education. Affirmative action should not be permanent, and eventually race-neutral admissions should be put in place.

*In contrast, another Supreme Court case in 2003, "Gratz v. Bollinger," the court ruled AGAINST the University of Michigan's stricter point-based admissions program for undergraduates because it was basically a QUOTA system. Justice O'Connor was in the majority on this decision too.

AS I NOTED IN CLASS, THIS SHOWS THAT THE COURTS, GOING BACK TO THE BAKKE CASE (IN 1979, I BELIEVE) HAVE CONSISTENTLY STRUCK DOWN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION PROGRAMS THAT INVOLVED QUOTAS. HOWEVER, THE COURTS HAVE ALSO UPHELD THE USE OF RACE AS A FACTOR IN ADMISSIONS TO ENSURE DIVERSITY, AS WELL AS A MATTER OF FAIRNESS TO GROUPS THAT HAD BEEN EXCLUDED IN THE PAST.

PATRICIA GURIN, "THE MISSION OF HIGHER EDUCATION": This was part of the brief defending the University of Michigan Law School's admissions program. She argued that the goal is to prepare young people for participation in our democratic society, which is a diverse society [what Tatum called "democracy outcomes"]. Higher education is supposed to advance knowledge and to educate those who will become active in society. Being exposed to racial and ethnic differences helps in reaching these goals. Students develop better in diverse environments. Colleges and universities have an obligation to choose carefully the kind of student body that will create the best learning environment for all their students. "Because students in late adolescence and early adulthood are at a critical stage of development, diversity is crucially important in enabling them to become conscious learners and critical thinkers."

SILVIA HURTADO: Colleges can create conditions that maximize the learning that occurs in an environment with a diverse student body. Students who interact more with diverse peers demonstrate more complex thinking linked to both cognitive and social development.

***Let me add, clearly both Gurin and Hurtado support Dr. Tatum's claim that there are educational and social benefits to diversity in higher education. But I would still point out that the above statements still do NOT constitute EVIDENCE of these claims. We'd have to probe a bit deeper to see just what facts they uncovered to support these claims.

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THE ABOVE INFORMATION IS PART OF WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO STUDY FOR THE FINAL EXAM.

Response to Dr. Peter Caster's Lecture

As you all should know by now, I am requiring attendance at Dr. Peter Caster's lecture on "Prisons, Race, and Masculinity" on Tuesday (11/1) evening at 7PM in the Olin Theater. Because of this event we will not have class this Thursday. In addition to attending, I want each of you to respond to Dr. Caster's talk on this blog. What I am looking for is a one or two paragraph comment in which you address the following: (1) what you thought of the lecture as a whole.
(2) what did you believe was the most relevant part of the lecture for our class and why.
(3) any point or idea or argument you disagreed with and why.

So, make sure to come with something to jot down a few notes.
This exercise is worth 3 activity points.

PLEASE POST YOUR COMMENTS NO LATER THAN THURSDAY, NOV. 3RD.

****FOR THOSE WHO CANNOT MAKE THE LECTURE DUE TO A CONFLICT, I WANT YOU TO WRITE A RESPONSE IN WHICH YOU REFLECT ON WHAT YOUR CLASSMATES HAVE WRITTEN. SPECIFICALLY, I WANT EACH OF YOU SINGLE OUT WHICH RESPONSE TO EACH OF THOSE THREE TOPICS ABOVE YOU FELT WAS BEST OR YOU LEARNED MOST FROM, AND TELL WHY. NOTE: YOU MAY PICK RESPONSES FROM MORE THAN ONE OF YOUR CLASSMATES. TO EARN THE SAME 3 ACTIVITY POINTS, PLEASE POST YOUR FOLLOW-UP COMMENTS NO LATER THAN MONDAY, NOV. 7TH.

Reminders & Emily's Research on the Black-White Wealth Gap and Resegregation of Education

REMINDERS:

1. I should have your midterm exams back next Tuesday (11/1), and we will go over them in class.
2. Remember that we WILL have class on Tuesday, but there will be NO CLASS on Thursday (11/3). I am giving you Thursday off in compensation for your attendance at the talk by Dr. Peter Caster on TUESDAY (11/1) EVENING AT 7PM IN THE OLIN THEATER.
3. Regarding Dr. Caster's talk, I will post on the blog next Monday a question I'd like you to respond to briefly following his talk.
4. You should plan to wrap up your reading of Dr. Tatum's book next week. As you know, the description of essay II, which I handed out just before the midterm exam yesterday, asks you to comment on something from the last chapter of her book. That essay is due next week FRIDAY (11/4).
5. We are going to make a quick transition to our next book, "The New Jim Crow," by Michelle Alexander. I am considering a family exercise in connection with reading and discussing that book. I'll probably announce something on that next Tuesday. But we will begin talking about "The New Jim Crow" on Tuesday, Nov. 8th.


EMILY'S RESEARCH ON THE BLACK-WHITE WEALTH GAP & SCHOOL RESEGREGATION

Below are the points that Emily brought out in class last Tuesday (10/25).

