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feature The increasing significance of class Story by Darrell Hunt In 1978, sociologist William Julius Wilson sent a shock wave through America’s oldest faultline, the great racial divide. Yet, instead of focusing on the time-worn issue of the differences between Black and White Americans, Wilson’s book, “The Declining Significance of Race”, highlights the increasing differences between Black Americans. Wilson states, “As the black [sic] middle class rides on the wave of political and social changes, benefit ing from thfe growth of employment opportunities in the growing corporate and government sectors of the econo my, the black [sic] underclass falls behind larger society in every con ceivable respect.” Wilson’s suggestion that there are actually two class-separated Black Americas continues to cause contro versy in American society. Opponents of race-based remedies for past or current discrimination claim that these remedies only benefit Black Americans that already have a distinct class privilege. Black leaders are being asked to clarify for which Black population are they speaking. Stalwart civil rights activists are frantically try ing to reconnect the “two Black Americas” under one political agenda. Poor Blacks find themselves getting poorer and middle class Blacks speak of continued racial antagonism and strife. While Wilson’s proposal first met with fervent criticism, many peo ple are being won over by some very convincing statistics. Manning Marable and Leith Mullings, in a 1994 issue of “Race and Class,” report that “more than one in seven black families currently earn above $50,000 annually.” At the same time “about 12 percent of all Black fami lies were earning less than $5,000 annually.” One-third of all Black fam ilies are below the federal govern ment’s poverty level. In their book, “America in Black and White,” Abigail and Stephan Themstrom state Black enrollment in college has increased from 1,007,000 in 1980 to 1,317,000 in 1994. They also report that only 15.3 percent of African Americans have bachelor’s degrees. A national test of the reading skills of twelfth-graders found that only 52 percent of African Americans were able to perform at a “basic,” rudimen tary level. “Essence “magazine (October 1997) reports that the total number of Black men and women in federal or state prison or local jail increased from 328,980 in 1985 to 766,900 in 1995. There is a growing cadre of affluent, acculturated, highly-educated Blacks who co-exist with an ever-expanding group of Blacks who are undereducat ed and underemployed. The ramifica tions for the Black “community” have been serious. Black conservatism is growing. Black conservative “super stars,” like Ward Connerly, Shelby Steele, and Thomas Sowell, are influ encing national politics concerning the entire Black population. Author bell hooks (“Killing Rage “ ) suggests that contemporary American society provides “the breeding ground for those who are privileged to internalize contempt and hatred of the black [sic] poor and underclass.” With capitalism ruling the day, many Blacks are wor ried about their future in America. Crossing over: From Promise to Praxis Call for Papers 1998 Blacks in the Diaspora Student Academic Conference March 20-21 The fourth annual Blacks in the Diaspora Student Academic Conference is a forum for all people whose work examines issues of import to Blacks in the Diaspora including African America, Africa, Europe, the Carribean and Latm America. Undergraduate, graduate and professional students from all disciplines are invited to submit abstracts for papers or presen tations to be made at the conference. Abstracts must be typed not to exceed one page in length and presentations should not exceed 20 minutes (e.g. 10-12 pages) The deadline for submission of abstracts is December 8, 1997. The original paper and three copies must be submitted by January 7, 1998. Those accepted will be notified by February 28, 1998. Proposals must include name, department, program, institution, mailing address, phone number, and e-mail address. Submit materials to: Blacks in the Diaspora Conference; c/o Sonja Haynes Stone Black Cuhural Center,; CB#5250, FPG Student Union, UNC-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill NC 27599 THE BLACK INK OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 1997 15
Black Ink (Black Student Movement, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
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Oct. 1, 1997, edition 1
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