Episode 43: It’s Not About Bigotry: Institutional Racism, Gentrification and the Perpetuation of Inequality

While I take a break from guest interviews for the summer, enjoy this compilation of two previous (but still highly relevant) commentaries from my 2017 Patreon archives. In the first, I explore the way that racism operates institutionally, even in the absence of deliberate racist and bigoted intent. When we presume that racism requires overt prejudice we often overlook the subtle but destructive ways in which racial inequity is perpetuated in labor markets, education and the justice system, simply by way of the normal, seemingly race-neutral operation of those systems. In so doing, we miss some of the most persistent and destructive manifestations of racial injustice. In the second piece, I explore the issue of gentrification and the way that “economic revitalization” often serves to displace and further marginalize already marginalized persons of color, and the poor (of all colors), while disproportionately benefitting affluent whites. Although perhaps preferable to white flight and the abandonment of urban areas, the question remains: why do lawmakers only commit to economic development when certain people move back to an area? Why don’t urban planners and elected officials have the same interest in creating opportunities for working class folks of color as they do for upper income white hipsters, tech-bros and “creative class” artists? And how might cities balance the need for economic development with the need for affordable housing, cultural preservation and respect, and opportunities for all?