From The Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity of the Ohio State University
Why Is It Necessary to Talk About Race?
Traditionally, our understanding of race and the “work” that is does for us have been incomplete or distorted. For example, may Americans believe that all U.S. citizens, regardless of race, have equal opportunity to achieve the “American dream”. Research suggests that this incomplete view is based in part on a lack of information about the causes and consequences of race-based inequality. Much of the opposition to affirmative action in the U.S. is motivated by this incomplete view.
A transformative dialogue on race can be beneficial on may levels: It can explicate the structural dynamics of social, economic, and political disparities, and it can assist us in dismantling racial hierarchy and deconstructing racialized “symbolic attitudes” that energize and perpetuate this hierarchy.
Consider the following:
TALKING ABOUT RACE: PERCEPTION v. REALITY |
The Perception |
The Reality |
The racial “playing field” is level. |
Structural racism and implicit/explicit racial bias continue to create unearned advantages for some and disadvantages for others. |
Affirmative action is not needed and it leads to “reverse discrimination.” |
Affirmative action continues to be a vital-if imperfect-tool for removing discriminatory obstacles that confront women and people of color. The goal of affirmative action is to give all people equal access to opportunities in education and employment. |
Talking about race is divisive and polarizing, colorblindness is the answer. |
Not talking about race masks racial disparities and inhibits movement toward social justice. There are unifying transformative ways to talk about race. |
The real issue is class, not race. |
Race and class are intertwined. A strictly class-based movement will ultimately fragment because of race. |
Racism is about blatant, intentional bigotry. |
The consequences of structural/institutional racism are significantly greater than those of personal racial animus. |
The kind of overt racial bias and discrimination that we saw in the past does not exist today. |
While research indicates that implicit (subconscious) racial bias is more pervasive than explicit bias, overt discrimination in sectors like housing and lending tells us that racial prejudice is still alive. |
We get what we deserve in life. If some racial groups aren’t doing as well as others people just need to work harder. |
While individual efforts matter, our well-being is also powerfully shaped by institutional conditions/arrangements and opportunity structures. |
Segregation exists because African Americans and other people color prefer to live among “their own.” |
Segregated “racialized” space is created by structural racism and discrimination. People do not choose to live in low-opportunity communities. |
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