Political Physics – Has Obama Caused Black America to Lose Touch with Reality?
.
a blogumn by Monique King-Viehland
A friend of mine, Katrina, tagged me in a post on Facebook about a recent study entitled, “A Year After Obama’s Election Blacks Upbeat about Black Progress, Prospects,” by the Pew Research Center. Pew conducted a national survey of 2,884 adults, including 812 African Americans, via telephone between October 28th and November 30th.
According to the overview of the study, “Despite the bad economy, blacks’ assessments about the state of black progress in America have improved more dramatically during the past two years than at any time in the past quarter century…Barack Obama’s election as the nation’s first black president appears to be the spur for this sharp rise in optimism among African Americans. It may also be reflected in an upbeat set of black views on a range of other matters, including race relations, local community satisfaction and expectations for future black progress. In each of these realms, the perceptions of blacks have changed for the better over the past two years, despite a deep recession and jobless recovery that have hit blacks especially hard.”
Even in the midst of a recession, “nearly twice as many blacks now (39%) as in 2007 (20%) say that the ‘situation of black people in this country’ is better than it was five years earlier [and] more than half (53%) say that life for blacks in the future will be better than it is now, while just 10% say it will be worse. In 2007, 44% said things would be better for blacks in the future, while 21% said they would be worse.”
My best friend Ernessa, also tagged in the post, commented that she had not read the study yet, “but yes, I’m pretty optimistic about black progress as well. It feels like my larger family is better off financially and emotionally than when we were kids. And it also feels like we have way more opportunities. Also, when you look at our past, we have nowhere to go but up. I agree that there hasn’t been enough change yet, but compared to what my life would have been like had I been born in the generation prior; I think we’re growing as a race by leaps and bounds. And I’m beyond gleeful that more than a “talented tenth” of black folks are representing for progress and intelligence.”
And according to NPR’s Marketplace “recent census data “Research suggests African-Americans have not made big economic strides since the civil rights era of the ’60s and ’70s. Disparities in average income and average net worth with whites remain significant.”
So as an African American woman I should be jumping for joy right? Unfortunately, I find this data more worrisome than exciting for two reasons.
(1) It is very dangerous when perception veers too far away from reality; and
(2) A false sense of betterment alleviates the need for whites to identify and own white privilege.
The fact is disparities between White and Black America do exist. Moreover, on several fronts those disparities are not closing and in some cases, they are widening. According to “The State of Black America 2004: The Complexity of Black Progress,” by the National Urban League “the 2009 Equality Index stands at 71.1% compared to a revised 2008 index of 71.5%. Relative to 2008, the change in this year’s overall index was marginal, indicating a general continuation of the status quo.”
In addition, the National Urban League study found that “the average net worth of African-American families is just over $6,000. Black Americans are less likely than White Americans to own homes, don’t earn as much as Whites, don’t live as long, and don’t do as well in school [and] the biggest differences, the report found, were in the areas of home ownership and economic parity, with Black earning power about 73 percent that of Whites.”
I think Mark Morial, CEO of the National Urban League said it best, “There is the perception that the playing field has leveled, that the gaps have been closed, that there’s no longer a problem in America. That complacency, I think, exists in many quarters, even in the African-American community in some quarters, because we have a generation, many of us, who were the beneficiaries of the work of many, many others in opening doors. And we can’t forget while there are individual success stories and many things to be proud of, there is a lot of work to do.”
I mean do not get me wrong; I am going to tell my son that he can be anything that he wants to be. But I also plan to prepare him, as much as I can, for the realities of the world.
And then there is the issue of white privilege.
White privilege, as defined in critical race theory, is a set of advantages that are believed to be enjoyed by white people beyond those commonly experienced by people of color in the same social, political, or economic spaces,” and there is a strong link between white privilege and the disparities mentioned above. So when White America points to President Obama as the symbol of a post-racial America I get worried. And when African Americans perceive an improved America and that perception is too far away of the reality I get even more worried.
