Social Justice Movement and the Role of Government
1. john a. powell
Director, Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity
Williams Chair in Civil Rights & Civil Liberties, Moritz College of Law
Four Freedoms Fund
April 6, 2010
Dallas, TX
2. ◦ Race in the Obama Era
◦ Structural Racialization
◦ Talking about Race
◦ Mind Science
◦ Universalism vs. Targeted Universalism
◦ Understanding the Role of Government
2
3. The younger generation should draw upon the Civil
Rights movement because it clearly shows the change
that is possible through social struggle
Shifting toward social/human justice movements
◦ Each generation must define and shape these
Building movements around pressing issues, such as
social and ecological sustainability
3
4. Why does race continue to
play such a critical role in
determining societal
outcomes?
Haven’t we entered a post-
racial moment with the
election of Barack Obama?
While significant, Obama’s
victory does not erase the
persistent inequalities that
hinder the life chances for
marginalized groups
4
5. Black and Latino children are much more likely than
white children to attend high-poverty schools
A white man with a criminal record is three times more
likely than a black man with a record to receive
consideration for a job
Minority home-seekers with good credit scores steered
to high-cost, sub-prime mortgages thus devastating their
communities in light of the foreclosure crisis
By prematurely proclaiming a post-racial status, we
ignore the distance we have yet to travel to make this
country truly a land of equal opportunity for all,
regardless of racial identity.
5
6. We have fluidity in terms of racial identities
Situatedness racial space and identity.
For example, where you live, go to school, how
much wealth, family education, your diction
influence your experience of race.
The British did not become “white” until
Africans became “black.”
• In order to notice race, society has to create this
category/idea of race. After it is created, individuals
can negotiate it using the social tools created by
society. Race is about social space and meaning
6
7. Improvement of conscious racial attitudes does not entail
improvement of racial conditions. Much of the work of race is
done by unconsciously and by structural dynamics.
The democratic process is an important part of this dynamic
structure.
Source: www.cartoonstock.com
7
8. Membership, the most
important good that we
distribute to one another in
human community (Michael
Walzer)
◦ Prior in importance even to
freedom
◦ Citizenship, a precondition to
freedom
◦ Membership, a precondition to
citizenship
Distribution of membership
It cost to not belong
8
9. The cost of membership in a democratic society
◦ Current estimate for family of four: $48,778*
Over three times as many families fall below family
budget thresholds as fall below the official poverty line
How far do you fall (children in extreme poverty,
skyrocketing bankruptcy rates, family
homelessness)?
Are all neighborhoods are neighborhoods of
sustainable opportunity?
Source: James Lin and Jared Bernstein, What we need to
get by. October 29, 2008 | EPI Briefing Paper #224 9
10. How can we be sensitive to
inter- and intra-group
differences? Think situatedness
How do the ladders or pathways
of opportunities differ for
different people?
Every institution has built in
assumptions, i.e. “stairways” are
a pathway – but not for people
in wheelchairs, baby strollers.
10
11. People are “differentially situated”
Not only are People are
people situated impacted by
differently with the
regard to relationships
institutions, between
people are institutions and
situated systems…
differently with
regard to …but people
infrastructure also impact
these
relationships
and can change
the structure of
the system.
11
12. …Some people ride the …Others have to run up
“Up” escalator to reach the “Down” escalator to
opportunity get there
12
13. Segregation impacts a number of life-opportunities
Impacts on Health
School Segregation
Impacts on Educational Achievement
Exposure to crime; arrest
Transportation limitations and
other inequitable public services
Neighborhood Job segregation
Segregation
Racial stigma, other
psychological impacts
Impacts on community power
and individual assets
Source: Barbara Reskin (http://faculty.washington.edu/reskin/) 13
14. Zoning laws prevent affordable housing
development in many suburbs
Municipalities subsidize the relocation of
businesses out of the city
Transportation spending favors highways,
metropolitan expansion and urban sprawl
Court decisions prevent metropolitan school
desegregation
School funding is tied to property taxes
14
15. How race works today
◦ There are still practices, cultural norms and
institutional arrangements that help create and
maintain (disparate) racialized outcomes
Structural racialization addresses inter-
institutional arrangements and interactions
◦ It refers to the ways in which the joint operation of
institutions produce racialized outcomes
In this analysis, outcomes matter more than intent
15
16. Why “structural
racialization” as opposed to
“structural racism?”