BLACK-WHITE WEALTH GAP (Remember that this longstanding gap can be traced back to discriminatory housing policies, especially during the suburban housing boom after World War II, among other factors, of course.)

2011 (recent reports) Indicated that White households have 20x more wealth on average than the typical Black family. Also, White households had 18x more than the average Hispanic family. In 1984, White families had 12x more wealth than the average Black family. SO, THE GAP HAS INCREASED IN THE LAST 25 YEARS.

2009 Some specific figures: White -- $113,149; Black -- $5,677; Hispanic -- $6,325 (assets minus debts or net wealth)

SCHOOL RESEGREGATION (I believe these points came from one of the primary sources Dr. Tatum cites in her book: Charles Clotfelter's "After Brown: The Rise and Retreat of School Desegregation" (2004), which is in our library.)

**In 2002, more than 1 in 6 African American children attended a school that was 99-100% minority.
**One possible reason -- charter schools, which white students attend more than minority students.
**Goldsboro High School in Wayne Co., NC. -- 80% of the students are poor, 99% are African American. This is in a town and school district which is 50/50 Black-White. The other five high schools are majority White and without poverty. The NAACP filed a complaint with the school district in Dec. 2010.
**Problem is that different schools receive different funding and supplies (as you also saw in those tables I handed out in class on major cities in the Northeast and Midwest). Non-white students are more likely to be taught by inexperienced teachers. This problem would not exist if classrooms were more racially integrated.

How resegregation came to be:
** White aversion to interracial contact (let me add here, as I believe Emily alluded to in her presentation, that the big fear here is interracial sexual relations. Despite more acceptance of interracial relationships in general, there still is substantial resistance to interracial dating and marriage.)
**Multiple escape routes open to parents wishing to reduce the level of interracial contact in their children's schools: many schools to choose from such as charter or private schools.
**Willingness of state officials (and, I assume, local officials) to minimize interracial contact: building new schools in predominantly White areas; adjusting school attendance boundaries; easiness for Whites to transfer from racially changing schools.
**Hypothesis being that Whites seek to avoid racially mixed schools (which I assume Clotfelter found substantial support for).

Finally, for anyone interested in exploring this further, I would recommend that you check out Jonathan Kozol's book, "Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America" (2005).

Family Questions for Midterm Exam

Below are the questions I accepted from the ones submitted by each family. Overall, I believe the Orange family did the best job and earned a bonus point. And when we do this again in preparation for the final exam, let me remind you all, especially the Blue family, that I WILL NOT ACCEPT INDIVIDUAL SUBMISSIONS. PART OF THE PURPOSE OF THIS ACTIVITY IS TO HAVE YOU DECIDE AS A GROUP WHAT THE BEST QUESTIONS WOULD BE AND THEN SUBMIT THEM AS A GROUP, OR FAMILY. Finally, you will note that I did some editing of some questions and answers.


GREEN FAMILY (Jared, Jessi, Lucy, Nygia, Jack) earns 5 activity points.

1. Which group has benefited most from affirmative action? (1)

ANSWER: women

2. What is "colorblind racism?" (1)

ANSWER: Colorblind racism is a form of racism in which minorities' status is explained or rationalized on the basis of nonracial factors such as market forces (economics) or cultural factors.

3. Is race real? (2)

ANSWER: Biologically speaking, race is NOT real, but it IS real socially.


ORANGE FAMILY (T.J., Emily, Brianna, Ethan, Shelby) earns 5 points, plus 1 bonus point.

1. The Eugenics movement, which emerged in the U.S. in the early 20th century and was based on the idea of white superiority, also influenced what world leader who developed a genocidal program based on these ideas? (1)

ANSWER: Adolf Hitler

2. What aspect of the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair was featured at the end of Part 2 of the video series and what was its significance? (2)

ANSWER: The fair had people from different ethnic backgrounds displayed in their "natural habitats," so white Americans who attended could see how these people were "inferior" to them.

3. How was housing discrimination against minorities in the United States both institutionalized and condoned by the federal government? (3)

ANSWER: The FHA (Federal Housing Administration), as well as private lenders, pioneered the practice of "red lining" in which predominantly black neighborhoods were judged to be bad risks for mortgage lending, which led to inevitable decline and decreasing home values in these areas. Furthermore, through "restrictive covenants," which were legal obligations imposed by the seller of a house often NOT to allow minority individuals to buy or lease a property, many neighborhoods were kept legally segregated.

4. What is the basic difference between PREJUDICE and DISCRIMINTION? (1)

ANSWER: Prejudice involves ATTITUDES, whereas discrimination involves ACTIONS.


BLUE FAMILY (Jarell, Julisa, Kristal, Mimi, Mary Katherine, Amelia) earns 5 points.

1. Why won't CONTACT alone eliminate prejudice? (1)

ANSWER: Because if it is UNEQUAL STATUS CONTACT, in which one group is clearly dominant, that may only serve to reinforce prejudice, as was clearly the case during slavery.

