Race and Class Discourse from an Ivory Tower in Connecticut

Almost 150 years after the Civil War, and the day before Juneteenth – which commemorates the emancipation of slaves in Texas who did not know that the Civil War had ended two years earlier – the U.S. Senate finally approved a resolution apologizing for slavery. The resolution passed in the Senate on a voice vote, said it was important for Americans to apologize for slavery “so they can move forward and seek reconciliation, justice, and harmony for all people of the United States .” The Connecticut General Assembly recently adopted its own apology for slavery. The General Assembly’s resolution: urges schools, colleges, universities, religious and civic institutions, businesses and professional associations to do all within their respective powers to acknowledge the transgressions of Connecticut's journey from a colony to a leading state in the abolition efforts and to learn the lessons of history in order to avoid repeating mistakes of the past and to promote racial equal...

During the past couple of weeks, I read several articles that really made me think a lot about racial inequality in our country. One article that really caught my attention appeared in the New York Times . I like the Times article, " Bank Accused of Pushing Mortgage Deals on Blacks ," because it sheds light on a key, yet rarely spoken, reason behind the collapse of the nation's housing market in cities such as Detroit, Cleveland, and Gary, Indiana. Though they don't name it, the problem identified by the Times is systemic racism. It is really rare for me to find in the mainstream media – unless I am looking especially hard – reporting that focuses on how race continues to shape outcomes and opportunities in America. But, before I dive into the Times article, I have to write a little about my home town, the Motor City. How bad are things in Detroit? A January 29, 2009 article in the Chicago Tribune reported that the median price of a home sold in Detroit last Decem...