When you use the term “racism,” people are
inclined to see a specific person—a racist.
However, a racist is not necessary to produce
structural outcomes. Instead, institutional
interactions generate racialized outcomes
16
17. Context: The Dominant Consensus on Race
White privilege National values Contemporary culture
Current Manifestations: Social and Institutional Dynamics
Processes that maintain racial Racialized public policies and
hierarchies institutional practices
Outcomes: Racial Disparities
Racial inequalities in current levels Capacity for individual and community
of well-being improvement is undermined
Ongoing Racial Inequalities
Source: Aspen Roundtable on Community Change. “Structural Racism and Community Building.” 17
18. The government plays a central role in the
arrangement of space and opportunities
These arrangements are not “neutral” or “natural”
or “colorblind”
Social and racial inequities are geographically
inscribed
There is a polarization between the rich and the
poor that is directly related to the areas in which
they live
18
19. How we arrange structures matters
◦ The order of the structures
◦ The timing of the interaction between them
◦ The relationships that exist between them
◦ We must be aware of how structures are arranged in
order to fully understand social phenomena
19
20. Racialized policies and structures:
◦ Promoted sprawl
◦ Concentrated subsidized housing
◦ Led to disparities between schools
Opportunity gap
Discipline rates
Funding disparities
Economic segregation
Graduation rates
Racial segregation
20
21. Jobs are distributed through structures
◦ Most teachers are women
◦ Most construction workers are men
◦ When unemployment rates change, we need to
be conscious of how people are
situated,segmented, segregated into economic
sectors
◦ There are racial and gendered outcomes to
these structural arrangements
21
22. Moving from a transactional to a transformational
paradigm requires structural change:
◦ Institutions should allow for participation and dissent
of individuals in a democratic society.
◦ For those in poverty, this participation is denied as they
lack access to power, influence, and choice; thus,
poverty is maintained.
Structures act as filters, creating cumulative barriers
to opportunity.
◦ Reorganization of institutions to encourage the
“emergence of differences” is one example of
transformative thinking.
22
24. Using “minority” to refer to people of color is
outdated and tends to carry a subordinate
connotation.
Whites are projected to no longer be a statistical
majority by 2042.
○ Context: Numeric or Sociological?
○ We already have “minority-majority” cities, states
24
25. Speak on structures and systems rather than
explicit individual action/reaction
Speak on the subconscious—the implicit bias
that is stored within the mind
Speak on relationships—build collaborations and
engage in real discussion
25
26. Talk about race can reinforce our
conscious beliefs or challenge
our implicit biases
26
28. Only 2% of emotional
cognition is available to us
consciously
Racial bias tends to reside
in the unconscious network
Messages can be framed to
speak to our unconscious
28
31. Racial attitudes operate in our “unconscious” (also
called “subconscious”) mind
Usually invisible to us but significantly influences
our positions on critical issues
◦ Negative unconscious attitudes about race are
called “implicit bias” or “symbolic racism.”
31
32. Focus groups with swing voters: What pops into
your head when you hear the word immigrants?
