Richard Thompson Ford, author of The Race Card: How Bluffing About Bias Makes Race Relations Worse, makes the case that America needs to leave behind the old-style civil rights approach in fighting so-called racial discrimination, where it was overt, in favor of a subtler approach. Ford believes the decline of inner-city neighborhoods and isolation of inner-city poor are main causes of inequality between the races. (Source)
In 2009, black Americans are free to live wherever they can afford, visit any restaurant they desire, and ride in the front of planes, trains, and buses. They may seize opportunity and work hard to take care of their families and enjoy the benefits of living in the wealthiest country on the planet. The bias and bigotry of white people are no longer impediments for blacks who want to get ahead. The biggest impediment in 2009 is the ghetto, says Ford.
[M]any of the reforms needed to improve the ghettos – job creation, more effective schools, better public infrastructure – would benefit poor and working class people of all races, striking a blow against class stratification as well as racial inequality.
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If we confront and overcome these last vestiges of America’s racist past, if we can break the cycle of poverty and dysfunctional behavior, we can not only turn the corner on America’s shameful racist history; we can also turn millions of people who now drain resources in our jails and on public assistance rolls into productive citizens who will contribute to a vibrant economy and healthy civic culture.
Ford makes good points, but I don’t agree with the entire piece. For example, I believe the moral component of marrying before having children and doing whatever it takes to stick around and raise the children one sires shouldn’t be left out of the discussion. Regardless of the country’s economic condition or where we live, we are moral agents who ought to be responsible for the choices we make and ready to face the consequences of those choices. Ford’s “Deprived of legitimate job opportunities, many hustle in the quasi-legal gray market” excuse is part of the problem, not a cause of the problem.
I am convinced that family structure (or lack thereof), and not bigotry, overt or otherwise, is integral to whether children end up poor and underachieving and/or in the criminal justice system.
But I digress.
Ford strikes a balance between casting blame on whites and blacks for racial inequalities, though he clearly believes forces outside oneself – and not individual fortitude – has the greater bearing on one’s life outcome. He contends that inequality must be overcome not by focusing on white bigotry (although he doesn’t use the word white) but on creating job opportunities in the inner-city, improving schools, and overhauling drug laws.
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