Part 2: How The Racial Wealth Gap Affects Black Households Today

So, on our last blog post, Part 1 of How The Racial Wealth Gap Affects Black Households Today, we discussed the systems that were put in place, systems that continue to affect the generational wealth of Black families and the livelihood of Black households. We talked about stolen lands and entire Black communities that were destroyed, communities that, as one way, helped to pave the way for generational wealth building for white families.

With so many obstacles that were put in place to hinder not only the wealth of black households, but the generational wealth of their families after, such as prejudices built into credit scores and the challenges Black Americans face when dealing with student debt, it poses the question with the racial wealth gap being carved over centuries, is it possible to bridge the gap within our lifetime?

According to research by opinion writer for the Boston Globe, Kimberly Atkins Stohr, titled ‘We Can Solve The Racial Wealth Gap?’ the median wealth of the black family in 2019 was $24,000 and for the white family, it was $188,000.

So, How did we get here? How did the racial wealth gap grow so wide that it continues to widen and affect the black family and its wealth today?

It’s common knowledge that the wealth gap began with the institution of chattel slavery. After those enslaved were free, then we had the Jim Crow laws that made it difficult, out of reach, and often illegal for formally enslaved black people to own property. Even when some of those former barriers were ‘technically lifted’, there was redlining and neighborhood covenants, both of which we covered in our Part 1. These obstacles were put in place that made property ownership out of reach for black Americans. Now, we all understand that property ownership is the cornerstone of wealth building. It’s what we pass on to our families. Well to this day, the rate of home ownership amongst black people is much much lower than for others. There’s also employment discrimination that aids in the widening of the already wide racial wealth gap, but land ownership is the major contributor.

Continued research by Kimberly Atkin Stohr shows how (and I quote) “the racial wealth gap and the systems in place that continue to widen that gap, not affect only black people, but all people. When you look at the wealth gap and the way that it impacts Black Americans buying power, black Americans ability to participate in the economy, to grow the economy, to open businesses, to create jobs, in the last 30 years it has sapped $51 trillion dollars from the gross national product. That affects everyone from those buying groceries to wall street investors.” So, if everyone understood that there’s money to made here, not just for black people, but for everyone, then maybe more people, perhaps everyone, would be more interested in finding solutions to the racial wealth gap.

Taking a look at how there are disparities in the taxes, the Department of the Treasury released a report, Disparities in the Benefits of Tax Expenditures by Race and Ethnicity, which outlines the differences in how tax deductions impact White, Black, and Hispanic families. The results show a troubling trend: there are clear disparities in how tax benefits and expenditures impact different racial and ethnic groups, and a significant amount of tax breaks and benefits disproportionately go to White Americans.

The report concluded that no less than 90% of tax breaks for capital gains, charitable deductions, and small businesses go to White Americans, with the remaining 10% being shared among other ethnic and racial groups. Additionally, the benefits of both tax exclusions for employer-sponsored health insurance and mortgage interest deductions go predominantly to White families. These benefits make up a significant portion of tax breaks offered by the government, and their impact on the racial wealth gap cannot be understated.

 When we look at credit scores, there are many current disparities around credit scores based on how it’s used. It’s not only used to obtain loans based on a person’s credit worthiness, but it’s also used in job applications. Credit histories are used and held against Black people when there’s no reason and no proof that there’s any relationship between credit and people’s performance on the job. It’s also used for obtaining basic necessities for homeownership such as utilities, basic things that they everyone should have access to.

 When we look at homeownership, if someone has a mortgage and they pay it regularly, it’s a huge booster of one’s credit score, but at the same time, rent payments are usually not counted and there are way more black people in America who rent than who own compared to white people. So that causes a major disparity in credit scoring when you don’t have that rental history counted. So, although credit scoring is supposed to be blind and it’s supposed to be objective, in actuality, it isn’t.

Ready to learn more? Tune in to our latest chat, Episode 11: Part 2 How The Racial Wealth Gap Affects Black Households Today

Part 1:How the Racial Wealth Gap Affects Black Households Today

What is the racial wealth gap?

Although the term "racial wealth gap" technically refers to the difference in assets owned by different racial or ethnic groups, this gap results from a range of economic factors that affect the overall economic well-being of these different groups. The term reflects disparities in access to opportunities, means of support, and resources.

The racial wealth gap is the largest of the economic disparities between Black and white Americans, with a white-to-Black per capita wealth ratio of 6 to 1. It is also among the most persistent. 

Federal surveys reveal a large disparity among racial and ethnic groups in the U.S. For example, the 2019 Survey of Consumer Finances—which examined assets such as savings, investments, retirement, pensions, and especially homeownership—found White families had eight times the wealth of Black families and five times the wealth of Hispanic families.

It's well known that one of the major ways of wealth building is property and/or homeownership. Contrary to popular knowledge, wealth does not mean income. Wealth is a combination of your savings, income and your assets minus your debts. This combined, is what makes up wealth. Wealth is a much more accurate read on your financial standing than simply income.