In a study of her colleagues by Cheryl R. Kaiser at the University of Washington found that “Obama’s election was associated with (a) greater perceptions that anyone, regardless of life circumstances, can achieve success in the U.S. through hard work, (b) decreased perception that the U.S. has a long way to go to achieve racial equality, (c) less support for policies that address racial inequality such as affirmative action, desegregation programs that promote diversity in public schools, business efforts to promote diversity in the workplace and equal access to healthcare for minorities.”
Is there such a thing as too much optimism? And can optimism even be a bad thing? I am not sure. But I do fear that the successful election of our first African American (actually biracial but we know America loves its one drop rule) President can overshadow some real issues of inequity that are still very prevalent in this country.
I understand where you're coming from, but I'm not quite what not resting on our laurels would entail. I've grown weary of some black orgs, and I do tend to give money, according to class — as opposed to race. For example, I give money to Planned Parenthood, b/c they provide women who can't afford it with free pap smears and in some cases, birth control. I give money to the Smith Emergency fund for students who need extra help like we did when we were there. And so on and so on. I grow increasingly unsure of how to specifically lift up my race, so to speak. Suggestions?
I am not sure how to answer your question. But I guess I worry that perhaps more black folks feel the same level of exhaustion as you and if that is the case, is it any wonder that we have not seen more progress. I know it is frustrating, but we have to stay engaged. Does that mean you need to donate your money to the NAACP or the Urban League, not not necessarily. But I believe that we do have a responsibility to do "something" to try and move that needle for black folks. For me, it is not donations per se. I work in a field that focuses on urban redevelopment in predominantly black communities, I volunteer, I try and mentor, etc. I guess what that something is, is up to the individual.
I understand where you're coming from, but I'm not quite what not resting on our laurels would entail. I've grown weary of some black orgs, and I do tend to give money, according to class — as opposed to race. For example, I give money to Planned Parenthood, b/c they provide women who can't afford it with free pap smears and in some cases, birth control. I give money to the Smith Emergency fund for students who need extra help like we did when we were there. And so on and so on. I grow increasingly unsure of how to specifically lift up my race, so to speak. Suggestions?
I am not sure how to answer your question. But I guess I worry that perhaps more black folks feel the same level of exhaustion as you and if that is the case, is it any wonder that we have not seen more progress. I know it is frustrating, but we have to stay engaged. Does that mean you need to donate your money to the NAACP or the Urban League, not not necessarily. But I believe that we do have a responsibility to do "something" to try and move that needle for black folks. For me, it is not donations per se. I work in a field that focuses on urban redevelopment in predominantly black communities, I volunteer, I try and mentor, etc. I guess what that something is, is up to the individual.
I agree with much of what you've written. If this "upbeat" feeling doesn't track with reality than that is certainly problematic. You've cited some good statistics to show that we most certainly don't live in a post-racial America. The US is just this year agreed on a settlement to repay thousands of black farmers that were discriminated against by the USDA. While I agree with Ernessa, that many of the problems facing blacks can be tracked to economic concerns, there still exist straightforward racial discrimination. While I was happy and proud to have Obama elected to POTUS, I also know that his election doesn't solve all problems. My question: can we bask in our progress without becoming complacent? I say, Yes. I think folks should be able to feel happy and upbeat about how far we've come–we need that nourishment to keep working for both racial and economic justice.
Katrina, I completely agree….I think we can celebrate what is clearly progress (e.g., Obama being elected as the President of the United States) and at the same time not become complacent. As a matter of fact, I think that is exactly what we should be doing. Obama is an inspiration and if we keep working to chip away at those socioeconomic inequities then we hopefully generate more and more Obama's.
