racism

justice/jails

The State of Mass Incarceration – 2022

March 14, 2022 Comments Off on The State of Mass Incarceration – 2022
Prison Policy Initiative released a new report on the state of incarceration in 2022. (graphics from prison policy.org) Over 80% of those in Local Jails are waiting for trial – they’ve been convicted of nothing other than not having the money to buy their way out of jail. Drugs still --->> read more -->>
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racism

Structural White Supremacy In Action – the real estate market

July 2, 2020 Comments Off on Structural White Supremacy In Action – the real estate market
Wondering What White Supremacy Looks Like? The Boston Globe reported on July 1, 2020 on the results of a study by Suffolk University Law School, “Qualified Renters Need Not Apply” (link downloads the PDF of the study) from the Globe report: An undercover investigation released Wednesday found that Black people --->> read more -->>
inequality

Reparations and the System of White Supremacy

June 25, 2020 Comments Off on Reparations and the System of White Supremacy
The recent upheavals around the killing of George Floyd and police violence more broadly has been surprising in its breadth and scope. In the midst of this, new discussion of reparations has surfaced. I have not actively thought about this topic since the widely read and cited article The Case --->> read more -->>
economy

“How Structural Racism Works” – Tricia Rose and Samuel Rosen – recently noted

June 7, 2020 Comments Off on “How Structural Racism Works” – Tricia Rose and Samuel Rosen – recently noted
If you are struggling to get your head around how racism works you will probably find it helpful to have a general framework as a guide. This one hour lecture from 2017 features an overview by Brown University Professor Tricia Rose of the structure of racism and how it works --->> read more -->>
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political system

Recently Noted – Eric Foner on the Electoral College, presidential elections…..

May 21, 2020 Comments Off on Recently Noted – Eric Foner on the Electoral College, presidential elections…..
The May 21, 2020 Issue of the London Review of Books contains a review article, “The Corrupt Bargain” by Columbia U. Professor Eric Foner. It is a wonderful review of the history of this peculiar institution, The Electoral College. In the midst of his survey of the history of the --->> read more -->>
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free-market ideology

Recently Noted – challenging views of Justice Clarence Thomas – the intractable nature of white racism

October 15, 2019 Comments Off on Recently Noted – challenging views of Justice Clarence Thomas – the intractable nature of white racism
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has been famous and more than a bit of an outlier in American life from the moment he came on the public stage over the summer of 1991. Today I noted an interesting book review by Harvard sociologist Orlando Patterson in the October 4, 2019 --->> read more -->>
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racism

Slavery in Hudson – updated

September 14, 2019 Comments Off on Slavery in Hudson – updated
9/12/2019 A lecture at the Hudson Area Library tonight, Slavery and Dutch-Palatine Farmers: How did middle class farmers in Colonial New York interact with slavery?’ by Travis M. Bowman. The lecture began with the note that slavery in NY state lasted for over 200 years – from 1625 when the --->> read more -->>
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education

Recently Noted – busing, re-segregation, white supremacy

July 17, 2019 Comments Off on Recently Noted – busing, re-segregation, white supremacy
The recent controversies surrounding Joe Biden’s anti- school busing collaborations with racist politicians from the south has for the moment aroused new comment on segregated America. The New York Times published an excellent review of the history of school desegregation by Nikole Hannah-Jones, “It Was Never About Busing: Court-ordered desegregation worked. --->> read more -->>
evicted press photo
family

Evicted – the book and the exhibition

April 3, 2019 Comments Off on Evicted – the book and the exhibition
We read Evicted – poverty and profit in the American city by Matthew Desmond last year in our local library book group. Recently on a visit to Washington DC to the National Building Museum (401 F St. NW – Judiciary Square Metro stop) we came on an exhibit based on --->> read more -->>
Who benefits from affirmative action?
racism

White Affirmative Action – Martin Luther King in 1968

May 13, 2018 Comments Off on White Affirmative Action – Martin Luther King in 1968
White Affirmative Action – Martin Luther King in 1968 In recent years scholars and activists have begun to point out how white privilege is supported by many decades of government action that affirmatively transfers money and resources to whites while explicitly denying the same support to African-Americans. To my knowledge --->> read more -->>
empire

Thanksgiving – a bit of a corrective history telling and turkey adaptation

November 22, 2017 Comments Off on Thanksgiving – a bit of a corrective history telling and turkey adaptation
Corrective History The NYTimes posted a bit of Turkey Day corrective history: “Most Everything You Learned About Thanksgiving Is Wrong” By MAYA SALAM Adaptive Turkeys The Trump pardoned two turkeys yesterday at the White House. But, no surprise for us here in Columbia County, wild turkeys are doing just fine. Once again --->> read more -->>