In 1963, the median Black families had about 5% or  1/20th  of the wealth of that of white families. In case you thought it has gotten much better, In 2016, Black families had about 10% of the wealth of white families. So white families have 10x the wealth of Black families. So, this shows that there is still a huge problem with inequalities even today.

When we talk about affordable housing, we think about social safety net programs such as Section 8, Low Income Tax Credits, Rental Housing. We rarely think or talk about wealth creation and equity when we talk about affordable housing. Affordable housing can’t just be about safety nets, it should also be about elevators allowing people who have been left behind the opportunity to move up. And upward mobility is critical and it’s about wealth building and race.

Only 44% of Black households own their own property compared to 73% of white households. And if you’re Black and do own your own home, you have about a 50% chance of being able to buy your home before you’re 35.

The largest housing program in the United States is the mortgage interest deduction, where people get a chance, if they own their own home, to write their interest off on their taxes. Even though it is the largest housing program in the US, if you’re Black household or Latino household who have equally low home ownership rates, you don’t have a chance to participate in our countries largest housing subsidy program.

Here's something disturbing, when you look at home values, on average Black owned homes are worth $50,000 less. Black people are buying in smaller percentages and when we do buy, Black owned homes are worth less and we’re buying later in life. All of those factors combined, tell the story of what’s happening and the gap between Black wealth and white wealth. Also, studies show that 63% of all wealth for the typical family comes from a combination of home ownership and retirement accounts. So, if you’re lagging this far behind in homeownership, there’s no way that you’re going to make a dent in the racial wealth gap. And this goes back decades.

Redlining and Housing segregation has affected many things within the Black community, such as, School/Education, Health, Family Wealth, and Policing.

A bit of history. President FD Roosevelt, in an effort to bring economic relief to millions of Americans, created a collection of federal programs called The New Deal. One part of that project was the National Housing Act of 1934. This Act introduced the infamous 30 yr mortgage and low fixed rates which allowed lower income people to be able to afford homes. Sounds great, right? So, in an effort to soothe the worry of these new homeowners not defaulting on their mortgages, a new program is introduced known as the Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC). But, this is where it dives deep and goes dark. The HOLC created residential security maps using color codes which broke down as follows:

Green (white business men), great residential area

Blue (white collar, white workers) good residential area

Yellow (declining/working class) area

Red: Detrimental or hazardous influences, such as low class whites, foreign born immigrants and definitely Black people.

The most consistent criteria for redlined areas was the presence of Black and brown people. The thing is, the people who lived in these redlined areas, despite what was assumed, did not default on their mortgages. The major issue of redlining is that it created huge obstacles, if not impossible abilities to buy or refinance. Because of this, landlords abandoned their properties, city services became unreliable,  affecting job security, crime increased and property values dropped. This festered for at least 30 years as whites fled to the new suburbs that were popping up all over the country.

Then came the ‘covenants’. Covenants were rules that explicitly forbid the selling of homes in these white suburbs to Black people and the sad part is that these rules were perfectly legal. So, then the Fair Housing Act of of 198 was introduced as a way to encourage equal housing opportunities regardless of race, religion or national origin. It also offered protection for future homeowners and renters. The major issue was that it did little to fix the years long of damage that was already done. Over the next 50 years, the Fair Housing Act was rarely enforced. We still see the effects of housing segregation and how it hindered much of the Black wealth, hence the extremely wide wealth gap between Blacks and white households. For almost 30 years, 98% of FHA home loans were handed out to white borrowers. So, not only were Black neighborhoods redlined and the Fair Housing Act not enforced, and even today it is still more difficult for a Black person to get a home loan than it is for a white person, these factors heavily influenced the wealth gap among Black and white households.

So, when it comes to education, the primary way that Americans pay for public education is buy paying property taxes. People who live in more valuable homes have better funded public schools, better paid teachers, better facilities and more resources. Look at it this way, the better the schools are in a neighborhood, the more homes are worth. The higher the property value of those homes, the more money there is for schools and so on and so forth.

Look at how this affects health.

Because of urban planning that benefitted those richer whiter neighborhoods, Black and Brown people are more likely to live in industrial areas and neighborhoods. This means exposure to more toxic fumes and living in areas of food deserts where grocery stores with fresh food is not as easily accessible. Water is less, if at all, drinkable and they’re more likely to live in homes with crumbling infrastructure and places with toxic lead paint. These factors affect the health of Black people and other people of color in these areas. There are higher incidences of certain cancers, asthma and heart disease. With housing segregation, there are vast differences of crime and vast differences of policing. Many times, racial profiling is camouflaged as ‘spatial’ profiling. This means that living in certain areas can create the extremely high likelihood of being stopped by the police at much higher rates. That heavy and aggressive policing that you see in Black neighborhoods causes a distrust towards police. When people don’t trust the police, crimes go unsolved and this forces people to find other ways to stay safe. Racial Inequalities will grow unless we consciously work to eliminate them.

How did we get here? Want to learn more? Tune into our latest chat: Episode 10: Pay Me My Money: How The Racial Wealth Gap Affects Black Households Today?

The Simple Reasons We Discriminate and The Devastating Impact On Race Relations

What is discrimination and what exactly are the complex reasons we discriminate.