I agree with much of what you've written. If this "upbeat" feeling doesn't track with reality than that is certainly problematic. You've cited some good statistics to show that we most certainly don't live in a post-racial America. The US is just this year agreed on a settlement to repay thousands of black farmers that were discriminated against by the USDA. While I agree with Ernessa, that many of the problems facing blacks can be tracked to economic concerns, there still exist straightforward racial discrimination. While I was happy and proud to have Obama elected to POTUS, I also know that his election doesn't solve all problems. My question: can we bask in our progress without becoming complacent? I say, Yes. I think folks should be able to feel happy and upbeat about how far we've come–we need that nourishment to keep working for both racial and economic justice.
Katrina, I completely agree….I think we can celebrate what is clearly progress (e.g., Obama being elected as the President of the United States) and at the same time not become complacent. As a matter of fact, I think that is exactly what we should be doing. Obama is an inspiration and if we keep working to chip away at those socioeconomic inequities then we hopefully generate more and more Obama's.
Certainly, Blacks remain economically disadvantaged relative to Whites. We can't even have an intellectual conversation with people who can't concede to that fact.
My thoughts on wealth (because the Marketplace Report noted racial disparities in wealth):
It is going to take many more decades for Blacks, as a group, to have wealth anywhere near Whites. As far as I can decode economics language, "wealth" generally means home ownership, unless you are very, very, very wealthy. Whites have had 8-10 generations of home/land ownership to have gained and passed on wealth to their children (in addition to lots of other structural privileges.) By contrast, Blacks have been denied opportunities to build wealth. Because it's based on home ownership, wealth within population groups is cumulative. Therefore, closing gaps in wealth is a long way off. It's like in two people are in a marathon and one person got a 2-hour head start – the one with the head start is going to be way ahead. Trends in income and poverty level, then, are likely better ways to track progress among Blacks.
(Parenthetical #1: This is one reason I am so very concerned about the foreclosure crisis, but that's an issue for another day.)
(Parenthetical #2: So as not to overgeneralize, let me acknowledge that not all Whites have a long history of wealth and home ownership, and that some Blacks have a long family history of wealth and home ownership.)
All that said, we cannot dispute that things have changed. A smaller (but still unacceptably high) proportion of Blacks are living in poverty compared to 40 and even 20 years ago. The income gap has gotten smaller. We should be able to acknowledge that things are getting better for us in a lot of ways, while we simultaneously accept that things are still really, really bad. Acknowledging one fact doesn't make the other any less true.
Responding to the second reason for stating that we shouldn't be so happy about the optimism uncovered in the Pew report:
I 'm not sure I agree with the idea of downplaying or emphasizing a result based on how it might affect the need for Whites to recognize their privilege. People need to recognize their privilege. Related to that, it's important to acknowledge the privilege of opportunity that we have as Blacks in 2010. It's an insult to our parents and their parents if we don't acknowledge how much more we have relative to their generations.
And, really, only 39% of Blacks in the Pew study said things have improved in the past five years. That hardly indicates widespread optimism.
Certainly, Blacks remain economically disadvantaged relative to Whites. We can't even have an intellectual conversation with people who can't concede to that fact.
My thoughts on wealth (because the Marketplace Report noted racial disparities in wealth):
It is going to take many more decades for Blacks, as a group, to have wealth anywhere near Whites. As far as I can decode economics language, "wealth" generally means home ownership, unless you are very, very, very wealthy. Whites have had 8-10 generations of home/land ownership to have gained and passed on wealth to their children (in addition to lots of other structural privileges.) By contrast, Blacks have been denied opportunities to build wealth. Because it's based on home ownership, wealth within population groups is cumulative. Therefore, closing gaps in wealth is a long way off. It's like in two people are in a marathon and one person got a 2-hour head start – the one with the head start is going to be way ahead. Trends in income and poverty level, then, are likely better ways to track progress among Blacks.
(Parenthetical #1: This is one reason I am so very concerned about the foreclosure crisis, but that's an issue for another day.)
(Parenthetical #2: So as not to overgeneralize, let me acknowledge that not all Whites have a long history of wealth and home ownership, and that some Blacks have a long family history of wealth and home ownership.)