1. Better life
2. Hardworking
3. American dream
4. Don’t speak English
5. Don’t pay taxes
6. Get government benefits without paying for them
7. Opportunity
8. Law-breakers
9. Nation of immigrants
Source: Greenberg, Quinlan, Rosner Research. 32
33. This indicates ambivalence in the minds of voters
Not different people thinking one thing, rather
the same person has all of this
Drew Westen: “there is nothing about our brains
that makes our unconscious networks of
association consistent, it is only consciously that
we try to get consistency in our attitudes”
33
36. The Role of Government
An interlocking set of laws,
government policies, and court
decisions have ‘set the stage’
for the disparities we see today
37. GOVERNMENT EMPLOYMENT IN THE U.S.,
BY LEVEL (MILLIONS) – HISTORICAL
14 13.089
12
10.76
10
8 7.392
Federal
civilian
6
State
4.877
4.503
4 3.228
Local
2.881 3.105 2.899
2.775
2 2.117
1.057
0
1950 1970 1990 2000
Sources: US Bureau of the Census (2002) Compendium of Public Employment: 2002 and US Bureau of the
Census (2003) Statistical Abstract of the United States, Employment Status of the Civilian Population:
1929-2002.
38. FHA policies upholding segregation
◦ Redlining, discouraging mixed race neighborhoods
Blockbusting, racially restrictive covenants and
other forms of discrimination in the housing
industry
Urban renewal, highway construction and public
housing policy
Suburban sprawl and white flight
38
39. “If a neighborhood is to retain stability, it is necessary that
properties shall continue to be occupied by the same
social and racial classes. A change in social or racial
occupancy generally contributes to instability and a
decline in values.”
–Excerpt from the 1947 FHA underwriting manual
39
40. The nation-state in an era of globalization
Shifting global power dynamics between U.S.,
China, India, Brazil, other rising powers
Influence of corporations in politics
Citizens United decision: Corporations, special
interest groups may spend unlimited funds
during elections
Corporate personhood, corporatist society
40
41. Drummond Pike
Rest of the world more comfortable with idea of
active government
◦ Social democratic systems taken for granted – state
plays important role in ensuring welfare of all citizens
On the other hand, there is deep skepticism in the
US about the role of the government
“Government was the answer to the Depression and
to the rise of fascism across the globe.”
Source: Drummond Pike. “How do you say socialism in French?”
http://drummondpike.tides.org/index.php/2009/04/13/how-do-you-say-
%E2%80%9Csocialism%E2%80%9D-in-french/
41
42. Saskia Sassen:
Globalization has brought “transformations inside
the state, which are foundational and…more
consequential than routinely understood”
Redistribution of power within the state
“A massive and growing democratic deficit is
affecting many states across the world. It is part of a
systemic trend that it is essential to address.”
Source: Saskia Sassen. Globalisation, the state and democratic deficit.
Open Democracy. http://www.opendemocracy.net/node/34067/pdf
42
43. Antagonism toward President Obama, anti-
government attitudes, emergence of Tea Party
At the same time, 70% of Tea Partiers who were
polled want a federal government that fosters job
creation and reins in Wall Street/executive
bonuses (Bloomberg survey)
43
44. The conceptualization of poverty:
◦ Role of the state (i.e. Rawls’ distinction between
welfare capitalist society and a property-owning
democracy)
◦ A nation’s history, geography and demography
◦ Working definitions of poverty (insufficient income
vs. capacity to live life one has reason to value)
◦ Culture, stories, framing (Horatio Alger vs. “It takes
a village”)
45. Minimal state with strong police and military,
promotes deregulation, privatization, and a
drastic reduction in spending on public services
Neoliberalism encourages individualism, self
advancement and the notion that the market is a
natural law.
◦ “Neoliberalism amounts to a form of market
fundamentalism. The market is seen to be a morally
and practically superior to government and any
form of political control.” (Heywood 52).
45
46. However, explicit role for the state is granted: “the
state must therefore use its monopoly of the
means of violence to preserve these freedoms at
all costs,” (Harvey 64).
Example: Augusto Pinochet, the former military
dictator of Chile
◦ Came to power in a bloody coup and implemented
neoliberal economic policies hand-in-hand with
state repression against opposition.
Source: David Harvey. A Brief History of Neoliberalism. Oxford
University Press, 2005.