2. What has been the effect of housing discrimination, which was widely and legally practiced during the suburban housing boom right after World War II, on education today? (2)

ANSWER: It has contributed to the so-called "RESEGREGATION" of public education today because neighborhood housing and schools tend to be segregated today due in large part to this past housing discrimination.

3. What was the name of the operation in which both legal and illegal Mexican immigrants were deported from the U.S. because we no longer needed their labor after World War II? (1)

ANSWER: Operation Wetback

_____________________________

That's it. Remember, these questions WILL be on the midterm this Thursday, Oct. 27th.

King quote; "Reverse" Discrimination & Family Activity: Making Up Questions for the Midterm Exam

KING QUOTE: The following is the passage from Dr. King's book, "Stride Toward Freedom," which I quoted in class in connection with discussing the law as an indirect way to overcome prejudice.

"Government action is not the whole answer to the present crisis, but it is an important partial answer. Morals cannot be legislated, but behavior can be regulated. The law cannot make an employer love me, but it can keep him from refusing to hire me because of the color of my skin. We must depend on religion and education to alter the errors of the heart and mind; but meanwhile it is an immoral act to compel a man to accept injustice until another man's heart is set straight. As the experience of several northern states has shown, antidiscrimination laws can provide powerful sanctions against this kind of immorality."

"Moreover, the law itself is a form of education."


"REVERSE" DISCRIMINATION (Since I got off on a few tangents talking about this, let me clarify my remarks on this questionable term.)

1. The definition of discrimination raises a question about the validity of the term "reverse" discrimination. The fact is, minorities by definition, do not wield that kind of power over the dominant group, unless many in the dominant group are won over to their cause.

a.) For example, affirmative action programs were adopted by majority white male decision-makers in government as well as in business, which continue to be areas dominated by white males. So, to call affirmative action an example of reverse discrimination is really a misnomer, because white males were largely responsible for putting these programs in place.

b.) And to suggest that affirmative action is on a par with discrimination in the past is a gross distortion of history. Clearly, there have been some problems with some affirmative action programs and some whites have been unfairly denied opportunities, but it is not as thorough-going as past discrimination which was often enforced by law. (NOTE: I neglected to make this point in class lecture.)

c.) Finally, on an individual level, I can understand where someone may feel that they were unfairly denied a position or promotion because of race, but in a broader sense I do not think the term reverse discrimination is legitimate.


FAMILY ACTIVITY: MAKING UP QUESTIONS FOR THE MIDTERM EXAM

As I announced in class, we are going to have our midterm exam on THURSDAY, OCT. 27TH. In preparation for that I want the families to make up some questions which I will consider for inclusion on this exam. More specifically, I want each of the families to make up FIVE short-answer questions from any material we have covered in class, on the blog, in xerox handouts, or through Chapter 2 in "Can We Talk About Race?" (which is a far as we should get before the midterm exam). By short-answer I mean direct questions that can be answered in a word, sentence, or a couple sentences at most. For example, I might ask you to briefly explain how race can be an illusion and yet profoundly real, which would be a 2-point question that could be answered in a couple sentences. Fill-in-the-blank questions are also acceptable. And you can make up multiple-point questions of 2, 3, or 4 points. Types of questions I will NOT accept are: True-False questions or multiple-choice questions. One way of thinking about this assignment is to put yourselves in my shoes: if you were teaching this course and presenting this material, what do you believe students ought to know?

As I mentioned in class this morning, you are certainly welcome to get together with your family on Thursday (10/13) even though I will not be there. But I will give you time in class next week to brainstorm questions with your family members. Once you decide on your five questions, I want a representative from each family to submit your questions (AND ANSWERS) to me in writing or via email NO LATER THAN 3PM THURSDAY, OCT. 20TH. I will read over your submissions and try to accept at least three questions from each family. You will earn a bonus point for each additional question I accept (so, if I accept all five, you will earn 2 bonus points, and you will have the added benefit of knowing more of the test). I WILL THEN POST THE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS I ACCEPTED ON THIS BLOG NO LATER THAN MONDAY, THE 24TH, SO YOU WILL HAVE THEM TO STUDY FOR THE MIDTERM, WHICH, AGAIN, WILL BE ON THURSDAY, THE 27TH. Finally, this exercise is worth 5 activity points, and you have to participate to earn those points.


That's all for now. See you next week and continue reading in "Can We Talk About Race?"

Wrap-up to Video Series & Some Lecture Notes

I thought yesterday's (Thurs. 9/29) class went well, although we did not make the kind of progress I had hoped to make. So, I will be using this blog today to catch up a bit.

WRAP-UP OF VIDEO SERIES:

There are a couple final observations I'd like to make about Part 3 of the video series. Recall that the two main points we focused on yesterday were the Ozawa-Thind Supreme Court cases and the history of housing discrimination, among a few other points I made.

