June 3, 2015

United Airlines Incident

While aboard a U.S. domestic flight, Muslim chaplain and scholar Tahera Ahmad was alledgedly denied her request for an unopened can of soda by a flight attendant who told her that "it could be used as a weapon." However, the non-Muslim man in the seat next to her was given an unopened can of beer. When Ahmad complained, nearby passengers made islamophobic comments. No one on the plane defended Ahmad.

HOW DOES THIS CONNECT TO STRUCTURAL RACISM?:

The cultural representations of Muslims linked to terrorist attacks have led to racial profiling and discrimination against anyone who appears to be Muslim.

For more on the United Airline Incident see, " The Final Barrier " .

September 9, 2013

University of Alabama's Historical Greek Life

In 2013, a look into the sororities at the University of Alabama revealed that all-white sororities were still denying black students access to membership based solely on race. The next year, although some minority students were admitted to sororities and fraternities, the student Senate killed a resolution that proposed full integragtion of all greek life on campus.

HOW DOES THIS CONNECT TO STRUCTURAL RACISM?:

This occurrence demonstrates how the legacy of segregation (particularly as espoused by former Governor of Alabama, George Wallace) still persists many decades later.

For more on the racism embedded into the University of Alabam's Greek Life see, " University of Alabama Sorority Felt Blacks Were 'Bad for Our Status' "

April 18, 2014

University of Mississippi's Noose Incident

Three white members of a fraternity at the University of Mississippi were accused of placing a noose and Confederate flag around the neck of a statue of James Meredith, the first black student to enroll in “Ole Miss” in 1962. These students have since been expelled from the fraternity, and one student eventually pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of threatening force to intimidate African-American students and employees at the university.

HOW DOES THIS CONNECT TO STRUCTURAL RACISM?:

"We are under a system of systemic institutionalized racism in this state, on this campus, in this town. And...we have a culture that valorizes these racist depictions of the old Confederate South — once again in the state, in this town, on this campus. So I don’t think it should be a surprise that racist acts occur." -Brian Cooper Owens, Professor, African American Studies

For more on this incident see, " UMD Students Fed Up With Diversity Issues Following Found Noose " 

March 13, 2015

University of Maryland's Kappa Sigma Email

An email allegedly sent by a white fraterntiy student to six individuals was filled with racial slurs against women of Middle Eastern, African, and Asian descent. The email also included a discussion of sexual intercourse, concluding with explicit advise to ignore "consent". Kappa Sigma's national office has since suspended the sender from the fraternity, although the University of Maryland did not suspend him from the school.

HOW DOES THIS CONNECT TO STRUCTURAL RACISM?:

While this is just one email sent to a few students, it provides important insight into dangerous racial biases against women of color.

 For more on the email, see " UMD Frat Brother Allegedly Sent Racist Email, Signed Off With ‘F*** Consent ’" 

March 4, 2015

Department of Justice Ferguson Investigation

The U.S. Department of Justice found that the Ferguson, Missouri Police Department engaged in practices and conduct that clearly violated the First, Fourth, and Fourteenth Amendments of the Constitution, including police patterns of conducting stops without reasonable suspicion and arrests without probable cause. The investigation also revealed local court patterns in which unjustified and inappropriately high fines were imposed on Ferguson's most vulnerable residents as a source of revenue. The identified injustices were disproportionally aimed at African American residents.

HOW DOES THIS CONNECT TO STRUCTURAL RACISM?:

Many people falsely claim that blacks are disproportionately in prison because they commit more crimes. This example shows how blacks are disproportionately in prison because they are disproportionately targeted by police offers for minor offenses.

September 7, 2015

Media Portrayal of  White Criminals

In one prominent example, an 18-year-old man and his 13-year-old girlfriend from Kentucky went on a multi-state crime spree, stealing vehicles and store items, as well as causing property damage in numerous localities. Instead of condemning their acts as criminals, many in the media romanticized the white couple as a modern-day "Bonnie and Clyde" and "teen sweethearts".

HOW DOES THIS CONNECT TO STRUCTURAL RACISM?:

The way this couple was portrayed illustrates the central role that institutions, such as mass media, have in shaping racialized public perceptions of crime.

For more the media potrayal of white criminals see, " The Media White Privilege" . 

November 20, 2014

The Death of Akai Gurley

In a housing project stairwell, a rookie cop shot and killed unarmed Brooklyn native Akai Gurley, who presented no threat to anyone. For four minutes, the NYC police officer argued with his partner over whether to tell their superiors about the murder because of his fear of "being fired."

HOW DOES THIS CONNECT TO STRUCTURAL RACISM?:

The police who killed Gurley was performing a routine search of public housing buildings known as a vertical patrol--a practice that assumes that low-income minority-dominated buildings are likely to host criminal acitvity. Given such expectations, officers assumed Gurley to be a criminal requiring excessive force, and before even ascertaining of what he might be guilty, they killed him.