Discrimination is the act of making unfair or prejudicial distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong, such as race, gender, age, or sexual orientation. Discrimination especially occurs when individuals or groups are unfairly treated in a way which is worse than other people are treated, on the basis of their actual or perceived membership in certain groups or social categories. Bias and discrimination can be difficult subjects to discuss. But there are very good reasons to get past our discomfort and talk about these important issues. 

“Human survival may be the most fundamental benefit of eliminating discrimination. That we fear and recoil from those who are different than we are, is unfortunate and potentially dangerous.” Dr. Gwendolyn Keita PhD

 As we mentioned in our podcast Episode 01 ‘Are Interracial Friendships Truly Sustainable’, when 75% of white social circles are all white, we find that discrimination and stereotypes are much more evident within the conscious and subconscious without much desire to change. A lack of diversity, perpetuated by discrimination, makes our society weaker. Diversity breeds creative thinking, democratic communities and innovation. Diversity in higher education makes better citizens and results in a more vibrant and prosperous society that benefits everyone. Productive, meaningful dialogues can help contribute significantly to awareness of these important truths. The problem that many experience when talking about discrimination is that it can also be uncomfortable for those with privilege because it requires them to acknowledge their inherent privilege. Even if they consider themselves unbiased, they have to acknowledge they benefit from the system that keeps discriminatory practices in place. According to psychological research, talking openly about discrimination may threaten to unmask both conscious and unconscious belief systems about one’s own bias and prejudices. In talking about discrimination, we are afraid of saying something that may be interpreted as discriminatory. Ever heard the expression, ‘I don’t talk about race, religion or politics with others’? That’s because societal norms surrounding the open discussion of topics related to race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, politics, and class differences hinder an honest and open discussion of these topics. Those societal norms can influence people to avoid or only superficially engage in meaningful and honest discussions on these socially taboo topics. Bottom line, people don’t want to feel ashamed if the feelings or beliefs that they harbor may be interpreted as racist or discriminatory. So, too often, they avoid those topics altogether.

According to research, it is possible for people to change and modify prejudicial attitudes, even in instances where these attitudes are outside conscious control. More research suggests that one possible route to reducing discrimination may be increasing individuals’ internal motivation to eliminate prejudice. Increased motivation coupled with an awareness of implicit biases can lead to the consistent effort necessary to reduce one’s discriminatory behaviors and prejudicial attitudes. When it comes to implicit biases, I highly recommend listening to a ‘Hidden Brain’ segment by Shankar Vedantam titled ‘The Mind of the Village: Understanding our Implicit biases.”

  Bottom line, discrimination can be a complex situation, but people discriminate easily as a way of preserving self esteem. It’s the ús’ vs ‘them’ mentality. Even if you feel as though you don’t hate the ‘them’. It’s more a term of preference, a liking for people in your ín group’ those who are similar and familiar to you. But, the preference, the preferring of ús’ is what can lead to discrimination. So, when it comes to racial groups, if there are white people who don’t necessarily hate other Black people or people of color but have an extra special liking for other white people, such as enjoying being in the presence of other white people, enjoying living in neighborhoods with other white people, you feel as though you understand other white people more. The mentality that white people are easier to work with, build friendships with. That preference and extra liking for the ús’ means a lack of liking for others or a lack of liking the ‘them’. According to research by psychologists, these preferences and prejudices serve to protect your self-image and self-esteem because liking  ‘you’’ and if you want to stay liking ‘you’ then it helps to like people who are like you.  It’s the effects of a social psychology research methodology called the Minimal Group Paradigm or the Minimal Group Effect. The Minimal Group Effect proposes that the minimal condition for group biases (like favoritism towards your own group and prejudice towards other groups) is simply being a member of a group. Having a greater liking for your in group and when there is a racial hierarchy involved as in white people being the majority and dominant culture, it can have devastating and long-lasting impacts on others.

Are you familiar with Jane Elliott, well, she’s a 90-year-old white antiracism activist who at the time in the 60s was an Iowa school teacher who did an experiment with her students the day after Martin Luther King was assassinated. In this experiment, she divided her students, who were white, into groups based on something as minute as ‘eye color’. Jane did this because she wanted to shine a light on how discrimination works and how it can affect how others live, learn, relate and see themselves. In the divided groups, based on eye color, she elevated the ‘blue eyed’ students and devalued the ‘brown eyed’ students. The study showed how when the blue-eyed students were elevated, the students who never before made notice of who had blue eyes or brown eyes, looked down on the brown eyed students. The blue-eyed students felt a kinship and felt a need to devalue the brown eyed students. The brown eyed students felt dejected and had a lot of behavioral issues, lack of focus, and performed poorly, it affected them significantly. The next day, she reversed it and showed preferential treatment towards the ‘brown eyed students’ and devalued the ‘blue eyed’ students. Though this wasn’t a formal study, and it wasn’t a lifetime of prejudice and bias, a lifetime of a lack of representation or a society sending all of these negative messages, it simply took one teacher making minimal differences in a matter of a couple of days for them to fully internalize the detriments of discrimination and prejudice. Now, imagine how this affects people who deal with prejudice and discrimination their entire lives. Think of how a lifetime of prejudicial treatment affect Black children in schools, in neighborhoods, and how they see themselves overall. That’s the detrimental effects of discrimination.

