As more and more grassroots organizations and lobbies come to the forefront of American politics to call attention to various issues ranging from racial inequality to environmental concerns, it has become clearer that American politics as it has existed has failed many in the United States. Political power has continually been shifted to favor rich white males, who in turn protect the interests of other rich white males at the top of society. This type of politics – a cycle of power - limits access to those that do not fit that particular demographic, namely, people of color, low class individuals, and women. This barrier to influential seats of power has widespread consequences that span over institutions like social programs, the justice system, voting, education, and the workforce. In the effort to overturn this pattern of favorability towards whites and the oppression of others, grassroots organizations like BlackLivesMatter seek to topple certain accepted practices, while other organized groups like corporate lobbies fight against paid sick leave (Bravo, 2015) However, before looking at the realm of politics, one must look at the type of socializing done in educational institutions that introduces the normalization of the limitations put on people of color, low class individuals, and women.
Education is often portrayed as a key to a bright future; teens are pushed to consider higher education, often told that they are much less likely to succeed without a viable degree. In various courses, counselors and teachers display projected incomes for those with a degree versus those without, making college seem like the obvious choice. It is not contested that education leads to knowledge, and knowledge translates to power; without knowing how to calculate numbers, one could not run a business or even keep track of their personal finances; without the ability to read or write, one loses the chance to keep a job where such skills are needed for everyday tasks. This much is obvious; however, education is not usually discussed as a more insidious mechanism of maintaining social standards, including that of racial and gender hierarchies that favor white males.
One way schooling does the type of socializing that keeps minorities out of the picture is through the use of textbooks that leave out African American politics in the general discussion of government history and instead quarantine the subject to a few chapters on civil rights and liberties (Wallace & Allen, 2008). These textbooks also leave out Latin Americans and Native Americans altogether, except when talking about how they have interacted with white leaders. Though textbooks are assumed to be neutral and objective sources of knowledge, one must remember that white-owned publishing companies too have agendas that influence what subjects they deem legitimate parts of history. This “legitimate knowledge”, they say, excludes “the historical experiences and cultural expressions of labor, women, all racial/ethnic groups, and others who have been denied power” (Wallace & Allen, 2008, p. 153). Through covert tactics like this, it is implied that African Americans have not and continue to fail to operate on the same level, though they have been incredibly influential in shaping our history—truly an unignorable part that remains overshadowed by the emphasis on white history and historical figures.
Despite failures just mentioned, it is generally agreed that education brings benefit to individuals as it expands their world knowledge. However, one must look at large scale patterns to see that higher education may help those of higher class succeed while keeping lower class citizens out of the same arena. To add context, it is helpful to know that generally speaking, those with higher formal education and financial resources participate at higher rates in political spheres compared to lower class citizens. That means participating in voting, caucusing, phone banking, campaign fundraising, running for office, etc. (Junn, 2000) Interestingly, despite the fact that education has increased in the US, voting has dropped, “income remains stagnant”, all the while the gap between rich and poor is growing (Junn, 2000, p. 13). She explains that education operates to benefit the individuals who are willing to pay for it, and those who can pay more for education are doing so and being employed at higher rates than poor families. Not only are poorer citizens kept from higher paying jobs, but from the political sphere as well, because education is an expected prerequisite to participating in democracy. Further, college education helps to continue the “dominance of the in-group to the systematic disadvantage to out-groups”, namely low-class citizens and people of color (Junn, 2000, p. 15).
When groups that were originally kept out of office are represented at higher rates, the attention towards what really matters changes. For example, Mendelberg and Karpowitz (2012) did a study to compare outcomes when women make up 20% of legislative groups, as they do currently, versus when women are represented equally or are the majority of a group. They found that these groups push more aggressively for social policies that would help vulnerable citizens, raising families’ income to provide a wider safety net. This would certainly constitute as a life change. Perhaps when African Americans, Asian Americans, Latin Americans and others are more appropriately represented in politics and legislative offices both regional and federal, they will push for the interests of groups once oppressed in education, teaching positions, healthcare, housing policies, etc., so that they have more ways to help themselves and their families. However, partly because of the underrepresentation of women in politics, women feel discouraged from pursuing office. They point to the negative perception of women portrayed in the media, a lack of confidence in themselves, and the idea that they will be treated unequally (Lawless & Fox, 2012). In short, current underrepresentation fosters continued underrepresentation because of the negative perceptions it leads to with regards to how welcome these groups are in legislation.
Grassroots organizations emerge from the ground up to challenge policies and practices that marginalize many. These organizations start with a handful of people and grow as they acquire interest on a regional, then sometimes national level, then put pressure on legislation to make more permanent changes. Recently, BlackLivesMatter has gained substantial momentum as a group that contests the regularity of deaths of young black men at the hands of police, arguing for nonlethal methods of restraining individuals, especially those without weapons. They have called for the use of cameras during routine stops and arrests, and have called attention towards the sentences given to police in the justice system. Less publicized are the grassroots efforts that attack specified areas within public health, such as soda and tobacco taxes, that combat the fact that access to health care and healthy food is more difficult for people of color (Fang & Tran 2013). These are just a few examples of the positive impacts grassroots can have.
Grassroots are immensely important as beginning efforts towards change, however more support is needed to bring them to power and influence faster. In order to have a true democracy, a nation’s peoples must be represented. Otherwise, corruption is rampant as individuals at the top infiltrate all modes of society to keep officials in place that work to their benefit at the expense of those at the bottom. This pattern can be seen again and again with respect to educational opportunities, job opportunities, and politics, whereby low class citizens, people of color, and women are put at a disadvantage so that white, high class males can maintain power. Grassroots provide a way for individuals to have a voice and participate in politics, yet because of systematic and institutional racism, classism, and sexism, not enough of these marginalized groups are represented.
References
Bravo, E. (2015, March 9). How corporate lobbies are trying to delay justice. Grassroots Change. Retrieved from http://grassrootschange.net/how-corporate-lobbies-are-trying-to-delay-justice/
Fang, S. & Tran, C. (2013, August 21). Public health and the new majority: Solutions must come from the grassroots. Grassroots Change. Retrieved from http://grassrootschange.net/public-health-and-the-new-majority-solutions-must-come-from-the-grassroots/
Junn, J. (2000). The significance of race and class for political participation. [PDF document]. Retrieved from https://www.princeton.edu/csdp/events/Participation2000/junn.pdf
Lawless, J. L. & Fox, R. L. (2012, January). Men rule: The continued under-representation of women in U.S. politics. Women & Politics Institute. Retrieved from http://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/gender-society/men-rule-continued-under-representation-women-us-politics
Mendelberg, T., & Karpowitz, C. F. (2012, November 8). More women, but not nearly enough. New York Times. Retrieved from http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/08/more-women-but-not-nearly-enough/?_r=1
Wallace, S. L. & Allen, M. D. (2008, January). Survey of African American portrayal in introductory textbooks in American government/politics: A report of the APSA standing committee on the status of blacks in the profession. PS: Political Science and Politics, 41(1), 153-160. Retrieved from www.jstor.org/stable/20452124