46
47. While the U.S. devotes 11 percent of its GDP to transfers
and other social benefits, the EU countries contribute
more than 26 percent of their GDP to social benefits
◦ There are more poor people living in poverty in America than in
the sixteen European nations for which data is available
EU countries also have higher minimum wage, better
unemployment benefits, and generous family leave
packages
Source: Jeremy Rifkin, The European Dream: How Europe’s
Vision of the Future is Quietly Eclipsing the American Dream. 47
48. The variation in European and US social policy
reflects two distinct ways of conceptualizing the
purpose of the state
◦ The Hobbesian (US) perspective that the purpose of the state is to
serve and protect property (or capitalism)
Therefore social programs should only be sufficient enough to meet basic
needs in order to avoid social upheaval or revolt
◦ The countervailing (more European) perspective is that the purpose
of the state is to promote a democratic society
In order to meet this need the state must invest significantly in its
population so they can meet their human potential and best serve as
members of a democratic society
48
50. Constitutional differences
◦ European constitutions were written more recently,
reflecting the influence of a stronger “left”
US Racial fractionalization
◦ White resistance to redistributive policies that
disproportionately benefit people of color
The existence of strong labor or populist parties
◦ Influenced by both geography and racial conflict
Source: Alesina and Glaeser, Fighting Poverty in the US and Europe 50
51. Why this difference?
◦ By more than six to one, Americans believe that people who
do not succeed in life fail because of their own
shortcomings, not because of society
◦ The poor in the U.S. have been disproportionately people of
color, and it is easier to dismiss people in persistent poverty
as different (lacking) due to their “biology” or their “culture”
Source: Jeremy Rifkin, The European Dream: How Europe’s
Vision of the Future is Quietly Eclipsing the American Dream. 51
52. If we fail to pay attention to the resources that
communities possess, we are likely to repeat
the mistakes of the New Deal.
◦ For example, Social Security benefits were initially
denied to household and farm laborers – effectively
excluding 65% of the Black population
How do we avoid the New Deal mistakes?
◦ We must be intentional.
◦ Policies should be targeted and programs should be
structured so that they reach certain populations
and communities.
53. The impulse to promote universal policies is
seemingly sensible for democratically elected
leaders.
◦ Targeted policies may appear to favor some groups
◦ Targeted policies often are perceived as zero-sum.
◦ Advocating for targeted policies can be construed as
catering to “special interests” or advocating for
“preferences.”
To avoid these perceived pitfalls, elected leaders
often favor universal policies that appear to
benefit everyone.
53
54. The G.I. Bill
In the 7 years following WWII,
approximately 8 million veterans
received educational benefits
Approximately 2.3 million attended colleges and
universities, 3.5 million received school training,
and 3.4 million received on-the-job training
54
55. Despite the bill’s achievements, many barriers
were placed in the path of Black soldiers
Implementation was left to states and localities,
including those that practiced Jim Crow racism.
55
56. The access of Black people to
primarily White colleges and
institutions was limited
95% of Black veterans used their
education vouchers at historically
Black colleges (HBCUs) in the
South
These historically Black
institutions were limited in
number and had limited space
to admit the influx of Black
veterans
57. The education gap
widened instead of
closed
The vocational training
black veterans
received was not held
to any standards,
thus often proving “…despite the assistance that
inadequate black soldiers received, there was
no greater instrument for
widening an already huge racial
gap in postwar America than the
GI Bill.”
Source: Katznelson, Ira. “When Affirmative Action Was White.”
57
2005. W.W. Norton.
58. Key:
Red = job training
Boxes = isolated UNIVERSAL PROGRAM
neighborhood (not
addressed by
universal program)
Group A Group B
If people in red receive job training through the universal program,
Group B would seem to benefit more than Group A (more people in red) 58
59. Key:
Red = job training
Boxes = isolated UNIVERSAL PROGRAM
neighborhood
Group A Group B
Although the universal program affected everyone in red, Group B
is still constrained by living in isolated neighborhoods (the boxes). 59
60. Targeted policies alone are not desirable because
they appear to show favoritism toward a certain
group, thus stigmatizing them.