Think about how serious the ‘us’ vs ‘them’ mindset is, even when you don’t necessarily have hate towards the ‘them’ and especially when you are the group that is in a position of power.

Want to learn more? Listen in on our latest episode, Episode 09: This Is A Private Club: The Simple Reasons We Discriminate and The Devastating Impact On Race Relations

Weaponizing Trauma and The Dangers of Unhealed Wounds

What exactly is trauma?

Trauma is any experience that is deeply distressing or disturbing. Trauma overwhelms our ability to cope and undermines our sense of safety. Trauma can cause us to feel powerless and hopeless relative to our capacity to defend ourselves. It can rob us of the belief in our ability to heal, trust, live, and love as we once did, before a traumatic experience occurred. On today’s episode, we are discussing weaponizing trauma and the trouble of unhealed wounds.

So, I’ve explained what trauma is, now let’s dive into how that unhealed trauma can be used, whether consciously or unconsciously, as a weapon. First, let’s define weaponizing: To weaponize something is to exploit something for the purpose of attacking a person or a group of people as well as spreading strife or discord. Weaponizing something is also an attempt to manipulate a person or to avoid accountability for an act, words, or reaction.  

So, at some point in our lives, we’ve all experienced a form of being bullied, right? I know I have my share of stories of being bullied during my middle school days. What we may not have realized is that the bully was exercising their hurt and trauma in an unhealthy and unhealed way. They weaponized their trauma onto others. Experiences of trauma can lead to trauma-related disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. Trauma can be collective (experienced by a group of persons) or individual (experienced by one). It can be episodic (happening every so often), isolated (happening once), or chronic (unabating, not weakening or losing intensity). It can even be vicarious (e.g., by empathically engaging with the trauma of others). Whatever event caused the trauma in your life (death, emotional, physical or sexual abuse, car accident, a race related incident, etc) it is never easy to accept, process nor heal from. It’s understandable that many who have experienced trauma may be withdrawn, angry, resentful, lonely, introverted, fearful and the likes, trauma is not an excuse for perpetuating harm and suffering, nor a get-out-of-jail-free card for causing emotional or physical pain to others. healing from trauma is an easy or simple process. Processing trauma is messy and painful and dirty and even through the process, triggers will happen. So, this is not to negate the very real and damaging effects trauma can have on our ability to regulate our emotions, accurately appraise situations, relate to and become close with others, or maintain positive beliefs about the world, ourselves, and the inherent goodness of humanity.

Want to learn more? Click the link to listen to our segment of Episode 08 “Hurt People, hurt..people” : Weaponizing Trauma and the Dangers of Unhealed Wounds

Episode 07: How The Model Minority Narrative Was Used As A Tool To Benefit the United States

‘Smart’ ‘Hardworking’ ‘Nice’. The adjectives that respondents offered up in a recent poll conducted by the nonprofit organization, LAAUNCH which stands for (Leading Asian Americans to Unite for Change) when describing Asian Americans. ‘Smart’, ‘hardworking’ ’nice’. An all too familiar reminder that Asian Americans are still perceived as the model minority.

For those who doubt that racial resentment lingers in this nation, Asian Americans are a favorite talking point. The argument goes something like this: If “white privilege” is so oppressive — if the United States is so hostile toward its minorities — why do census figures show that Asian Americans out-earn everyone?

Since the end of World War II, this myth about Asian Americans and their perceived collective success has been used as a racial wedge to minimize the role racism plays in the struggles of other minority groups, such as Black Americans and Indigenous Americans. Before we dive into a bit of history, let’s discuss what exactly is a model minority.

What is a Model Minority:

The Model Minority is a minority demographic (whether based on ethnicity, race or religion) whose members are perceived as achieving a higher degree of socioeconomic success than the population average, thus serving as a reference group to outgroups. So, basically a model minority is viewed as doing everything ‘right’. This success is typically measured  by educational attainment, representation in managerial and professional occupations, and household income, along with other socioeconomic indicators such as low criminality and high family/marital stability.

The concept of the ‘model minority’ is controversial, as it has historically been used to suggest there is no need for government intervention in socioeconomic disparities between certain racial groups. This argument has most often been applied in America to contrast Asian Americans and Jewish Americans against Black and Indigenous people, perpetuating a "model minority myth" that Asian and Jewish Americans are good law-abiding, productive citizens/immigrants, while promoting the stereotype that Indigenous people and African Americans are prone to crime and dependent on welfare.

Although the term was first coined to describe the socioeconomic success of Japanese Americans, "model minority" eventually evolved to become associated with American Jews and Asian Americans in general, more specifically with East Asians (Japanese, Chinese, and Korean Americans)] and Indian Americans or South Asians. By the 1980s, almost all major U.S. magazines and newspapers printed success stories of Asian Americans.