Toward the end of the video, they talked about America as a "colorblind" society. Many people profess to not see color, just people. Also, they talk about Dr. King's dream of a society where people will be judged based on the content of their character and not the color of their skin. But, we also need to remember that Dr. King was describing a DREAM he had, NOT THE REALITY. And the unfortunate fact is that we have a ways to go to realize this dream. And to realize it, we must first take race into account.

1. Supreme Court Justice, Harry Blackmun, acknowledged the above point in a famous affirmative action case: that we must take account of race in order to get beyond racism.

2. John Powell had the last word, observing that we should be UNCOMFORTABLE with the present arrangement.


NOW, TO THE "BASIC DEFINITIONS:"

A. Let's address some issues relevant to the definition of some basic terms in this field of race and ethnic relations. It is important to recognize some of the controversy surrounding some of these definitions, such as the definition of "race." It should also be noted that this is not an exhaustive list -- there will be many more terms we'll be defining and discussing throughout the term.

1. CULTURE: I decided to include this term because we will encounter other terms and issues that presuppose some understanding of it: terms such as "multicultural" or "cultural diversity." So what is culture?

a.) I purposely selected this long definition because it is all-inclusive -- covers both non-material and material aspects. Broadly, values, norms, material goods (really any object fashioned by human hands). Important to acknowledge the physical or material because many different groups have contributed objects, inventions, foods, music, etc.

b.) Interesting to note various things that Americans have made uniquely our own. Foods such as pizza; Mexican foods such as tacos; African-American jazz & blues. The English language itself is actually very multicultural -- many common English terms have come from many different languages.

c.) Various metaphors have been used to describe American culture -- "melting pot," which implies ASSIMILATION; and more recently (and I believe, accurately) "salad bowl," "stew," "stir-fry," all of which reflect CULTURAL PLURALISM, which implies that the various racial and ethnic groups that make up America maintain their distinctiveness (unique flavors) at the same time they share being Americans.

2. RACE: as you can obviously see, this definition is more than just a definition; it also embodies an argument or criticism of the concept along the lines that we saw in the video series, "Race: the power of an illusion." It is very controversial, although I believe it can be said that there is a consensus among biologists, anthropologists, and other experts that "race" as a biological classification (designating distinct groups of homo sapiens or subspecies) has little or no validity.

a.) Historically, it is a notion that has been scientifically challenged since it was first introduced back in the late 1700s. Ironically, one of the scientists who first propounded a racial classification, Johann Fredrich Blumenbach (1776), also upheld the unity of the human species against an alternative view at the time which argued that races had been separately created (which was a key claim of the Nazis). He defended the mental and moral untiy of all peoples; indeed, he campaigned for the abolition of slavery.

1.) Nonetheless, in the words of Stephen Jay Gould, author of "The Geometer of Race:" "Blumenbach radically changed the geometry of human order from a geographically based model without explicit ranking to a hierarchy of worth, oddly based upon perceived beauty (a very unscientific criterion), fanning out in two directions from the Caucasian ideal." To underscore this point here, Blumenbach used a very subjective criterion to determine which race was the primal race at the top of the hierarchy. No doubt he was influenced by the prevailing belief in the superiority of European culture.

"...Blumenbach chose physical beauty as his guide to ranking. He simply affirmed that Europeans were the most beautiful, with Caucasians as the most comely of all. This explains why Blumenbach,...linked the maximal beauty of the Caucasians to the place of human origin. Blumenbach viewed all subsequent variation as departures from the originally created ideal -- therefore, the most beautiful people must live closest to our primal home."

"Blumenbach's descriptions are pervaded by his subjective sense of relative beauty, presented as though he were discussing an objective and quantifiable property, not subject to doubt or disagreement. He describes a Georgian female skull (found close to Mount Caucasus) as 'really the most beautiful form of skull which...always of itself attracts every eye, however little observant.' He then defends his European standard on aesthetic grounds: 'In the first place, that stock displays...the most beautiful form of the skull, from which, as from a mean and primeval type, the others diverge by most easy gradations....Besides, it is white in color, which we may fairly assume to have been the primitive color of mankind, since...it is very easy for that to degenerate into brown, but very much more difficult for dark to become white.'"

c.) The American Anthropological Associations' official statement on race (1997) reviews a bit of the history of the concept. It emphatically rejects the concept of race as biological, but reminds us of the SOCIAL REALITY of the concept -- that people believed it to be true and used it to justify slavery and, later, segregation. It said, in part:

"BIOPHYSICAL DIVERSITY HAS NO INHERENT SOCIAL MEANING EXCEPT WHAT WE HUMANS CONFER UPON IT. The concept of 'race' is in reality a product of that process. 'Race' is a set of culturally created attitudes toward, and beliefs about, human differences developed following widespread exploration and colonization by Western European powers since the 16th century. In the North American colonies, European settlers conquered an indigenous population and brought in as slaves alien peoples from Africa. By the end of the 18th century a rising antislavery movement, produced by liberal and humanistic forces mostly in Europe, compelled slave owners to find new defenses for preserving slavery. 'Race' was invented as a social mechanism to justify the retention of slavery. 'Race' ideology magnified differences among these populations, established a rigid hierarchy of socially exclusive categories, underscored and bolstered unequal rank and status differences and provided the rationalization that such differences were natural or God-given. The different physical traits became markers or symbols of status differences."

