The Struggle Is Not Over Essay, Research Paper
The Struggle is not over
Although things seem to be better for African ? Americans when compared to
the civil ? rights area: the black middle class has grown by an estimate of 40
percent, and there has been a jump from 300 political elected officials in 1965
to over 8, 500 in 1995. With all these positive achievements there comes a
greater negative aspect on the flip side constituting a larger growth of the
black poor and black Americans have perhaps less public policy influence than at
any point in the last four decades leads me to believe that race relations in
America are at there worst of times.
In this era of technological advancement, a globalization of economic markets
and the influx of information overload there should not be such an increase of
the black poor. Economic empowerment is a key factor in the African- American
situation in America. In Clarence Lusane’s Race in the Global Era he states that
?black workers, already suffering from an unemployment rate that has
historically been at least twice that of whites are especially hard hit in the
this new era.? The increase of companies ?taking advantage of the
productivity that comes from employing the new technologies that make everything
more efficient, faster, and profitable, companies are downsizing. Although
Economic wealth is there for a small percentage, for African- Americans it seems
that they are continually falling at the short end of the stick compare to there
white counterparts.
In the major pro- sports such as basketball and football where the leagues
are majority black, we see the front office positions such as presidents,
coaches and general managers dominated by whites. African- American sport stars
are the ones that generate the multi- millions for the team but yet do not come
close to having the same power when it comes to front office positions. Again
looking at the positions of African- American we see an increase in status, but
not an increase where it should be which is an increase in decision making
roles.
Lusane uses California to illustrate African- American place in the global
era. California is a good example of what the global era is because it is ?
the most racially and ethnically diverse state and is projected to become the
first whose population is a majority of color. It is the home of the nation?s
technological revolution, sparking the global computer link that has transformed
labor, pleasure and social relations.? Lusane also states that California
provides the political leadership of the state with the opportunity to guide the
nation and perhaps the international community in addressing diversity concerns
in the age of transitions.
With this power that California can have on the global era, from 1980 to 1995
black men in public higher education rose only 30 percent, from 8,006 to 10,479.
While black men in prison increased more than 500 percent from 8,139 to 41,434.
With these starting numbers of black men that are incarcerated to educated there
is now way we can have a strong impact and say in what is going on in
California.
The times have change. Overt racism is a thing of the past, but covert racism
can be more deadly. In the global era, covert racism is what African- American
face. From the soon to be ended of affirmative action to the new court decision
in Michigan that undermined the civil rights act of 1965, African- Americans
still are not on a equal level as there white counter parts. Behind the scenes
agenda?s of the U.S. government only will impact African- American more
severely than whites. The toughest enemy to fight is one you can not see and
hopefully African ? American will find a way to see this covert racism and
prolong the struggle because it is far from