Month: April 2018

One thing that I find extremely interesting about how we define the recovery of southern states during the Reconstruction period is that there are a number of responses that can be correct. In history courses we talk about how whites in the South were basically helpless at the initial thought of having to live a life without slavery. However in a documentary called “After Shock: Beyond the Civil War,” a scholar was quoted saying that “many believe the south never really fell.” In the sense that white supremacy has prevailed in our society, I can see how it (the south) never fell. This is interesting though because in History of Black America we talked about how they (southern whites) never really bounced back. In terms of economics, I agree that the south has never fully recovered from the abolition of slavery and what that meant for the southern economy.

These are two very different answer discovered by looking through very different lenses. I think this goes to show the importance of context and perspective because there might very well be many probable responses to a topic like this, all of which are correct, but very much contingent upon the lens through which the subject is being examined.

As Dr. King touched upon very briefly in class this morning, the election of former president Barack Obama was a momentous stride in United States history. However, being eight to nine years old at the time, I never fully realized what a black president in office meant for the progression of the U.S. and racism. I definitely remember my parents discussing the possible implications if Obama were to be elected, and I vaguely remember very briefly seeing and reading things on the news or in school, but I never truly processed what everything meant. Part of my ignorance, however, was because I knew this would not affect me, or at least not as much as some people. My family never had to worry extensively about racism, so the significance of Obama’s inauguration was never described or discussed at length with me. Another reason for my ignorance came from the fact that I am from a very small, very white town in Maine, in which I was one of maybe four Asian students in my high school. While I did experience some racism concerning the difference in my face between my white peers’ faces, comments never went beyond, “Your face is flat,” or “Why are your lips so big?” Had there been black students in my class in elementary, middle, and high school, however, I can imagine racist comments towards them could have been much more insensitive.

Now that I’ve spent time thinking more deeply about this, I do wish that my third grade teachers could have discussed racism and Obama’s impact with us more extensively. Even though we were young and might not have comprehended everything, an introduction to the history of racism, U.S. politics, and racism in the U.S. could have at least been good starting points for future education.

Even though Obama’s victory sent massive positive messages internationally and domestically, hopes for many Americans and black people towards positive change in the U.S. was not 100% satisfied or met. I have attached an article from the Washington Post to supplement this comment.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/national/obama-legacy/racism-during-presidency.html

Student loans have always been seen as a burden for college graduates and  are a constant reminder of the sacrifices that ones has to make in order to receive a higher education. However, despite this burden being a universal constant for any college student taking up student loans, the reality of the situation is that black college graduates are more likely to be heavily effected by these loans. There are several theories behind why these loans target and effect black students more than their white counterparts, one such theory is that because black borrowers often times have higher default rates, the amount of money they owe can be much larger. However as Emily Deruy, author for the Atlantic, makes note of “the U.S. Education Department doesn’t always keep track of how borrowers are faring by race. The FAFSA does not include information on race, nor does the system that keeps track of outstanding debt.” This in turn makes it difficult to pin point what the exact cause of these disparities are, but there are still ways to highlight the issue.

For starters, Judith Scott-Clayton, an associate professor of economics and education at the Teachers College at Columbia University, and Jing Li, a research associate in the Department of Education Policy and Social Analysis, found that black graduates have almost $53,000 in student loans after graduating at a four year college. Compare this to their white counterparts where it was founded that after the same amount of time lapsed, white students only had $28,006 in student loans. This means that after studying for the same amount of time, white students statistically leave college with less debt on their hands. With less debt, white graduates can use and save their money much more effectively allowing for them to start their adult lives much further ahead, as oppose to their black counterparts.  What’s more is that professors Clayton and Li were able to obtain this information through a set of data from two of the department’s “Baccalaureate and Beyond” surveys, which followed a set of graduates from 1993 to 1997, and another from 2008 to 2012. Using that information, as well as other data from the department and the Census Bureau, they found these disparities, which is how they were able to shed light on this growing issue.

The solution to student loans is an answer that requires its own time and energy to solve, however the fact remains that student loans for black graduates vs their white counterparts is drastically different. While there could be several other possible explanations for these disparities, the visible inequality caused by these differences is evident and a solution must be attained.

The Brown v. Board of Education case is of the biggest pillars in African Americans efforts to gain and establish basic civil rights in America. I found this article on the case and the time period it took place to be one of the most interesting I’ve read this year. It opened up my opinion and made me question whether the desegregation of public schools was really authentic or was it  to prove that America is a true model of democracy in time where it was competing as THE global super power. It asks the question: Was the verdict meant for true change or just a to put on a false face that the government actually cared about the advancement of all who are citizens of America and is different from a country such as their rival at the time the U.S.S.R.?

According to recent national studies, African American millennials in the workplace are more inclined to use the free agent option to advance their career. They feel as if they will have more freedom with an unrestricted path to their career aspirations opposed to a hierarchy. In the past, many African Americans were encouraged to stay loyal in their workplace for their lifetime, yet now the mental toughness of millennials have encouraged them to move forward.

It seemed that in previous years, many individuals built their careers by climbing to the corporate level. Their willingness to go all the way to the top and be able to retire let them feel as if they could say “I survived” as their ability and hard work made it as if it was a testament to how race has changed. However, the times are changing as “Free Agentology” is a new and upcoming way to work. This new system is the act of packaging and marketing a set of skills to an employer who is willing to pay above market value in order to gain a competitive edge to the extent that a contract binds the relationship together. This means, African American millennials do not see themselves as employees, rather they are skilled agents who get more power by obtaining twice the skill, instead of staying twice as long. “For African American millennials, the range of career/workplace options is augmented by the Talent Wars, the lack of strong Employee Engagement programs, bias built into the organizational culture, globalization, micro-aggressive scrutiny and leadership gaps the prevent advancement.” This is a very interesting new opinion about the workplace and sets new standards to every working individual in America.