October 22nd

Sign in and deposit participation cards Lecture 5: Racial Stratification Homework:

Response paper #3 Readings:

Savage Inequalities: Children in America’s Schools The Hispanic Dropout Mystery Racial Stratification and Education in the United States:

Why Inequality Persists

Lecture 5

Racial Stratification

Why do we have racial inequality today?

Are we even at the same salad bar? According to the reading, we can’t be

considered a “melting pot, but must be considered a “salad bowl”

Pluralism: population is characterized by two or more cultural traditions

Who is an American?

Racial Triangle: American Race Relations in History

1st Class Citizens: Whites

2nd Class Citizens: Blacks

3rd Class Citizens: Native Americans

Need to understand our ‘racial’ roots Racial and ethnic groups that were forced

into American society have historically been disadvantaged in the opportunity structure and experience segregation today Black, Latino, and Native American

Racial and ethnic groups that have voluntarily come to the US have seen higher levels of integration European, Asian

Racial Stratification: Cultural Differentiation Cultural differentiation

The greater and more visible the cultural distinctions, the more likely there is to be conflict Ethnocentrism & Individual Racism

White Privilege: one’s culture and social advantage in society is seen as “normal” and objective “Others” must assimilate “As a white person, I realized I had been taught about

racism as something that puts others at a disadvantage, but had been taught not to see one of its corollary aspects, white privilege, which puts me at an advantage.”

Understanding Privilege

Structures of privilege are often invisible to us “I was taught to see racism only in individual acts

of meanness, not in invisible systems conferring dominance on my group”

Individuals with privilege are not responsible for the circumstances that brought them privilege, but they are responsible for how they respond to it

Racial Stratification: Structural differentiation Institutional Racism: unchallenged and

customary way of doing things in society that keep minority groups in subordinate or disadvantaged positions Unequal Opportunity Structure

Social structure can encourage or reduce inequality among racial and ethnic groups

Historical Race Relations: When Race Mattered1. Race caste oppression in the Ante-bellum

South (pre-1865) Slavery economic system based on race

2. Class conflict and racial oppression (1865- 1964)

Split-labor market – racial conflict over jobs De Jure Segregation: separation of racial and

ethnic groups in daily activities Civil service, housing, education, marriage

What is the Racial Legacy?3. According to William J. Wilson, class position now

matters more than race in defining life chances (Wilson) Political changes broke down racial barriers, but economic

inequalities exist

De Facto Segregation: Formal segregation replaced with informal segregation today

Underclass: segment of the population with limited social mobility due to economic subordination

Perpetuated by residential, occupation, and education segregation

Occupational Segregation

Occupations in which at least 25% are African American Taxi driver, postal clerk, correctional officer,

security guard, nurse’s aid/health aid, barber

Occupations in which at least 25% are Latino/a Private house cleaner, maid/janitor, gardener,

construction worker, farm worker, food service

An Invisible Class? Invisible class: those who are economically

invisible Minority status Recent Immigrants Undocumented

Residential Segregation

New Deal Polices and GI Bill created a legacy of residential segregation Between 1934 and 1962, the federal government

backed $120 billion of home loans & more than 98% went to whites

Created segregated white suburbs

Since 1970, residential segregation declined for Hispanics and Asians

Diversity in Bay Area

Index of Diversity Most Diverse - Alameda County Least Diverse – Marin County

Largest Percentage of: Black Americans – Alameda and Solano (14%) Latino/Latina – Santa Clara (11%) Asian Americans – San Francisco (30%)

Do We Live Together?

Residential segregation is highest for: Blacks (32-57%) Latinos (23-46%) Asians (!5-28%)

Santa Clara County: Black – White: 59% Latino- White: 52% Asian – White: 34%

Changes in Education Access

1950’s – 1970’s saw gains in education By 1976 Black and White high school graduation

were nearly the same

Late 1990’s seeing decline or stagnation in equal education 1998 non-white enrollment at UCB dropped 45%

and at UCLA 36%

Disparities in Educational Attainment

Separate & unequal

If schools act as sorting mechanisms, what happens when the schools are unequal?

Racial Stratification Today

Three areas of informal segregation exist today that perpetuate racial/ethnic stratification Residential Educational Occupational

All of these are tied to wealth, which is the engine of social mobility