Fluent Essays

Reflection Paper #3 DUE Sunday, September 26th This paper will be your reflection/thoughts on race as a social construct and the consequences of it in our white supremacist culture. As with every reflection paper, it should be 1-2 pages, double-spaced, 12-point font (and no weird/extra spacing/fillers) – and you need to refer (make a connection) to at least one of the readings assigned for this week. In “A Class Divided,” take notes on the following questions to use in your reflection paper. · What did Jane Elliott do and what impact did this have on her students? · How does she create self-fulfilling prophecies?  · What were the results of her experiment? In “How the Racial Wealth Gap was Created,” take notes on the following questions to use in your reflection paper. · What are some points in US history that created our racial wealth gap? · How was the Federal Housing Administration directly involved?    · What is redlining and white flight?  · How does this impact our current racial wealth gap?  Using your notes from the above questions, reflect on the following questions. Do you think what Elliott did is an effective strategy for teaching about discrimination? Why or why not? How do you think “being color blind” helps/hinders progress toward racial equality? What can be done to diminish/eradicate white fragility? How has de jure (by law) segregation in the form of redlining impacted the de facto (by choice) segregation in our neighborhoods today? How does this connect with our current and growing racial wealth gap? What policy changes could be implemented to address current race-based housing/neighborhood/wealth inequalities? Poverty Poverty Statistics/facts Social safety net – Poverty policies Minimum Wage Living in poverty Rethinking American poverty 1 Poverty Statistics/facts 12.7% of people in the US live “in poverty” – 40.6 million people 1.5 million households (including 3 million children) live on cash incomes of $2 or less a day so are severely impoverished Income deficit – amount that a family’s income has fallen below the poverty line Average income deficits have increased in recent years, indicating that families’ incomes are dropping further and further below the poverty line 2 Social safety net – Poverty policies Social safety net – non-contributory assistance to improve lives of vulnerable families and individuals experiencing poverty; includes various welfare programs, old-age and disability incomes, health care programs (Medicare for seniors; Medicaid for those with low-incomes), and unemployment assistance Compared to similar countries, the US invests significantly less money in its social safety net. “Submerged state” – benefits (and/or obtaining them) are not as visible to recipients/public, so people are less likely to identify themselves/others as participating social safety net The programs we are least likely to recognize as government support are among those the middle and upper classes are most likely to be using. Poverty line The government defines poverty and uses this definition to determine who is eligible for government benefits. How the poverty line is defined is problematic It’s based on a formula devised in the 1960s, when household expenses/costs were different than now. 3 Minimum Wage – part of the Fair Labor Standard Act (1938) Increasing the minimum wage: has little to no negative effect on employment levels of minimum wage workers. sharply reduces employee turnover, decreasing hiring and training costs. raises demand for goods/services, increasing job growth in these areas. by 10% decreases poverty levels by 2.5%. 4 Hourly wage needed to afford two-bedroom housing Living in Poverty “Hidden Costs” For transportation, includes time lost, maintenance and repairs For health, deferred care means more expensive to address later on. Eating unhealthy foods increases health costs and decreases work/living ability. Work-related costs (like clothing) might make taking a job prohibitive. “Taxes” for being poor include more expensive food options, overdraft fees from banks, and being arrested for not being able to pay a parking ticket. Rethinking American Poverty We need to make some fundamental shifts in how we conceptualize poverty to proactively address poverty. Poverty affects us all Poverty largely results from failings at economic and political levels not from individual failings. 3. Poverty is a moral problem. 7