American Aparthied
I'm moving through the first few chapters of this book for the second time and I want to share my thoughts. So far the book has talked about how segregation has played a major role in the plight of the urban underclass. It explains how the ghetto was created and maintained by white society as a way to keep blacks from advancing. Catch this, during The Great Migration there were federal and local efforts to keep blacks out of better neighborhods through redlining and home improvement associations. These were attempts to organize the community into sections based on financialy means. Correct me if I'm wrong but redlining, which classified the poorer areas as red that also happened to house the majority of black residents--was a way to keep bank money and development from taking place in black neigborhoods.
The book talks about how although there has been an increase of black suburbans it does not compare with the grown of the ghetto. European ethnic ghettos were temporary and hispanics had more contact with other groups in American society, but the book talks about how blacks have been segregated so much that they many times may not come into contact with a white individual. On top of this white citizens avoid the areas that are majority black.
So, problem solving I'm wondering who's problem this is? Who is going to solve this? I don't know much about public affairs but it would occur to me that whatever dirty business practice is going on needs to be addressed either by activist groups or by bank employees. Accountability is big here. Someone or group should speak out about this accountability effort to expose what is being done. I'm not sure a white person would move into the ghetto, primarily because the conditions are so down trodden why would anyone want to. This is my logical voice speaking. I wouldn't want to either.
How could PR help? Well alot of ways. There needs to be more money brought into the community and this can happen through jobs and holding the leadership accountable to the upkeep of every area of the city. Education comes into play because the type of education that the inhabitants are getting will definitely affect their ability to give back to the community. An effort can be done in which local stores or corporations support the community by donating building supplies for an effort to reinvent the community. Not the whole community but part of it one step at a time. This effort will supply CSR for the organization and the necessary materials for the community. To deal with the race relations . . . let the children set an example. Have the elementary schools from the inner city and suburbs become pen pals. Set aside time for the youth to write letters to one another to build relationships. Sponsor a day when they meet their pen pal. This will give the youth an invaluable experience with a student of another race and has the potential to teach them and help them confront the behavior they see in their parents. These are just some thoughts. I welcome comments
The book talks about how although there has been an increase of black suburbans it does not compare with the grown of the ghetto. European ethnic ghettos were temporary and hispanics had more contact with other groups in American society, but the book talks about how blacks have been segregated so much that they many times may not come into contact with a white individual. On top of this white citizens avoid the areas that are majority black.
So, problem solving I'm wondering who's problem this is? Who is going to solve this? I don't know much about public affairs but it would occur to me that whatever dirty business practice is going on needs to be addressed either by activist groups or by bank employees. Accountability is big here. Someone or group should speak out about this accountability effort to expose what is being done. I'm not sure a white person would move into the ghetto, primarily because the conditions are so down trodden why would anyone want to. This is my logical voice speaking. I wouldn't want to either.
How could PR help? Well alot of ways. There needs to be more money brought into the community and this can happen through jobs and holding the leadership accountable to the upkeep of every area of the city. Education comes into play because the type of education that the inhabitants are getting will definitely affect their ability to give back to the community. An effort can be done in which local stores or corporations support the community by donating building supplies for an effort to reinvent the community. Not the whole community but part of it one step at a time. This effort will supply CSR for the organization and the necessary materials for the community. To deal with the race relations . . . let the children set an example. Have the elementary schools from the inner city and suburbs become pen pals. Set aside time for the youth to write letters to one another to build relationships. Sponsor a day when they meet their pen pal. This will give the youth an invaluable experience with a student of another race and has the potential to teach them and help them confront the behavior they see in their parents. These are just some thoughts. I welcome comments
Comments
Activist have worked on the ground to address these generational issues. I don't believe in the culture of poverty myth because it makes the individual responsible for conditions that were set up and maintained by larger forces that have its roots which can be traced back to American slavery if you really look at it. What I want to say is that our governing forces never went far enough to address, redress, or even repair the systems that place black people collectively in the these positions. If anything it has been maintained. It's fascinating looking back at how I've evolved and how I would analyze this now. It's all a part of the process.