Planet Money: What a 1968 Report Tells Us About the Persistence of Racial Inequality

Terms in this set (29)

Riot
A violent disturbance of the peace by a crowd. In the context of the article, this term refers to the burning of buildings, break-ins, and looting that occurred in impoverished neighborhoods throughout the United States during what became known as the "long, hot summer of 1967."
Lyndon Johnson (1908-1973)
President of the United States from 1963-1969. One of his signature programs was the Great Society, meant to eliminate racial injustice and poverty. He signed into law the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968.
Kerner Commission
A group that was tasked by President Lyndon Johnson to compose a report analyzing the racial unrest seen in several American cities in 1967. This information compiled by this group determined that poverty and institutional racism were the root causes of the violence and unrest that took place in African American neighborhoods.
Civil rights
Individual rights that are guaranteed and protected by the Constitution of the United States and federal laws passed by Congress. Throughout American history, these rights were not always upheld, especially with respect to African Americans. To change this inequity, Black leaders and allies organized protests and actions which led to a movement to ensure these rights were applied to all Americans, regardless of their race. There were multiple civil rights movements throughout history, most notably the period from 1954 to 1968 which saw marches, sit-ins, boycotts, and other actions to demand equal treatment under the law.
Jesse Jackson
A civil rights activist and presidential candidate. During the civil rights movement, he participated in protests to desegregate businesses in Greensboro, North Carolina. He also participated in the march over the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, where non-violent protesters were beaten by the police in an event that became known as Bloody Sunday. During the 1980s, he created and led the Rainbow Coalition to advocate for human rights.
Structural inequality
A system that prioritizes the success of one group over others through institutions such as the government (through policies and laws), educational opportunities, access to healthcare, and coverage in the media. Through this prioritization, the policies not only assist the “chosen” group, they also prevent people in other groups from improving their lives.
Segregation
Forced racial separation and inequality commonly associated with the South after the Civil War. Members of the Black and white races were separated through legislation referred to as Jim Crow laws, passed by Redeemer governments and upheld by the Supreme Court. It is important to note that segregation also existed in the North through racial covenants which promised that houses in white residential neighborhoods would only be sold to white people.
Ghetto
Historically, the term refers to a location that a group has been restricted to segregate them from the rest of society; it was traditionally used to refer to areas where Jewish people lived in European cities. The term "racial ghetto" refers to segregated neighborhoods in cities within the United States. These areas were typically associated with the oppression of Black Americans, which led to systemic racism highlighted by few economic opportunities, underfunded educational institutions, limited health care, and unhealthy living conditions.
Institutions
An established organization. It includes such things as the economy, government, education, and medical care.
Systemic inequalities
Disparities (unfair differences) in the opportunities available to one group compared to another, enforced formally and informally through discriminatory policies and practices of a society's institutions (including government, the criminal justice system, education, and private industry).
Infant mortality rate
The number of infant deaths for every 1,000 live births. Within the context of the article this phrase is used to provide information on ways that racial progress has been made.
Poverty rate
The number of people in the United States who are impoverished (earn less income than the number set by the government as necessary to adequately survive in a given year). In the article, the author explains that the poverty rate of Black people is nearly 2.5 times greater than the poverty level of white people. This statistic demonstrates that not enough progress has been made with respect to economic equality among the races in America.
Median
The midpoint of a sorted list of numbers. In the context of the article, the author explains that the midpoint value of all wealth held by a typical white family is approximately ten times the wealth of a typical black family.

