Talking Points #1:"Data show racial bias persists in America"

Salim Muwakkil

Muwakkil argues that even though we may have made some strides against racism in today's society it still exists and continues to remain a major problem for minority groups.

Quotes:

1) "racial disparities persist, and many analysts trace them to biased cultural attitudes and prejudiced social policies so deeply woven into the fabric of American life that they are virtually invisible."

I think that Muwakkil is essentially saying the same thing as McIntosh which is that "racism" or the ideologies which promote this attitudes are such a strong part of our culture that we do not even recognize it. It is just like the "invisible knapsack" of privileges that white people benefit from everyday.


2) "applicants with white-sounding names were 50 percent more likely to get called for an initial interview than applicants with black-sounding ones. What's more, higher-quality resumes provided little advantage for black applicants."

I just think this is a shocking piece of evidence. It is disconcerting to think that racism is still such a strong part of the job market today that no matter how qualified a black person is for the job a white person still has the advantage just because of the color of their skin.


3) "blacks constitute about 13 percent of America's drug users, but make up 58 percent of those sent to prison for drug possession, according to the Sentencing Project, a think tank."

This just goes to show how racial profiling among the police is still a major problem today. It still continues to be a problem among police officers in Providence according to the news.

Questions/Comments/Point to Share:

I always thought that racism is not as big a problem today as it was in the 50s-60s. After reading this article I realize that it is so embedded in our society that it is a major problem for minority groups. Some of these statistics are shocking but after reading these statistics I recognized that these problems are still readily discussed in mainstream media such as the problem with racial profiling. Muwakkil really backs up the arguments set up by Johnson, Delpit, and McIntosh which is that society instills privileges to white, middle-class people while other racial groups are kept outside the circle or outside the "culture of power" as Delpit would say. It is so embedded in American culture that people with privilege do not even recognize it yet it still exists. This makes change extremely difficult. This is why society keeps privileged groups in the dark so that this "culture of power" continues to exist.

Comment: I think as future teachers we need to make a conscious effort to be aware of these privileges and help those without privilege succeed in a still racist society. The future starts with our children and as teachers we have more of an impact than anyone else.