The Model Minority narrative that we understand today was not imposed on Asians by white Americans.  Research by Ellen Wu, is that (and I quote) Asians were complicit in the creation of the model minority myth. The Model Minority Myth was an unintended outcome of earlier attempts by Asian Americans to be accepted and recognized as human beings. They wanted to be seen as Americans who were worthy of respect and dignity. Asians went from being seen as promiscuous, dangerous and a threat to our economy to being seen as the model and the group who all racial groups to look to and emulate. It was more of an interplay between less racism and less prejudice that afforded Asian Americans more opportunity for advancement as a way of confirming the new and better stereotypes. Wu says that Asian Americans were very intentional about painting themselves in a positive light because they knew that would be crucial if they wanted any type of social acceptance which would lead to financial gains, career gains, and overall social power in the US. Throughout history, we have seen the desire of wanting acceptance within the US. When other European ethnic groups would enter America, before they were considered ‘white’ by white Americans, they began to recognize and understand racism and then partake in the degradation and racism against Black Americans as to be socially accepted by the white majority of America. And it worked. The Irish and Italians were accepted and were considered as being ‘white’ Americans whereas before, they were viewed as ethnic immigrants.

Racial minority groups, those with less social power, are able to make significant gains when it also converges with the interest of the majority group, which in America, is white people.

A bit of history. Black Americans, at the same time, were striving to do the same things, such as gain acceptance, social power and receive basic rights and respect. It was convenient for political leaders to hear the Asian voices.  The model minority narrative may have started with Asian Americans, but it was quickly co-opted by white politicians who saw it as a tool to win allies in the Cold War. Discrimination was not a good look on the international stage, so embracing Asian Americans provided a powerful means for the US to proclaim itself a racial democracy and thereby credited as a leader of the Free World. During WWII, lawmakers thought that Chinese exclusion made for bad diplomacy, so congress decided to overturn Chinese exclusion as a good will gesture to China who was America’s Pacific ally. At the beginning of the Cold War, American policy makers were attentive to putting their best image out into the world. They were very interested in winning the hearts and minds in Asia. It was a strategic move to undue the negative images posed by Americans against Asians, particularly the Chinese, in order for America to be seen as the global leader and continue to stay well respected by their allies. Because America wouldn’t get those same gains from reversing their discrimination laws against Black people, they didn’t and therefore, Black Americans didn’t see those same gains. It was the bureaucracy of it pulling the strings. Asian Americans throughout history in America were being oppressed and ignored by politicians and It was only when it served the interest and created new opportunities for the people in power that Asians were allowed any kind of social mobility. So, Asian Americans were actually used as a pawn to repair the United States’ relationships with the world. So, the model minority myth was a sort of way of rewriting history and benefitting the interests and reputation of the United States.

Today, we can still recognize manipulative ways that are used to separate minority groups. America elevates one, the Asian American population and devalues another, Black Americans. I think we, as minorities, have to understand the history, recognize what is happening, and work to not fall for the manipulation.

Want to learn more? Click the link to listen to our latest episode, Episode 07: How the Model Minority Narrative Was Used As A Tool To Benefit the US

Episode 06: How Colorism Is A Systemic Issue Around Globe

Across the globe, darker skin puts millions of people at a disadvantage. Within communities of color, lighter skin often bestows better access, privilege, and better mental and physical health.

Before we dive into Colorism, I want to shed some light on white supremacy and how Colorism is one of the direct effects of white supremacy and colonialism. White Supremacy is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White supremacy has roots in the now-discredited doctrine of scientific racism and was a key justification for European colonialism. I wanted to share that because in this episode, we will dive into how colorism is a direct effect of white supremacy and colonialism.

 Let’s talk Colorism:

To boil colorism down to a simple explanation, it is discrimination, prejudice, and bigotry, based on skin tone and color. We have seen colorism exist within the Black American community for centuries and it continues to rear it’s nasty head within the Black American community today. However, Black Americans are not the only people obsessed with how light or dark a person’s skin is. In Asian, Black, and LatinX communities, colorism is the elephant in the room, sitting at the family dinner table, the group photoshoot, meeting strangers for the first time, or even playing in your kindergarten classroom. This phenomenon is so deeply rooted within communities of color that it is almost taboo to talk about. Colorism is a societal toxin felt in many places all around the world, including Latin America, East and Southeast Asia, the Caribbean and Africa. According to Clinical psychologist and professor at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Nayeli Y. Chavez-Dueñas, “The similarities in colorism across Asian, Black, and Latino communities are specifically related to the adoration and glorification of whiteness and the perception that anything that's European and of lighter skin is better.”

Colorism finds its roots in racism and white supremacy because, without racism, someone’s value and perceived superiority wouldn't be based on the color of their skin. It is so deeply ingrained in the fabric of this nation that we are all implicated and infected by its presence. Colorism within the Black community has been around since the enslavement of Africans in America. Colonizers created a skin-tone hierarchy where enslaved Blacks with lighter-skinned were more likely to work inside of the house and tasked with cooking, cleaning, and other duties often deemed as “easier”.  Whereas enslaved Blacks with darker skin were made to work in the field with harsher conditions.

