When Racism Became a Business Model How Blockbusting Worked One of the most destructive housing practices of twentieth-century America did more than keep Black families out of certain neighborhoods. It found a way to make money from racial fear on one side and racial discrimination on the other. The practice became known as blockbusting. Real
Race Was Not Invented by One Man The question “Who created race?” sounds like it should have a simple answer, one person and one date. History, however, rarely works that neatly. No single writer, pope, king, explorer, or government woke up one morning and invented what we now understand as race. The idea developed gradually
Who Created Race? How an Idea Became a System of Power Read More »
Two Histories of Suffering That Should Not Be Confused Whenever American slavery comes up, sooner or later somebody will say, “The Irish were slaves too.” That statement usually refers to Irish people who endured indentured servitude, forced transportation, brutal labor, poverty, religious persecution, and English colonial oppression. There is no question that many Irish people
A Legal Education System Built on Unequal Terms For a period in South Carolina history, graduating from an approved law school could do more than put a diploma on the wall because that degree could also open the door to practicing law. The system was commonly known as diploma privilege, meaning eligible graduates could be
A Restaurant That Turned Racism Into a Brand American history gives us more examples than we would like to remember of Black people being humiliated, excluded, or treated as less than human in restaurants, hotels, theaters, transportation, and other public places. But few businesses made racist imagery as openly central to their identity as the
Coon Chicken Inn: A Restaurant Chain Built Around a Racist Caricature Read More »
The Real Question Is Who Owns What A great deal of modern success gets measured by titles, visibility, salary, access, and how much prestige somebody carries when they walk into a room. Somebody becomes president of a division, chief executive of a subsidiary, senior partner, general manager, head of a record label, or the public
Ownership, Power, and the Difference Between Having a Position and Owning the Asset Read More »
Before America Called Them Legends Where did Aretha Franklin learn how to walk into a room, open her mouth, and make everybody pay attention? Where did James Brown develop that timing, movement, showmanship, and almost unbelievable ability to control an audience? Where did a young Jimi Hendrix discover just how far he could push a
The Chitlin’ Circuit: The Black Stages That Helped Create American Entertainment Read More »
A System With Costs Beyond Its Intended Targets White supremacy is usually talked about in terms of what it has done to Black Americans and other people of color, and there is good reason for that. The damage runs deep through American history, from slavery and segregation to racial violence, housing discrimination, unequal schools, and
The Hidden Cost of White Supremacy: How Racial Division Can Harm White Americans Too Read More »
Introduction The abolition of slavery in the United States is often summarized with the phrase, “Republicans freed the slaves.” While it is true that the Republican Party played a central role in ending slavery during the Civil War, that simple statement leaves out a much larger and more important story. Slavery did not end because
Introduction Questions about constitutional rights and government-issued licenses have been part of American public debate since the nation’s founding. Many people believe that requiring a permit or license can make a constitutional right seem like a government-granted privilege rather than a right that already belongs to the people. Others argue that certain licensing systems are