It's easy to be sucked into the myth of the Civil Rights Movement: if not after the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, then certainly with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, African Americans have been treated as equals in this country, and blacks no longer have had to fight for basic civil rights. Barack Obama's election further solidifies that the United States is a post-racial society; any segregation or racism that blacks feel today is self-created.
However, this myth could not be further from the truth: segregation exists to this day on a large scale, and the United States has a long way to go before African Americans are truly seen as equals.
An article discussing a report on modern-day segregation written by John Iceland for the Migration Policy Institute recently appeared in The Atlantic's urban affairs-focused website, CityLab. The article ("In Europe and America, Segregation Continues"), written by Tanvi Misra, compares racial, ethnic, and socio-economic segregation in the United States with segregation in Europe.
Segregation is not necessarily bad in itself; it is common and natural for people to wish to surround themselves with others that are similar to them. However, the nature of segregation means that it cannot exist without certain inequalities. The United States Supreme Court affirmed this when it overturned its initial decision allowing "separate but equal" segregation in Plessy v. Ferguson (1892) with its decision in the case Brown v. Board of Education (1954), in which it determined that segregated schools were inherently unequal.
Several factors establish important differences in segregation between Europe and the United States. For example, European cities are more dense than American cities, making it more difficult for minority groups to insulate themselves from the majority.
Additionally, in Europe, the most segregated groups are new arrivals: primarily Muslim immigrants. In the United States, however, African Americans are (unsurprisingly) the most segregated group of people. Segregation of African American communities cannot be separated from the historic oppression and abuse of African Americans since their arrival in the United States.
While groups in both Europe and the United States are segregated because of their differences from the majority populations, segregation of African Americans comes with a host of historical abuses against them, further keeping them apart from whites. This is important to remember when discussing possible solutions for segregation; the root problems must be solved before the symptoms will disappear.
Although segregation exists today in Europe, its destruction will be much easier than the destruction of segregation in America, where African Americans have been oppressed by the white majority for centuries. Until discrimination of African Americans is completely dismantled, residential segregation and its inherent problems will remain a fact of life for many blacks in the United States.
A blog for the Civil Rights Movement class at Rhodes College, Fall 2014
I think your point that "it is common and natural for people to wish to surround themselves with others that are similar to them" is very true. Part of why America is still segregated is because of self-segregation. People are unwilling to cross the culture barrier and I believe that this is a form of discrimination. Humans are naturally afraid or apprehensive of the unknown, and that is evident in the people they surround themselves with. It's why you commonly see single-race friend groups. Everyone has this notion that people of a different race are completely and utterly different from them and they fail to see that, although there may be some differences, all races usually share more commonalities. There is an institutionalized racism that has barred most communities from mixing. That is what leads to self-segregation. In reality, we all have more in common than we think.
ReplyDeleteOzakh and Becky, I agree strongly with both of your points. While self-segregation is natural, I believe that institutionalized racism also plays a large role in the process.
ReplyDeleteThe apparent re-segregation of schools proves the point that segregation is still in existence today; without government intervention, I believe that segregation may continue to grow.
This is a really interesting topic that really needs to be discussed more. We do tend to self-segregate, without which there would not be as many diverse, distinct cultures as there are. We've discussed some in class that segregation in the United States forced, or provided the opportunity, to put a positive spin on it, for blacks to develop their own cultures or traditions. We saw this in Remembering Jim Crow, where one story discussed the annual tradition of a picnic on Emancipation Day, a holiday which held great significance for many blacks, but which typically was not celebrated by white people. The idea of self-segregation versus forced, legal segregation is very interesting, and both seem to give rise to a new, distinct culture that a group can make entirely its own. However, as Ozakh pointed out, this can create cultural barriers that people are unwilling, or at least hesitant, to cross. So this is a double-edged sword; on the one hand, it is good to be a part of a unique culture, but on the other hand, it can create seemingly insuperable barriers between people.
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ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with this article and what you are saying, Grant. I think it is very important to be aware of this. I often find myself completely unaware of what is actually going on in society. And I think being a white person in today’s society, I do not realize what is going on; and furthermore, how much I do not have to deal with or be afraid of. And I really hate that and am trying to do better. I am also thankful for this class and that I am learning so much about these issues that are still prevalent today. Like this article says the myth of post-racialism is alive and well today, it is not a fossil. It is not over – The End.
I do agree with the fact that most people tend to self-segregate (myself included) because we are afraid of the uncomfortable or what people might think. Grant I think you make an excellent point in how we try to surround ourselves with similar people. This, however, is also one of our faults. We must reach out of our comfort zones. We need to stand up for what is right, regardless of status quo.