Historically and even today, studies show that lighter skinned people often receive better treatment and representation than darker skinned people in criminal justice, business, the economy, housing, health care, media,the education system, and politics in the United States and Europe. In fact, a 2006 University of Georgia study found that employers of any race preferred light skinned Black men to dark skinned Black men regardless of their qualifications. In the U.S., it has been repeatedly proven that skin tone plays a role in who gets ahead and who does not, which is why colorism is a systemic issue and is directly linked to white supremacy. Lighter skin is preferred in many countries in Africa, Latin and Central America, Asia, and the Caribbean.

Sociologist Margaret Hunter writes in her book, Race, Gender and the Politics of Skin Tone that Mexican Americans with light skin “earn more money, complete more years of education, live in more integrated neighborhoods and have better mental health than do darker skinned Mexican Americans.”

In Jennifer Hochschild’s article ‘The Skin Color Paradox and The American Racial Order’, she explains that in criminal sentencing, medium to dark-skinned Blacks are likely to receive sentences 2.6 years longer than those of whites or light-skinned Blacks. When a white victim is involved, those with more "black" features are likely to receive a much more severe punishment. According to an article in Diverse Education, research done by a trio of sociologists in 2013 found that Black students with dark skin were three times as likely to be suspended than Black children with lighter skin.

Around the globe: color and class are heavily interlinked in South Asian society. Skin tones are one of the negatives of caste systems that exist within much of South Asian society. In India, Fair and Lovely is an extremely popular skin lightening cream that promise a better quality of life and beauty by helping to lighten the skin tone in order to be deemed as more favorable to society.  In South Asia, they even have levels within the caste system where the Adivasi a heterogeneous tribal group of people, believed to be the original inhabitants of India, who are considered so low on the caste system that they are outside of the caste system, are historically some of the darkest skinned people in India and deemed unhirable, un educatable, and undesirable.

When Spaniards began to colonize Latin America in the late 15th century, they created a ranking system. People with lighter skin were at the top and those with darker skin and non-European facial features were at the bottom. They used this [ranking order] to dehumanize and exclude people who were indigenous people or of African descent and this system has been used for centuries throughout Latin America.

Ready to learn more? Tune in to our latest episode, Episode 06: If You’re White, You’re Alright, If You’re Brown, Stick Around, If You’re Black, Get Back! How Colorism is a Systemic Issue Around the World.

Understanding Code Switching Within Race Relations

While listening to a segment of Fresh Air with Terry Gross and guest, Kerry Washington they were discussing the Hulu show that aired in 2020, ‘Little Fires Everywhere’. And in that segment, Kerry Washington, who is a Black actress, was expressing that if the interview was conducted by a Black host, she would be more relaxed in her speech saying expressions such as, “know what I’m saying,” and, ‘you feel me.’ Kerry mentioned that when she was on the phone speaking with her cousins, her speech and dialect and grammar changed, more relaxed and familiar. It was a small ode to how Black people feel a sort of pressure to code switch when in the presence of white people, especially in professional settings. And Too often, there is a distinct expectation placed on Black people. Black people have felt the weight and continue to feel the weight of having negative stereotypes placed upon their intelligence. Too often in the workplace, Black people have been seen as less intelligent, or less capable than their peers until they prove otherwise. it was a small ode to how Black people feel a sort of pressure to code switch when in the presence of white people, especially in professional settings.

 So, let’s talk about Code Switching. What exactly is it?

Code Switching is when a person (usually a person in an underrepresented group) adjusts the way that they talk depending on cultural context. It usually applies to speaking but it can also apply to other behaviors such as changes in their appearance or expressions, known as behavioral code switching. These changes to their speech or appearance are done in order to fit in to the more dominant culture, and in this podcast, I’m speaking of white culture. And this discussion is regarding what some Black people do around White people. And I say some because not all Black people are code switching when they speak in a more proper manner. There are Black people who were raised around mostly white if not all white people. They were educated by white teachers and their lived experiences included a dominant presence of white people and their culture.

So, why do some Black people feel the pressure to Code Switch?

There can be a variety of reasons. The most common reason is and has been to make white people feel comfortable or to fit in to the dominant society. For example, you may see a Black person, especially a Black man, expressing behavioral code switching because there is a stigma that has been placed on Black men as being aggressive and intimidating. So when code switching, he may speak in a more upbeat pleasant tone around white people so that he doesn’t appear intimidating or aggressive thereby making them feel more comfortable in his presence.

 When it comes to Black women, especially in professional settings, you may see some swallow their righteous anger regarding a microaggression experienced or any other racial situation that may have occurred where they had every right to be angry, but didn’t because of the stereotype of being labeled, ‘the angry Black woman’. So, there may be a dismissal of calling out the situation or they may adjust their tone or body language so as to not appear angry.