All that said, we cannot dispute that things have changed. A smaller (but still unacceptably high) proportion of Blacks are living in poverty compared to 40 and even 20 years ago. The income gap has gotten smaller. We should be able to acknowledge that things are getting better for us in a lot of ways, while we simultaneously accept that things are still really, really bad. Acknowledging one fact doesn't make the other any less true.
Responding to the second reason for stating that we shouldn't be so happy about the optimism uncovered in the Pew report:
I 'm not sure I agree with the idea of downplaying or emphasizing a result based on how it might affect the need for Whites to recognize their privilege. People need to recognize their privilege. Related to that, it's important to acknowledge the privilege of opportunity that we have as Blacks in 2010. It's an insult to our parents and their parents if we don't acknowledge how much more we have relative to their generations.
And, really, only 39% of Blacks in the Pew study said things have improved in the past five years. That hardly indicates widespread optimism.
Renee, I think when you look at the other statistics (e.g., 39% of blacks believe we are better off than five years ago, 56% of blacks believe the Black-white standard of living gap is smaller than 10 years ago, 53% of blacks believe the future for blacks will be better, etc.) it does point towards optimism. Which is exactly why I am concerned.
Renee, I think when you look at the other statistics (e.g., 39% of blacks believe we are better off than five years ago, 56% of blacks believe the Black-white standard of living gap is smaller than 10 years ago, 53% of blacks believe the future for blacks will be better, etc.) it does point towards optimism. Which is exactly why I am concerned.
Renee, I think when you look at the other statistics (e.g., 39% of blacks believe we are better off than five years ago, 56% of blacks believe the Black-white standard of living gap is smaller than 10 years ago, 53% of blacks believe the future for blacks will be better, etc.) it does point towards optimism. Which is exactly why I am concerned.
Renee, I think when you look at the other statistics (e.g., 39% of blacks believe we are better off than five years ago, 56% of blacks believe the Black-white standard of living gap is smaller than 10 years ago, 53% of blacks believe the future for blacks will be better, etc.) it does point towards optimism. Which is exactly why I am concerned.
@Renee: you are so smart. And I agree with your point about not acknowledging progress, which is why I asked whether we should assume complacency follows optimism. I say no, but I think it is still something to keep on the radar.
My other problem, is while we have good reason to be excited about Obama's election as blacks, but now that he is in office he has completely taken race off the table. Whenver he is asked about the 20 plus percent unemployment among young black men, he gives the standard "a rising tide lifts all boats". Yeah, but some boats have holes that need patching or they are going to sink. My point, I'm not saying he could do otherwise politically, but I think it's interesting Obama, in someways, leads blacks to be more hopeful even when he is purposefully not addressing racial disparities in any kind of direct way.
@Renee: you are so smart. And I agree with your point about not acknowledging progress, which is why I asked whether we should assume complacency follows optimism. I say no, but I think it is still something to keep on the radar.
My other problem, is while we have good reason to be excited about Obama's election as blacks, but now that he is in office he has completely taken race off the table. Whenver he is asked about the 20 plus percent unemployment among young black men, he gives the standard "a rising tide lifts all boats". Yeah, but some boats have holes that need patching or they are going to sink. My point, I'm not saying he could do otherwise politically, but I think it's interesting Obama, in someways, leads blacks to be more hopeful even when he is purposefully not addressing racial disparities in any kind of direct way.
Monique: Here is artilce that provides an excellent and recent example of your concern about white privilege. Not only does she feel the need to tell others how to celebrate their history, but also how they should identify themselves.
http://www.newuniversity.org/2010/02/opinion/blac…
Monique: Here is artilce that provides an excellent and recent example of your concern about white privilege. Not only does she feel the need to tell others how to celebrate their history, but also how they should identify themselves.
http://www.newuniversity.org/2010/02/opinion/blac…