Residential Segregation Packet

Guys: It is one thing to point out that this country continues to be plagued by aversive racism—a form of structural racism—but how does aversive racism look in practice? The best example of this phenomenon is provided by residential segregation. Because this country is a capitalist democracy, the neighborhood you live in should be entirely a function of class (meaning whether you are rich or poor) and nothing else. However, as this packet of readings shows you, even today, in the twenty first century, this is not the case at all. Why? Because Euro-Americans, with the complicity of the government, will do everything they can (including employing outright violence) to keep racial minorities out of their neighborhoods. For minorities, the consequence of being forced to live in residentially segregated neighborhoods translates into unfair and unjustified poor quality of life when measured in terms of almost all key indicators; such as: employment and wages; hospitals and health care; schools and education; environmental pollution and cancer rates; the quality of infrastructure (roads, drainage, etc.); shopping malls and supermarkets; and so on.  Needless to say, enforced residential segregation (not to mention the factor of class) underlines the fact that the concept of the American Dream is and always has been a bogus concept. Question: Is there racial segregation in dorms and cafeterias in this school? Note: see the course glossary for definitions of bolded terms in this preamble.

See the syllabus or your class home page to determine of which of these readings have been assigned.

(1) Living Apart  

(2) Latinos and Residential Segregation

(2a) Latinos and Residential Segregation (condensed)

(3) Schooling and segregation

(4) Racial and Ethnic Segregation at Home and Work

(5) Ten Most Segregated Urban Areas