"As they were constructing this society, white Americans fabricated the cultural/behavioral characteristics associated with each 'race,' linking superior traits to Europeans and negative and inferior ones to blacks and Indians. Thus, arbitrary beliefs about the different peoples were institutionalized and deeply embedded in American thought."

And a final observation from that same official statement:

"How people have been accepted and treated within the context of their society and culture has a direct impact on how they perform within the society. The 'racial' worldview was invented to assign some groups to perpetual low status while others were permitted access to privilege, power, and wealth. The tragedy is that it succeeded all too well in constructing unequal populations. Given what we know about the capacity of normal humans to achieve and function within any culture, we conclude that present-day inequalities between human groups are not consequences of their biological inheritance; rather, these inequalities are products of historical and contemporary social, economic, educational and political circumstances."


That's all for now. Next Tuesday, 10/4, we will pick up with the next basic definition, RACISM. Also, remember that your first essays are due next Tuesday as well.

Passages from "Slavery by Another Name" & Remaining Comments on Part 2 of the Video Series

Passages from "Slavery by Another Name" by Douglas Blackmon:

Before I post these passages, I want to remind you of the context in which they were relevant. At the conclusion of the Civil War, the institution of slavery was abolished but NOT the race theory and racism that justified it.

"The Civil War settled definitively the question of the South's continued existence as a part of the United States, but in 1865 there was no strategy for cleansing the South of the economic and intellectual addiction to slavery. The resistance to what should have been the obvious consequences of losing the Civil War -- full emancipation of the slaves and shared political control between blacks and whites -- was so virulent and effective that the tangible outcome of the military struggle between the North and the South remained uncertain even twenty-five years after the issuance of President Abraham Lincoln's Emanciaption Proclamation. The role of the African American in American society would not be clear for another one hundred years."

"In the first decades of that span, the intensity of southern whites' need to reestablish hegemony over blacks rivaled the most visceral patriotism of the wartime Confederacy. White southerners initiated an extraordinary campaign of defiance and subversion against the new biracial social order imposed on the South and mandated by the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution which abolished slavery." (pp. 41-42)

Later, Blackmon cites W.E.B. DuBois's characterization of whites' attitudes towards blacks around the turn of the 20th century:

"...there was scarcely a white man in the South who did not honestly regard Emancipation as a crime, and its practical nullification as a duty." (p. 245)

Finally, Dr. King's perceptive comment in the same vein as the first passage above:

"Reading Charles Silberman's "Crisis in Black and White" after its publication the prior year (1964), Martin Luther King scribbled a long note in the margins of his personal copy: 'The South deluded itself with the illusion that the Negro was happy in his place; the North deluded itself with the illusion that it had freed the Negro. The Emancipation Proclamation freed the slave, a legal entity, but it failed to free the Negro, a person.' In every aspect and among almost every demographic, how American society digested and processed the long, dark chapter between the end of the Civil War and the beginning of the civil rights movement has been delusion." (p. 394)


REMAINING COMMENTS ABOUT PART 2 OF THE VIDEO SERIES: let me add just a couple final comments about Part 2: the stories we tell.

Toward the end, the narrator spoke of the "white man's burden" in connection with a growing American empire and European colonization of Africa and Asia. This was captured in some of the cartoons around the turn of the 20th century, which usually depicted America or white civilization as a mother or father figure and those we conquered like the Filipinos as backward children needing to be guided.

As a couple of the families noted, the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair had people on display, like animals in a zoo, in their "natural" habitats, obviously backward compared to the civilized whites.

Finally, one of the historians reminded us of a signficant contradiction: that our society is based on such wonderful principles worth dying for. And yet our society has allowed us to ignore these principles. A good example of this was an argument many civil rights activists in the 1960s made: that we presented ourselves to the world as the bastion of democracy during the Cold War, and yet we denied many African Americans the right to participate fully in this democracy.

That's all for now. On Thursday (9/29) I plan to comment on Part 3 and then get into those Basic Definitions. Don't forget your first essay assignment which is due next Tuesday, Oct. 4th.

Family observations on Part 3 of "Race: the power of an illusion"

GREEN FAMILY
(1) Ozawa case
The Ozawa case was very surprising: how he could not be a citizen because he was not white, despite the fact that the Japanese had been in America for many decades. This case really showed us that being labeled "white" is about more than skin color; it is also about what opportunities you can have. Even though Ozawa acted as a white American, this was not enough to prove to the Supreme Court that he was white.

(2) 1930s FHA
The Federal Housing Administration sounded like a good program, helping the "average" person to own a home. But it also sanctioned discrimination against "average" black people trying to purchase a home and it used racial criteria to determine which areas were considered good or bad credit risks. People of that era would probably be surprised to see how things have changed today.