Want to learn more? Tune in to our latest episode, Episode 05: Pass The Grey PouPon..Pass The Courvoisier: Understanding Code Switching Within Race Relations HERE

How White People Can Show Up and Commemorate Juneteenth

Juneteenth consisting of the words “June” and “nineteenth,” stands as the oldest celebration of Black emancipation in the United States. To this day, the occasion marks the progress of the United States from legally approving race-based chattel slavery to legally abolishing it after centuries of resistance, the initiation of the nation’s bloodiest war, and a constitutional amendment. It was June 19, 1865, and although the Emancipation Proclamation freed enslaved people more than two years earlier, there was minimal enforcement in Texas due to a lack of Union troops. Each year, Juneteenth is a day for Black Americans to celebrate freedom. In our household, we celebrate festivities the entire week of Juneteenth. Our festivities include making T-shirts, watching shows and films that are focused on education around Juneteenth, make strawberry soda, which is a traditional drink of Juneteenth festivities, a special dinner on Juneteenth, and more. It’s a fun and engaging way to involve our household and inspire awareness of Juneteenth.

As part of the commitment to dismantle racism, many individuals, organizations, and governments committed to increasing racial awareness by celebrating Juneteenth. Historically speaking, few events compare to the significance of the abolition of slavery in the United States. It forever changed the political and social landscape of the country. The new attention Juneteenth is receiving outside of Black communities is long overdue and should be welcomed. But even though Juneteenth is an occasion that everyone should recognize, not everyone should acknowledge it in the same way. 

While Juneteenth is truly American history that includes and applies to everyone, it has its roots in the bloody battle between white supremacy and the Black freedom struggle. In this conflict, the two sides are not morally equivalent. You can’t “both sides” race-based chattel slavery. It was a heinous institution that Black people and their co-conspirators knew was wrong at the time and its evil has only become more apparent in the ensuing century and a half since abolition. 

A bit of history. Many societies throughout time have practiced some form of slavery. In the United States, however, slavery “developed as a permanent, hereditary status centrally tied to race.”  As slavery became more institutionalized, wealthy white men created more rules to regulate its practice. Breaking from the tradition of a child following the father’s status, slavery in the United States dictated that a child was born enslaved or free based solely on the mother’s status. 

Slavery in the United States meant slavery for life with no hope of emancipation. Enslaved Black people were deprived of legal rights, required permission to leave their master’s property, were forbidden to legally marry, and could not carry guns. Slavery in this country defined enslaved Africans not as human beings but as chattel—private property on the same level as livestock. Even the support of white abolitionists was uneven and incomplete. Just because someone did not want the institution of race-based chattel slavery to continue did not mean they were committed to the concept of Black equality. 

Even Abraham Lincoln, often dubbed the “Great Emancipator” for his role in leading the Union during the Civil War and for signing the Emancipation Proclamation, made it clear that white people who opposed slavery could also be racist. At the outset of his presidency in 1860, Abraham Lincoln objected to the expansion of slavery, but he was not initially interested in abolishing it, nor did he advocate for civil or social equality for black people. During a series of political debates against Stephen Douglas in Illinois in 1858, Lincoln carefully explained, “I am not nor have I ever been in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races.” 

In the wake of so many Black lives lost to police brutality, especially in this time where cameras are available for the world to see, forcing everyone to avoid denying the very reality of police brutality against Black bodies. So, since the awakening of awareness of Juneteenth and since Juneteenth has been recognized as a national holiday, many of us in the Black community have received questions as to how white people can show up and take action.

So, I’ve compiled a list of way white people can become more aware of and celebrate Juneteenth. Tune in to our special edition episode: Red Velvet Cake: How White People Can Commemorate Juneteenth

Is Having A Wandering Eye Considered Cheating?

A wandering eye, according to Webster, is a tendency to look at and have sexual thoughts about other people while already in a romantic relationship. So, If you’re in a relationship, looking at others in a sexual or romantic light is known as having a “wandering eye.” Now, whether this is OK depends on your individual relationship’s boundaries. Keep in mind, though, that some people view a wandering eye as simply finding others attractive.

         When is a wandering eye crossing the thin boundaries of potentially cheating

A wandering eye is typically seen as someone checking someone else out and flirting with them, but not necessarily engaging in a sexual or romantic relationship with them. So, with that being said, many people do believe that this behavior could lead to cheating later down the line.

So, some examples of ‘wandering’ could look like:

Flirting with someone other than your partner

Telling someone that they’re sexy, attractive, or beautiful

Blatantly checking out someone else

Attempting to make plans to date or cheat with someone else

Fantasizing about someone or masturbating to the thought of them

Talking about your sexual desires or fantasies with someone else

Humans are easily distracted. No matter the situation, a beautiful woman, handsome man, heck a moist piece of cake will grab peoples’ attention and usually not release that attention until others have noticed. This often leads to fights over the difference between normal distraction and pathological distraction, between wanting to see and wanting too much.

In other words, there’s a statistical difference between a wandering eye and an observant eye. But, truth be told, all eyes wander, so the spectrum runs from fairly distracted to problematically distracted.

Ready for more? Tune in to Episode 3: Take A Picture Why Don’t You: Is Having A Wandering Eye Considered Cheating?

The Importance of Boundaries

What are boundaries? And why are they so important for helping you feel comfortable and safe in your relationships. Boundaries are imaginary lines that protect a person’s personal or mental space. They are the limits we set for ourselves within a relationship or relationships. Basically, boundaries are how we teach others how we want to be treated.