For more on the case see, " The life and Death of Akai Gurley " 

April 6, 2016

Brutality of Sureshbhai Patel

57-year-old Patel was visiting his son in Alabama from India. A neighbor saw him standing in front of the family home and called the police to report "suspcious behavior." Patel, who does not speak any English, was confused by the situation. The police slammed the man on the ground within 90 seconds of arrival. He suffered severe injuries and is now partially paralyzed as a result.

HOW DOES THIS CONNECT TO STRUCTURAL RACISM?:

The neighbor who called the police described Patel as a "skinny black man wearing a toboggan." Patel's proximity to blackness made him "suspcious"; another example racial profiling followed by excessive force, both of which are common in law enforcement incidents.

For more the Sureshbhai Patel case see, " Police Chief Guilty of Contempt in Surshbhai Patel Excessive Force Case "

January 8, 2018

New Jersey Bans the Book, “The New Jim Crow”

After being called out by social justice advocates, the New Jersey Department of Corrections reversed their ban on, “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness”. In the book, author Michelle Alexander explores how today’s criminal justice system is similar to the old “Jim Crow”, which systemically and structurally promoted disparate treatment, sentencing, and outcomes that disadvantage black and brown people. The ban was previously implemented in at least two New Jersey prisons.

HOW DOES THIS RELATE TO STRUCUTRAL RACISM?

The NJ Department of Corrections’ ban was a form of censorship that kept inmates oblivious to systematic inequities and injustices that directly impact them. One has to wonder why a book chronicling structural racism and oppression was banned but Adolf Hitler’s autobiography is permitted. A recent New York Times article says that, “According to data from The Sentencing Project, a prison reform advocacy group, New Jersey has the highest disparity between black and white inmates of any state, with 12.2 black inmates for every white inmate.”

Inmates deserve the right to educate themselves on issues that affect them. Laws and policies have disproportionately impacted people of color throughout history. Campaigns like the War on Drugs and Stop-and-Frisk have targeted African American and Latino communities, leading to the mass incarceration of more than a hundred-thousand people of color. Felony convictions result in socioeconomic disadvantages that include the inability to access social services, limited job opportunities, and political disenfranchisement due to the loss of voting rights. The racial disparities produced in the prison industrial complex are a reflection of structural racism. Banning a book that sheds light on this injustice is itself a compounding result of existing structural racism, i.e. structurally denying black and brown inmates of this knowledge.

For more on the book banning see, "Ban on Book About Mass Incarceration Lifted in NJ Prisons After ACLU Protest".

December 20, 2017

GOP Tax Plan

On December 20, 2017, Congress passed the most extensive revisions to the tax code in the last thirty years. The new tax code will ease the tax burden on corporations and the wealthy but not for low and middle-income Americans. It permanently cuts corporate tax rates from 35 percent to 21 percent. Unlike the permanent business tax cuts, individual tax cuts will expire in 2025. According to the Tax Policy Center, Americans in the lowest earning fifth of the population would see their income increase by a fraction of a percent while Americans in the top-earning fifth would see an increase of nearly 3 percent.Obamacare mandates that citizens must purchase insurance or pay a penalty fee, unless they qualify for a limited number of exemptions. This mandate was put in place so that everyone would have access to affordable health insurance.

Obamacare stabilized the health insurance market by increasing the amount of people who bought health insurance. The healthy people who purchased insurance but did not use it subsidized the sick. Obamacare prohibited health insurance companies from overcharging or denying sick consumers but without Obamacare it is not likely that insurance companies will continue to charge affordable rates due to an expected decrease in insurance buyers. Although the Obamacare subsidy structure will not be affected by the tax bill, those who make too much to qualify for assistance may find higher insurance rates and will most likely decline to purchase insurance. This will lead insurance companies to revert back to overcharging or denying the sick, in order to make a profit. Additionally, the value of tax credits that affordable housing developers use will fall, eventually causing fewer units to be built and limiting the availability of affordable housing.

HOW DOES THIS RELATE TO STRUCTURAL RACISM?

America is increasingly divided along economic lines and, unfortunately, policies like this widen the disparity. Policies that favor affordable housing and health insurance are being replaced by policies that drive structural inequalities. Healthcare disparities exist between different racial and economic groups and repealing the Obamacare mandate will cause many who most need it to lose their healthcare. Likewise, the lack of affordable housing will further segregate neighborhoods and schools. Overall, the new tax code perpetuates racial group inequity.

For more on the GOP Tax Plan, see " How the GOP Tax Plan Scrooges Middle Class, Retired, and Poor " .