BLUE FAMILY
(1) Ozawa and Thind cases
The two Supreme Court cases in the 1920s that involved the definition of who is "white" not only showed the difficulty in doing this, but also showed the arbitrariness of such definitions. Takao Ozawa made two arguments. First, he argued that race should not be a factor in becoming an American citizen. But knowing his first argument was too far-reaching, he made another argument that he should be considered white because he lived like any other American. But the court ruled against him, saying that according to the latest science he was not Caucasian. The court contradicted itself two years later in the case of an Indian named Thind. He used science to trace his ancestry to the Aryan (white) race. But this, too, was not good enough for the court, which argued that this scientific argument was not good enough, that the common man could clearly see Thind was not white. So, white was whatever the white man said it was. Clearly, this is circular reasoning and proves that race is a matter of social definition -- a very dangerous and powerful idea.

(2) Impact of housing discrimination
The beginning of mass homeownership after WWII had a huge impact on race relations in America. First, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) made possible mass homeownership by requiring only a small percentage down on a house and low payments each month. This made it possible for average families and seemingly "anyone" to own a home. But "non-whites" were left out of this housing market because the builders and realtors were allowed to discriminate against non-whites. This led to nearly all-white suburbs and minorities being concentrated in inner-city housing projects. When minorities were finally allowed to move into these neighborhoods, "white flight" occurred, which was encouraged be realtors and led housing values to decline in neighborhoods where blacks moved in. This led to a geographic Jim Crow (or racial segregation) in the U.S. today, and this contributed significantly to the large wealth gap between whites and non-whites.


ORANGE FAMILY
(1) Ozawa and Thind cases
Even though Zangwill wrote about America being a "Melting Pot," clearly those who were regarded as non-white did not have a place in this pot, as illustrated by the Ozawa or Thind cases. Ozawa's petition to the Supreme Court to be declared white so he could become a citizen was denied even though he lived his life like most white Americans. Thind was able to prove scientifically he was white, but his petition was also denied because the Supreme Court said any person can see he is not white. These cases showed how easily the rules could be changed for who was white, and who would be allowed to be a part of this so-called "melting pot."

(2) Government-sanctioned housing discrimination
The FHA program, which was a path to homeownership for millions of Americans, was discriminatory toward blacks. It pioneered the practice of "red-lining" in which predominantly black neighborhoods were judged to be bad risks for mortgage lending, which led to inevitable decline and decreasing home values in these areas. This institutional discrimination was much more serious than individual discrimination against blacks.


That's it. Everyone earns the 6 points for this activity. I did decide to award the Blue family a bonus point for being so prompt in sending me their responses, which were generally more complete. We will discuss this tomorrow (Thurs. 9/22), and these family points may be used as a basis for some midterm exam questions.

Family observations on Part 2 of "Race: the power of an illusion"

Below are your edited part 2 observations:

BLUE FAMILY:
(1) Indian Removal Act
Initially, Thomas Jefferson and many white settlers believed that Indians were savages but they were capable of being civilized -- they were perceived as "brown little white men." The Cherokees in particular tried to prove they could be "civilized" or "Americanized." They converted to Christianity, learned English, went to school, became farmers, even dressed like whites. But because of pressure for their land, they were forcibly removed, which led to the Trail of Tears. And they were placed on a reservation where they were encouraged to be Indians and not try to assimilate into American society.

(2) 1904 St. Louis World's Fair
In addition to being a celebration of American progress and prosperity, this world's fair also displayed people of different cultures and races like zoo animals in their natural, "uncivilized" habitats, which made these "lesser peoples," such as the recently conquered Filipinos, appear inferior to the white Americans who saw them.


GREEN FAMILY:
(1) Dr. Josiah Nott's collection of human skulls
Although this was presented as objective science, one historian noted that this collection of skulls and diagrams made from them were based on prejudice and intended to show that blacks' skulls resembled those of apes and monkeys, whereas whites' skulls were more symmetrical and looked more human.

(2) Treatment of Indians
The U.S. government found ways to take Indian land and force Indians to become more like white Americans. But even when the Indians, such as the Cherokees, proved they could be "civilized" on the white man's terms, the government still moved in and took their land in the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which led to the Trail of Tears and the deaths of a significant proportion of their population.


ORANGE FAMILY:
(1) Recent origin of racism
Racism is a relatively modern phenomenon dating back to the 18th century. Colonists were more likely to distinguish between Christians and non-Christians, and in the beginning indentured servitude was not race-based. Yet, because of labor shortages due to slowing immigration from Europe, colonists turned to the African slave trade to supply cheap labor for their labor-intensive crops. By the 1780s, Thomas Jefferson talks of his suspicion that African slaves are inherently inferior, and he calls on science to prove this, which science proceeds to do, leading to a race theory which places whites on top of the racial hierarchy and blacks on the bottom.