When analyzing financial disparities, the median is more useful than the average (which is the sum of all values divided by the number of values). Think of it this way: If there are 100 people in the room and one of them has wealth totaling $1 million while the other 99 people each have just $1 in wealth, the average is $10,001. That does not give a clear picture of the wealth of the typical person in that group. The median wealth would be $1 (because the list had 99 values of "1" followed by one value of "$1 million").
Wealth
The total monetary value of all assets (e.g., money, stocks, retirement accounts, homes, cars) owned by a person or household. Within the context of the article, a comparison of wealth between white households and Black households is used to show the economic disparities that exist in the United States.
Racial economic progress
The degree of improvement in finances (i.e., wealth and income) for Black people in the United States. In the context of the article, it is asserted that the movement towards financial equity for African Americans has either stopped or gone backwards.
Economist
A person who studies how wealth is produced, consumed, or transferred. In the article, these people provide guidance on the methods that would best help to improve the financial well-being of the nation.
Earnings gap
The difference in the salary earned by white people compared to Black people. In the context of the article, this information is provided to show that the disparity in wages has not changed much over the past 50 years. This fact is notable because, over that period, more protections were implemented to prevent discrimination. The information suggests that systemic racism has prevented African Americans from gaining economic improvements.
Federal government
The national government of the United States which is made up of the legislative branch, the judicial branch, and the executive branch. The author of the article argues that the government’s discriminatory practices of the past had such a major impact that the negative aspects of this discrimination are still present today.
Fair Labor Standards Act
A law passed in 1966 which was intended to protect workers against unfair labor practices. This law specifically focused on workplaces in which Black people were overrepresented to ensure jobs in these sectors were eligible for minimum wage. The passage of this legislation helped to reduce the earnings gap between Black and white workers during the late 1960s and early 1970s; however, it was unsuccessful at minimizing the gap in the long term.
Disparities in homeownership
The difference between the number of Black people who own homes compared to white people who own homes. Due to racist
Redlining
A form of systemic racism in the banking sector that severely restricted opportunities for Black people to buy homes, reduced the value of property in neighborhoods inhabited by Black people, and led to the erosion of Black communities. Its name comes from color-coded maps produced starting in the 1930s by the Home Owners' Loan Corporation (a government-sponsored entity) that rated the relative security of granting and insuring home loans in various parts of a city. The maps divided communities into zones, each with a different color on the map: green (the "best" areas where affluent business people lived), blue (populated by white-collar families), yellow (areas in decline, occupied by working-class families), and red (categorized as having "detrimental influences"). Neighborhoods in the red category ("redlined" areas) were populated overwhelmingly by Black and brown people. Local banks denied home loans to the residents of redlined areas. This practice prevented Black families from building wealth through homeownership, while white families could and did. The practice officially ended in 1968 with the passage of the Fair Housing Act, but its effects are still evident today through the racial wealth gap.
Exclusionary federal housing assistance
The intentional withholding of opportunities for Black Americans to access support from the federal government to purchase a house. One of the most famous examples of this was the withholding of federal funds promised to veterans through the GI Bill. While the GI Bill offered white veterans government loans to purchase a house, a large proportion of Black veterans who had been dishonorably discharged (frequently based on discriminatory treatment) were unable to secure the same loans promised to them through this bill
Social mobility
The movement of a person or group from one social class to another over time. Within the context of the article, Harvard economist Raj Chetty states that limited social mobility of Black people in America is due to the racist policies of the past.
Life outcomes
The way a person's life turns out. This includes factors such as how long a person will live, how happy and healthy they will be, and the level of their affluence.
Upward mobility
An improvement in one's social class. Harvard economist Raj Chetty's research shows that neighborhoods play a significant role in determining a person's chances of experiencing improved financial outcomes. Due to the impact of systemic racism, Black people are more likely to live in worse neighborhoods, hindering their ability to move to a higher social class.
Discrimination
The unequal treatment of an individual or group. It can be a result of prejudice (judging someone before knowing them), but the terms are not interchangeable.
Mass incarceration
A description of the large proportion of the American population confined to prisons (compared to other nations). This system places Black men behind bars at a disproportionately higher rate than men of other races.
Implicit and explicit bias
"Implicit bias" refers to the unconscious stereotypes and prejudices people hold which cause them to act in unintended ways. Conversely, "explicit biases" are conscious beliefs that people hold in which a person's actions are conducted with a specific intent. In the context of the article, it is made clear that both unconscious and conscious actions have led to institutionalized discrimination which has prevented Black people from upward mobility and has led to the incarceration of large numbers of Black men.
Stereotypes
Oversimplified assumptions (typically negative) made about people based on their race, gender, education status, or other factors. Within the context of the article, it is made clear that racial biases like these simplistic assumptions have led to institutionalized discrimination against Black people, holding them back from upward mobility and leading to the incarceration of a disproportionally large number of Black men compared to men of other races.
THIS SET IS OFTEN IN FOLDERS WITH...