American apartheid: chapters 1, 2, 4, and 5

¶ … American Apartheid: segregation and the making of the underclass, David Massey and Nancy Denton explore the impact of racism on America and the manner in which it propagated economic disparity. The purpose of this discussion is to explore the central argument that the authors make in the book.

In this book Massey and Denton assert that the existence of poverty in America can be greatly attributed to the American apartheid or segregation. They argue that segregation prevented Black Americans from having access to several important resources that White Americans did have access to. These resources include education (K-12), admittance to institutions of higher learning and exclusion from certain professions. As it pertains to education black students did not receive an equal education under segregation. This led to many not receiving a high school diploma. Even when black students did receive a high school diploma, they were not permitted to attend many of the more prestigious colleges in America. Individuals who could get in to these universities, had to confront a great deal of racism. Black people were also excluded from certain professions including law and medicine. They were also excluded from many other high-paying professions. All of these factors contributed greatly to the conditions of poverty that continue to persist in the black community.

The book also focuses on the impact of segregated housing on poverty. The authors argue in chapter two of the book the authors discuss the construction of the ghetto and the ways in which this construction had an impact on poverty. In this chapter and in chapter four of the book the authors also explain how segregation in housing still persists and how it was perpetuated after segregation by discriminatory practices. The authors assert "the black ghetto, however, was maintained not only by the discriminatory actions of real estate agents but also by the racial bias of financial institutions…various federal banking agencies contributed to the institutionalization of racial discrimination by rating anyplace in or near a black neighborhood as not worthy of credit (Massey and Denton)." Additionally in chapter four the authors explained that the federal government actually developed maps that influenced the dispersement of federal loans. In addition these maps influenced who would receive private loans. Basically the authors explain that this type of deeply rooted discrimination had an extremely negative impact on Black neighborhoods that needed federal dollars for improvement. In addition this discrimination kept qualified blacks from having the ability to get mortgages so that they could become home owners. Home ownership is an essential part of being able to build wealth.