(2) This is a heartbreaking chapter in American history. While Native Americans were seen as capable of being as civilized as white Americans, especially among Enlightenment thinkers, many ordinary whites saw themselves as superior. In response to populist pressure for their land, due in large part to the discovery of gold in northern Georgia, the federal government under Andrew Jackson, authorized the removal of members of the Cherokee, Creek, Seminole, Chickisaw, and Chocktaw nations out of the Southeast, giving their lands away to white farmers through a random lottery. Nearly a quarter of those who were part of the Trail of Tears died from disease, exposure, and starvation; those who refused to go were often killed, and many more died after reaching the reservations in Oklahoma.

That's it for Part 2. Look for Part 3 to be posted tomorrow (Wed., 9/21). We'll begin discussing all this on Thursday.

Family observations on Part 1 of "Race: the power of an illusion" & Reminders

FAMILY OBSERVATIONS ON PART 1 OF "RACE: THE POWER OF AN ILLUSION"

Please note that I have done some editing of your submissions. I trust that my editing did not distort what you were trying to say.

BLUE FAMILY (Amelia, Jarell, Kristal, Mary Katherine, Julisa, Mimi)

1. Jesse Owens and the Rise of Black Athletes
Jessie Owens won four gold medals in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, which shattered both the Nazi belief in Aryan superiority and belied Hoffman's argument in "Race Traits and Tendencies of the American Negro" that the Negro was inherently infirm and destined for extinction. This changed the idea of African Americans being the weaker race to the idea that they were physically superior (although not intellectually or culturally) due to the fact, as Owens' coach observed, "they were closer to the primitive."

2. Use of Davenport's Study of Eugenics in Nazi Germany
Davenport, a biologist in the early 20th century, developed the science of eugenics which was premised on the belief in white superiority. The Nazis later used this "science" to justify the Holocaust and promote Aryan superiority. This is significant because it shows how misguided American science contributed to the slaughter of millions of people due to race.

GREEN FAMILY (Jessi, Jared, Jack, Nygia, Lucy)

1. Eugenics movement
In the early 1900s, eugenics, the so-called study of improving human genetic quality, became popular in the U.S. The eugenists' worse nightmare -- a conglomeration of "the worst racial traits" -- was discovered in the WIN tribe of the Virginia Blue Hills. These people were a mixture of white, Indian, and Negro blood. The racist eugenics movement proposed outlandish measures, such as sterlization, which were upheld by the Virginia courts and the U.S. Supreme Court, in an attempt to maintain white racial purity and superiority.

2. People have had a hard time getting around the idea that outward appearance, such as skin color, is indicative of inner characteristics and capacities, but science has clearly shown that these differences are merely skin deep. Underneath the multi-hued skin tone of the people of the world, everyone is essentially the same. Hopefully, as science progresses, the "race myth" will be further discredited.

ORANGE FAMILY (Shelby, T.J., Brianna, Emily, Ethan)

1. Frederick Hoffman's book: "Race Traits and Tendencies of the American Negro"
Hoffman argued that there was a natural order among the races and the fact that African Americans had higher rates of infant mortality and shorter life spans was due to their inferior race. He assumed that they were inferior, and even destined to become extinct, based on these statistics. But he ignored the role of social factors such as poverty and discrimination, and assumed their poor health was due solely to their race.

2. Eugenics
The eugenics movement in the early 20th century sought to promote white racial purity and superiority through selective breeding. The proponents of eugenics also believed that children inherited moral traits from their parents. Hitler used these ideas in promoting the ideology of Aryan superiority.


**Please print out or copy these points down. We will discuss them after we finish viewing this video series, and I may use them as a basis for some questions on the midterm exam.


REMINDERS

There are still a few of you who have not posted your comments on the first individual exercise. Please do so ASAP. And if you cannot figure out how to do this on the blog, send you comment to me directly via email. But I still would like everyone to post your comments on the blog, eventually.

Sorry about the delay in showing Part 2 yesterday. I should be able to avoid that next Tuesday. Nonetheless, I would like to receive the family observations from part 2 as soon as you can, hopefully by next Monday at the latest.

Follow-up Comments on First Lecture & First Family Activity

FOLLOW-UP COMMENTS ON FIRST LECTURE

Before I post some additional observations about the relevance of the this course in race and ethnic relations, let me remind you to check out the WELCOME & FIRST INDIVIDUAL EXERCISE. Please try to post your comment on that individual exercise by next Wednesday, 9/14.

After discussing the results of our little survey yesterday, I launched into some prepared remarks on the relevance of this class, focusing especially on whites who tend not to be as aware or sensitive to race and ethnic relations' issues as other minorities. That stems from the fact that whites generally have not suffered as much from prejudice and discrimination and they don't see themselves as a racial group -- that as Dr. Robert Terry discovered, what it means to be white is that you don't have to think about it. I, then, went on to argue that it is important that we be conscious of racial and ethnic differences and the existence of prejudice and discrimination in order to overcome these differences and truly become a "colorblind" society.