Universal policies alone are not truly universal.
◦ They fail to account for the fact that people are situated
differently in the economic and social landscape
◦ “Universal” policies are often based on a non-universal
standard
Ex: Social Security: able-bodied white males
working outside the home full-time for pay
Thus… Targeted Universalism
60
61. Target universalism is a
common framework
through which to pursue
justice
◦ A model which recognizes
situatedness & our linked
fate
◦ A model where we all grow
together
◦ A model where we embrace
collective solutions
61
62. What do racially sensitive policies look like?
◦ Targeted: They recognize the nature of our
interconnected structures / larger inequitable,
institutional framework.
◦ Pay attention to situatedness: They account for the fact
that people are situated differently in the economic and
social landscape of society.
◦ Driven by outcomes: It may seem great if unemployment
is cut in half, but if all the jobs go to white males, serious
problems remain.
◦ Include people of color in the process: Their input is vital.
62
63. Targeted universalism recognizes that problems faced
by particular segments of American society are not
isolated circumstances, but problems that could spill
over into the lives of everyone.
63
64. Recognize the interconnectedness of our being
and our fate
Focus on targeting within universalism
Be the natural extension of an overarching, shared
vision and framework
Reconceptualize society to
promote the political, economic,
spiritual, and psychological
health of all
64
65. A Final Lesson
We must consider how we each stand differently with
respect to our opportunities for work, education,
parenting, retirement…
We must understand the work our
institutions and organizations do,
not what we wished they
would do, in order to make
them more equitable and fair
65
68. There have been multiracial coalitions in
virtually every serious movement in the United
States.
The most successful and progressive of these
efforts have tended to be those that addressed
race explicitly. Multiracial coalitions were
critical in the abolition movement.
There were also important multiracial coalitions
that helped to shape Reconstruction, the New
Deal, and the Civil Rights Movement.
SEE: Michael Goldfield, The Color of Politics (1997) and Eric
Foner, The Story of American Freedom (1998). 68
69. Recognizing common cause
◦ Subprime/foreclosure crisis, racial profiling, police
harassment, hate crimes, economic justice (jobs, wages,
training, safety), education reform (funding, resource
equity)
Growing recognition that fates are linked
Many people urging a broad structural rather than a
narrow cultural analysis of group challenges
Growing recognition that both groups command
meaningful political, economic and social resources
70. New Orleans Workers Center for Racial Justice
“The Alliance is an association of guestworkers
from different companies that have joined
together in a fight for dignity. Workers support
one another in the struggle for fair treatment on
the job and for justice on an international level
not only for H2B workers but for all workers.”
Source: http://www.nowcrj.org/about-2/alliance-of-guest-workers-for-dignity/
71. The Southeast Regional Economic Justice Network is a network
that serves the working poor, mostly women and youth. It was
formed in 1989 in Durham, North Carolina, at a time of plant
closings and escalating racist violence in the U.S. South.
REJN is a regional organization that focuses on the South. The
organization perceives the U.S. South as part of the global
South. In 1992, it extended invitations to Mexico, Canada, the
Caribbean and South America.
Membership driven organization. It has 60 member
organizations across the South, and eight member nations in
the Americas.
Source: “African American-Immigrant Alliance Building: Five Case studies”
By Andrew Grant-Thomas, Yusuf Sarfati, Cheryl Staats. (May 2009)
72. Created post-9/11 with the workers who lost their jobs at
Windows on the World when the towers collapsed
Scope of organization: City-wide, and expanding to other
cities across the nation
2,000 members:
◦ 35-40% Latino (mostly Mexican and Guatemalan)
◦ 25% Black (black Americans, Caribbean/African
immigs)
◦ 5-10% white
◦ 10% Arab, and the remainder are Asians
A Workers’ Center that advocates an organic strategy
