The Intersection of Race & Poverty

The American Dream If you work hard you will succeed! *If you aren’t successful, it’s because you didn’t work hard enough.

What is Race? Race As a social concept, it is a group of people who share similar and distinct physical characteristics. Racism The belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races.

Covert Racism Bias in judgement and/or behavior that results from subtle cognitive processes that often operate at a level below conscious awareness without intentional control. When the way a society is structured systemically gives advantages to some and disadvantages to other *Affects individuals attitudes and actions, often trumping stated commitments Implicit BiasSystemic

Racism Privilege, Power, & Disadvantage Success or Failure Stereotypes & Biases Informs Public Policy

Systemic Racism Privilege, Power, & Disadvantage Success or Failure Stereotypes & Biases Informs Public Policy Disrupt the System

Power & Privilege Justice System EducationEmploymentMedia Stereotypes & Bias Wealth

Systemic Racism Privilege, Power, & Disadvantage Success or Failure Stereotypes & Biases Informs Public Policy Disrupt the System Do not ignore the existence of Racism Acknowledge your privilege and use your power to diffuse your power People are not the only contributors to their success or failure Refuse to act on presumption. Be vocal against others actions. Support policies that help eliminate disparities

Privilege a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group of people

Wealth Wealth functions as a financial safety net that enables families to deal with unexpected expenses and disruptions of income without accumulating large amounts of debt. Wealth can improve the prospects of the next generation.

Wealth Gap-Home Ownership Disparities in: – Ownership rate: 73% W, 45% B, 47% L – Typical home equity: Black Family Builds $1, Whites build $1.34, Latinos build $1, Whites build $1.54 – Neighborhood value Current Discriminatory Practices: – Households of color are more often underwritten by higher interest rates Wells Fargo Bank – Great Recession Whites lost %16 of wealth, Blacks lost 53%, Latinos lost 66%

Wealth Gap-Education Housing is a large factor in primary school funding. No Child Left Behind- Performance Standards

Wealth Gap-Higher Education Despite rising college attendance rates among Blacks and Latinos, barriers to completing a degree have widened the college attainment gap between HOC and Whites. Return on College education also differs – White Return= $54,869 – Black Return= $4,846 – Latino Return= $4,191

Wealth Gap-Labor Markets Not only less earned income but also less of wealth return on the incomes they earn. White use $1 and get $19.51, Blacks only get $4.80 and Latinos $3.63

Workplace Discrimination White workers with and without college degrees out-earn their Black and Latino counterpoints with similar levels of education Immigration Policy Disparate Social Capitol Cultural Norms

Media: Public Perception Study Black overrepresentation-Print News Study – AA made up 62% of poor people pictured – Working Poor not pictured accurately (deserving vs. undeserving poor) – Sympathetic stories vs. underclass (least sympathetic) exclusively pictured as Black. Black representation in Television – 65.2% of the poor were Black

Americans rely on mass media for information about society Americans accept misperceptions that reinforce existing biases/stereotypes Media shapes American perceptions & political attitudes Media subject to biases and misperceptions of society Media reports distorted social conditions

Data showed that White Americans with the most exaggerated misunderstandings of the racial composition of the poor are the most likely to oppose welfare. Americans exaggerated association of race and poverty perpetuates longstanding stereotypes of African Americans as poor and lazy. Why Does this Matter?

Justice System-Starting Young Public school suspension rate among Black students is almost three times that for Whites. Black children seen as older Black Youth (16% of youth population) – 28% of juvenile arrests – 37% of juveniles in jail – 58% of juveniles sent to adult prisons “Cradle to prison pipeline” – A Black boy born in 2001 has a 1 in 3 chance of going to prison in his lifetime and Latino boy has a 1 in 6 chance

Justice System Disparities Blacks are 37% of those arrested for drug offenses Blacks twice as likely to be stopped by the Police Blacks receive sentences 10% longer than whites for the same crime. After Prison – 17% call-back for Whites – 5% call-back for Blacks Black men are assumed to be dangerous and are treated as such throughout all sectors of society.

FROM STATS TO REALITY…

Dec 2, 2014 Rumain Brisbon, an unarmed black father of four, was shot to death when a police officer apparently mistook his bottle of pills for a gun. Aftermath: Pending. Nov. 22, 2014 Officer Tim Loehmann shot and killed Tamir Rice, 12, who was holding a BB gun, seconds after spotting him at a park. Aftermath: Rice's family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Cleveland. Biases are Life & Death Unarmed Black men and boys 3 times more likely to be shot.

Exercise: In Groups, take one incident and describe how it can be interrupted