I think the term "permanent racism" is unacceptable, not because I disagree with the assertion that racial inequality is a persistent feature of U.S. society, but because the choice of words makes racial injustice appear immutable and the goal of meaningful progressive social change appear unachievable. My reading of U.S. history, and an understanding of my family's past, tell … [Read more...] about Is Racism Permanent? (November-December 1993 P&R Issue)
is racism permanent
Is Racism Permanent? (November-December 1993 P&R Issue)
Watching children chained to each other in Chicago's Juvenile Court causes me to think of Derrick Bell. The racialized image of bondage, slavery and chain gangs evoked by the passage of these youths is unavoidable. Yet hundreds of committed employees carry on each day, undismayed by this silent assault on the dignity of children. I hear Professor Bell whisper to me when I … [Read more...] about Is Racism Permanent? (November-December 1993 P&R Issue)
Is Racism Permanent? (November-December 1993 P&R Issue)
If anyone needs convincing about the permanent nature of racism, I recommend a visit to Blakely, Georgia. Located a 3 1/2-hour drive south of Atlanta, this small, rural community distinguished itself by allowing its fire department to be run by the Ku Klux Klan. The fire chief told coworkers that fires in the black community "beautify the neighborhood." Until recently, … [Read more...] about Is Racism Permanent? (November-December 1993 P&R Issue)
Is Racism Permanent? (November-December 1993 P&R Issue)
In his 1992 book Faces at the Bottom of the Well, Derrick Bell posited a provocative thesis: Black people will never gain full equality in this country. Even those Herculean efforts we hail as successful will produce no more than temporary `peaks of progress, short-lived victories that slide into irrelevance as racial patterns adapt in ways that maintain white dominance. … [Read more...] about Is Racism Permanent? (November-December 1993 P&R Issue)
Symposium: Is Racism Permanent? (November-December 1993 P&R Issue)
A discussion of whether racism is permanent and how those involved in anti-racism work continue despite the depressing state of race relations in the United States. November/December 1993 issue of Poverty & Race We asked a sample of PRRAC Board members, Social Science Advisory Board members and grantees to submit short essays, to respond to the position -- put forth … [Read more...] about Symposium: Is Racism Permanent? (November-December 1993 P&R Issue)
