You sure about that? There have been lots of guns in the African American community for decades now, and they’re still oppressed. Shouldn’t they be less oppressed if that’s the case? I think you’ve just inadvertently made a pretty good argument for gun control.
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We need grown up, non-violent solutions to our problems instead of solving them with weapons.
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Yep, adding more weapons amongst the civilian populace might help to reduce random police attacks on them. But it ain’t worked so far !
What the real problem is obviously lack of social mobility and poverty.
Biggest issues off the top of my head for somebody born into african American poorer household (speaking from the outside here, somebody with direct experience could give a much more accurate assessment )
- Little inherited wealth (build affordable housing give them a chance to own property in different areas not only ‘hood’ )
- Low higher education levels (more investment in schools with better food )
- Easy to get dragged into crime and get a record (criminal system needs a big overall regarding petty crime and drugs crime )
- poor health in family due to obesity or addictions (see above , education in schools and better food in schools )
Feeding into that
- drug criminalisation
- historical social issues
- historical racial issues
- overall deindustrialization trends
- overall capitalist society (lack of access to educatIon and healthcare for poor folks)
- wealth gap in society growing generally as assets gain in value more than salaries
Probably I’d start with giving African Americans a new deal with regard to affordable housing and decriminalisation, criminal record expunging.
In Ireland and in Taiwan a policy of land redistribution worked very well to create a class of people who had assets and a stake in society .
Free or almost free education (with a focus on graduating high school and later going to college being a badge of honour) played a major part too.
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I think offering financial education and counseling to AA communities will help. The US is a crushing capitalist country, it’s rough if you are not financially literate, don’t know how to manage money, and don’t know how to build wealth.
I was just having this conversation with my friend on why some minorities do much better than others. The primary reason IMO, is you can’t wipe out people’s cultural identity and expect them to do well. Even if they have all the same rights and opportunities. Asian Americans and indian american have cultures that are extremely family oriented, focus on education, confucious ideas like respecting elders, etc. All of these lead to keeping the nuclear family, low teenage pregnancy, low crime, doing well in school.
The issue is, I don’t think there is a real solution to this. We can’t do anything about cultural identity lost that’s realistically impactful.
But the 2nd issue is, some minority groups understand wealth building that works in the US. Wealth building is generational, I’ve mentioned that I had a Indian classmate who was made fun of as Apu since his family owned a 711. His family now owns several and have build tremendous wealth in just 1 generation. And you notice these people keep it in the family, people working there are their family. It’s the same in every country I’ve been to, Asian and Indian immigrants open up businesses native born people don’t want to, hire all their family, and continue that cycle while expending. I see it in Italy as well.
So that’s why I think financial education is so important. Understanding how to be financially literate and manage money. Understanding how to build wealth. How to budget and invest. There’s a reason those predatory pay day loans open up in poor black neighborhoods. You think the average person there knows enough about interest rates to responsibly take those kinds of loans?
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The point of reparations is compensation. Let’s not try to solve all their problems, like everyone here is doing.
That’s the top 0 1% in India though. 
That’s a multi generational story .
Why is financial education and counseling not a form of compensation when college tuition is? The issue I have with this is, not everyone should go to college. Not everyone needs to go to college. People who don’t know how to manage money won’t succeed in the US. You can give them a million dollars and they would be broke in a year.
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I wonder if you’re actually serious.
I also wonder: Can “social justice” (let’s put to one side whatever that means for a moment) ever be achieved while we are viewing other people and/or groups through the prism of race? Race isn’t exactly a scientific way to define other human beings, and I’m sure that if we had our DNA tested we’d find that our ancestors came from many places that surprised us. And even if they didn’t, it’s not a given that our DNA results correlated with our idea of race.
I dunno, just a thought…
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Nobody goes rioting in the burbs because everyone has guns.
…people have money in the burbs and they’re usually ethnically and racially homogeneous. I grew up there not many were armed that I know of anyways.
I am pro second amendment within reason but I dont buy into the guns make us safe theory.
Like mentioned above, no taxes. I’ve saying that for years.
I like to see reparations for those affected by redlining and redistricting.
I like to see banks held accountable for their preditory lending and “forced” to serve communities of color.
I’d like to see slavery officially banned. That means removing that legal loophole in the 13th amendment.
I’d also like to see a comprehensive change in health care, focused on AAs but written in such a way (like civil rights act) that other impacted demographics are able to benefit from it.
I would also like the federal government to be involved with penalities or something that prevents state governments from enabling communities from being able to continue to seperate schools and draining resources from predominantly AA communities.
This American Life covered this a few years back and listening to this story, I never cried so hard.
I also would like the Crime Bill of 1994 to be redone. Joe Biden needs to answer for his involvement in that.
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I’d like answers for why crack was allowed to ravage AA communities.
I’d like mental health to be a priority because AAs do carry (and pass on) the trauma of racism in America.
Edit: revisit employment laws.
I would like to see benefits go to companies for hiring ex-felons.
I would like changes made to government benefits that precluded felons.
I would like automatic payments made to those who served time and were found to be innocent of charged crimes.
I would like to see history books reflect the truth about crimes committed against Native Americans and AAs.
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I like the overpolicing of AA/poor communities to end.
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Can you elaborate on some of the personal experiences you talked about earlier in a different thread?
Been saying that for decades.
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Few questions:
- Is the trauma of racism passed on epigenetically?
- Sad to say this, but asking a potential employer whether they are a felon actually increased AA employment, because it allows AAs who aren’t felons to signal they are lower risk.
Your other suggestions are great.
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You mean my own? IJA
epigenetically.What does it mean? I looked it up but it still doesn’t make sense.
Your 2nd question. Not really following. But here’s what I’m thinking. Currently, when applying for a job, like Micky D’s, they ask if you’ve been convicted or charged with a crime. That should be removed. Or at least a person who has should be able to show they have been “rehabilitated”.
Here’s a quick Google search example.
https://www.google.com/search?q=Change+employement+foe+ex+felons+blacks&rlz=1CDGOYI_enUS813US813&oq=Change+employement+foe+ex+felons+blacks&aqs=chrome..69i57.14426j0j4&hl=en-US&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8
There are plenty of former felons who could really run a company well if not better than some of the bozos that haven’t been charged with a crime.
The primary reason IMO, is you can’t wipe out people’s cultural identity and expect them to do well.
Finally. The damn truth.
Even if they have all the same rights and opportunities. Asian Americans and indian american have cultures that are extremely family oriented, focus on education, confucious ideas like respecting elders, etc. All of these lead to keeping the nuclear family, low teenage pregnancy, low crime, doing well in school.
I take issue with this. And this isn’t an attack on Andrew but it is a prevailing idea in America, at least in the last 50-60 years and has grown.
AAs are very very much family oriented. But it’s a part of that negative narrative about AAs that we aren’t. I would say that actually we have more on common with Asians than media/news/etc would lead you to believe.
It would take time but I could find links if one wants proof of this. But I ask that people stop believing what’s put forth in the media about what consititues an AA family because like Asians, we aren’t monolithic in our experiences yet we do have strong threads of commonality.
I was not raised in a single parent home. My upbringing (as well as my family members) definitely mirrors some of the beliefs held by Asians.
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