On the Continuing Significance of Race: People’s Exhibit #373
by Andrew Grant-Thomas
About six months ago I came across a study that found that people who are incarcerated, unemployed or poor are more likely to be seen as “black,” and to self-identify as “black,” regardless of past racial classification.
Correspondingly, they were less likely to be identified, and to self-identify, as “white.”
Stop. Wrap your mind around that for a moment.
The message here is not that black Americans are more likely to be poor, unemployed or incarcerated than other Americans, a statement that is undeniably true. The message is that poverty, unemployment and incarceration make you black. That’s the “social construction of race” with a vengeance. Read more
Neighbor Turns Ugly When American Dream Disappears
Buying a home can be a ticket out of poverty. It can symbolize a shift from the poor camp to the middle class. Owning a house can represent a sense of financial security and mobility for many families and their children.
A few days ago, Kate Brumback from the Associated Press reported that Lorenzo Jimenez finally found his ticket about four years ago to buy his first home in a suburb outside Atlanta. But Mr. Jimenez had one problem that many working fathers don’t have to consider when buying a house for their family. Read more
The Grisly Truth Behind Soccer Ball Manufacturing
In a country like India where half of the population lives below the line of poverty, it seems to be pretty easy for big companies to exploit the inhabitants. Each year millions of soccer balls are produced and distributed to nations all over the globe, mostly from third world to first. Although India isn’t anywhere near being the primary exporter of soccer balls, it has still managed to draw a lot of attention to the industry. A recent report on Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel exposed the brutal conditions children endure while producing this common sports item.
Soccer ball manufacturing generally starts at the contractor’s factory where the pieces of leather are printed and cut into small segments. Most of the time those materials are then assembled at the same factory, packaged, and sent to the retailer. However, in some cases the raw materials are packed and handed to middlemen who distribute them to local families, and this is when this situation becomes troublesome. Read more
Chicago’s Hometown Heroes
I was born and raised in the Chicago-area. I grew up going to Cubs games with my dad, and playing catch in the backyard. I spent most of my childhood in a suburb where one enjoyed the best of the city and ignored the worst.
The worst was the segregation, poverty, and police brutality. I heard about it, but I never saw it. It wasn’t until I was read more
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