Sociologist, Dr. Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, in his book, "Racism Without Racists," which I used a few years ago in this class, articulates well the point I was trying to make in the above context. He said,

"Nowadays, except for members of white supremacist organizations, few whites in the United States claim to be 'racist.' Most whites assert that they 'don't see color, just people; that although the ugly face of discrimination is still with us, it is no longer the central factor determining minorities' life chances; and finally, that like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., they aspire to live in a society where 'people are judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin.' More poignantly, most whites insist that minorities (especially blacks) are the ones responsible for whatever 'race problem' we have in this country. They publicly denounce blacks for 'playing the race card,' for demanding the maintenance of unnecessary and divisive race-based programs, such as affirmative action, and for crying 'racism' whenever they are criticized by whites. Most whites believe that if blacks and other minorities would just stop thinking about the past, work hard, and complain less (particularly about racial discrimination), then Americans of all hues could 'all get along.'"

And he went on to say, "But regardless of whites' 'sincere fictions,' racial considerations shade almost everything in America." (p. 1) He, then, went on to list the many socio-economic variables on which blacks lag far behind whites.

Also, as we'll see in a few weeks, Dr. Beverly Tatum emphasizes, among other things, that white teachers especially need to be aware of the prejudice and stereotypes minority students have to deal with.

You do NOT transcend race and ethnicity by naively believing these divisions do not exist -- that we can just wish away literally centuries of racial and ethnic prejudice and discrimination.

(a) Like the much-criticized program called "affirmative action," race (or gender or disability) must be considered in jobs, education, etc. not only to make up for past discrimination, but also to get to the point where we can truly transcend race, gender, disability in employment, education, and elsewhere in our society.

In terms of sensitivity training, I would encourage all of you to put yourself in a situation of being a distinct racial or ethnic minority. You can experience something of this when you travel abroad. Or even here in America -- in ethnic enclaves such as "Little Havana" in Miami, "Little Saigon" in Orange Co., California, or any Chinatown, Indian reservation, or Harlem. You'll find, I believe, that you will become much more conscious of your racial and ethnic background and concerned with how others see you.

Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the great proponents of integration, stressed that American society needed to be integrated not just at the level of kids playing together, holding hands (an image he invoked in his famous, "I Have a Dream" speech). But he went far beyond this romantic vision to suggest that we need to integrate all groups and individuals into the full economic, political, and cultural life of this society.

(1) The sad fact is, however, that racial and ethnic minorities have arbitrarily been denied full access to the rights and opportunities this society has to offer, the rights and opportunities necessary to develop as complete human beings.

(2) In his last book, Dr. King spoke of all groups being "woven in a single garment of destiny" -- that even though we may not assocaite with each other all the time, we are all important to the current and future well-being of this society, that we should all have the opportunity to contribute. (and that means ALL of us -- from the lowly janitor or sanitation worker to the teacher, doctor, CEO, etc.)

Please copy or print out the above comments and insert them in your notebooks along with the other remarks I made in my first lecture of sorts.

FIRST FAMILY EXERCISE:

Over the next two weeks, beginning next Tuesday, 9/13, we are going to be seeing a three-part video series entitled, "Race: the power of an illusion." It challenges the whole notion of race (along the same lines that race is defined on the "Basic Definitions" I handed out) and gives a nice overview of the pernicious effects of race theory and racism in America from our earliest days as a nation. Following the viewing of each part, I want each of the families to discuss what you saw and identify what you believe were the TWO most important historical facts or points and their significance for understanding race relations in our society today. Once you determine those two points, a designated family member should then EMAIL your comments to me, and I will then edit them and eventually post them on this blog. Please be fairly succinct in stating these points -- no more than one paragraph each. At the conclusion of the series, we'll review these points in class and I will add my own analysis of some of the key points in this video series. I may use some of these points you come up with as the basis for some questions on the midterm exam. This exercise is worth 6 activity points, and you have to be present and participating in order to earn those points.

The three families are as follows:
GREEN FAMILY: Jessie F., Jared S., Jack M., Nygia B, Lucy R.
BLUE FAMILY: Jarell B., Kristal M., Amelia F., Mary Katherine M., Julisa M.
ORANGE FAMILY: Shelby H., T.J. D.,Brianna G., Emily E., Ethan G.

Hope to see everyone next Tuesday.

Welcome & First Individual Exercise

Welcome to this blog which I have set up for this class, Sociology 240. We will be using this site throughout this semester for a variety of individual and group activities, beginning with the one described below. I will also use this blog to post occasional lecture notes if I get behind in class. And, finally, this blog will be used for whatever extra credit opportunities I may offer you. Although I will usually let you know in class if I have posted something you need to check out, you should get in the habit of checking the blog a couple times a week anyway. I hope and trust that you will find this blog to be a valuable additional tool in exploring the realm of race and ethnic relations.

FIRST INDIVIDUAL EXERCISE:
I want each of you to briefly describe any one incident in the news (local, national, or international) that you can recall which touches on some race and ethnic relations issue. In addition to your brief description, tell in what respect you believe the incident is pertinent to race and ethnic relations and also state your own view or position on this incident. I am only looking for a couple paragraphs at most, which you should post as a comment on this blog. Please do so no later than WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 14TH. This exercise is worth 5 activity points.