The issue of economic segregation of the minority groups in the U.S especially through lack of equal opportunity in the labor market for the black community is the main issue of discussion in this case. The author contends that this has been the case from the time of independence to the present day and efforts to try and change the situation have sometimes proved difficult. An example can be taken from an excerpt where he contends the Supreme Court through its decision has made the dream of equal opportunity for the blacks and minorities harder to achieve. `Conversely, the gutting of affirmative action by the Supreme Court portends a gradual erosion of many gains of post civil rights era. The obvious conclusion is that progressives must commit themselves to restoration of affirmative action’.
The author has convinced me that `racial capitalism’ is prevalent to this day. Am convinced because the author clearly made me understand the historical context of the root of this problem, which is slavery. From here he took me through the struggles that black people’s activists went through, to first ensure that at least they were treated with equality as contemplated in the constitution. Then from this he brought out the achievements gained and how some forces riding on the white males emotions fought to ensure that the gains especially affirmative action were not enjoyed by the blacks, and it culminated to him explaining the moral dilemma facing the current president and how it would be difficult to put the necessary reforms in place.
The realities that give that give weight to the author’s claims are: - it would be difficult to change the precedent set in the Supreme Court as regards affirmative action because currently its composition has majority of sympathizers of neoconservatives. Also the fact that the president has taken the `colorblindness’ approach goes to show that it would be difficult to resolve the issue of the employment opportunities to the black community.
PART B
Is there equal opportunity for employment in the labor market today?
Can affirmative action help in dealing with the disparities of unemployment, especially amongst the minority groups?
Is the Obama administration championing for equal opportunity rights for every citizen especially the minorities?
Affirmative Action: - these are policies that take various factors including race and gender into consideration in order to benefit an underrepresented group.
Race men: - the group or school of that argued for a frontal assault against segregation, denial of civil rights and labor market discrimination.
Marxism: - the school of thought that believed in the political economy of racism. They believed that race prejudice was a result of the social attitudinal concomitant of the racial exploitative practice of a ruling class in a capitalistic society.
Work cited
Steinberg, S. (2010). "Race and Democracy: The American Oxymoron," in Mark Major, ed.,
Where Do We Go from Here: American Democracy and the Renewal of the Radical Imagination. Rowman & Littlefield, 159-186.