On Episode 2 today, we are discussing the importance of establishing healthy boundaries.

So, if you’ve ever had a conversation regarding boundaries, you know that it can be an uneasy conversation. It can be awkward, uncomfortable and downright fearful. Some may not even know how to go about setting boundaries and even after they’ve had the conversation and they’re set, they have a hard time upholding those boundaries.

How do you know when you need to establish boundaries?

1.    You feel a level of resentment towards a person who constantly disregards your feelings or your response.

2.    You feel burned out when dealing with a particular person or people.

3.    You make comments about always giving in or showing up but feel that it’s not reciprocal

4.    You begin avoiding phone calls or ignoring texts from those who might ask for something whether it’s to hang out or to vent or they constantly drain you emotionally

5.    You feel overwhelmed when saying yes to things or people because they make you feel guilty when you say no

Want to learn more? Click the link to enjoy our segment of “The Land of Me”…the Importance of Establishing Boundaries

Are Interracial Friendships Truly Sustainable

Today, we’re tapping into Friendships and the dynamics that race can play when sustaining a healthy and long lasting interracial friendship.

What exactly are race relations? Race Relations are the ways in which members or communities of different racial or ethnic groups feel about and behave toward each other within a particular area. Race relations is a sociological concept that emerged in Chicago in connection with the work of sociologist Robert E. Park and the Chicago race riot of 1919. Race relations designates a paradigm or field in sociology and a legal concept in the United Kingdom.

According to a 2013 Pughes Research Value Study, 75% of White adults have entirely White social circles without one person of color. Not One! Homogenous social networks are harmful in bridging the broken race relations gap. The sad reality is that, as adults, we tend to be racially segregated in our friendships, just as we are in our neighborhoods. Without genuine relationships with people of different backgrounds, our knowledge of others may be influenced by the media, family and the education system. Avoiding others who are different only perpetuate fears and stereotypes about certain groups of people.

A Study conducted by NYU's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development showed that as elementary and middle school students progress in school, they are less likely to have friends of a different race, even from the beginning to the end of a single school year. Although research shows that children with greater access to diverse peers are more likely to form interracial friendships, the study findings suggest that access to diversity alone is not sufficient for fostering these friendships, and teachers may play a role. Additional studies show that most childhood friendships are formed in classrooms, but children tend to form friendships with others of their own race or ethnicity, with interracial friendships decreasing across ages and grades. Yet, for nearly half a century, educators and scholars have argued that friendships across race have social, emotional, and academic benefits. Interracial friendships are more problematic between Blacks and Whites than between two people of other races.

When it comes to cross race friendships, White people are more likely to have interracial friends who are Hispanic or Asian than Black. Cross-race friendships are less common among Whites than among African Americans, largely because African Americans are more likely to be a minority in their environment, which means more Whites are available for friendship. Beverly Daniel Tatum, a psychologist and author of “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? and Other Conversations About Race said, “If a white child has a friend of color, it’s likely that the friend is a minority in a mostly white community. So, as those friends of color approach adolescence, they start to become aware of experiences with racism, from name-calling and racial profiling in stores or by police, to social exclusion ― not being invited to teenage birthday parties, for instance.”    

Deborah L. Plummer, a psychologist and author of “Some of My Friends Are... : The Daunting Challenges and Untapped Benefits of Cross-Racial Friendships.” Mentioned that, “We all benefit from cross-racial friendships, but if we’re being honest, White people may benefit a little bit more. When a White person travels through life with a friend of color, they get to understand and witness how the dynamics of privilege plays out. It allows them to really find a way to claim their White identity apart from that of a historical oppressor. They get to practice being anti-racists. They gain a positive White identity that is aligned with being a fully authentic human being.”

Interracial friendships can reduce the widening racial divide that affects the quality of our lives ― but only if friends are mutually learning from each other and listening with humility. Many BIPOC have done the emotional work of racial identity resolution independent of having cross-racial friends often hears white people say they fear they’ll say something that could be interpreted as racist in conversation with someone who’s Black. White people need to accept that making a mistake is part of the process to learn and grow to be anti-racist. Fear of saying the wrong thing props up the system. That fear shouldn’t be used as an excuse to not make real friends across the color lines, so to speak. Friendships are built on shared experiences and trust and even being in an interracial friendship, race isn’t something that’s constantly discussed ― but that trust does not exist if the white person is not interested in learning about his friend’s experiences, even at the expense of his own comfort. You have to choose to prioritize racial justice, even when it’s outside of your comfort zone. You have to choose to prioritize racial justice, even when it’s outside of your comfort zone. What happens, often, is a lot of white people seem to struggle with cross-racial friendships because they don’t need to be cross-culturally competent in this society. While Black people and other People of Color have the skills to navigate diverse relationships, white people often lack the experience and empathy to do the same. White people tend to think that the answer to racial injustice is to foster cross-racial friendships while POC are looking for friends who will join the struggle for genuine equity.

Want to learn more? Click the link to listen to today’s segment, Episode 1: ‘Am I Invited To The Barbeque?” Are Interracial Friendships Truly Sustainable