The History of Systemic Racism in America (in 5 Books)
In order for Christians to do justice and fully love our neighbors, we must understand the sophisticated system of oppression that quietly governs American society and its institutions. Racism is real, it's active in America - it's systemic.
Below are 5 brilliant books that tell story of systemic racism in healthcare, housing, criminal justice, and public policy in general.
I've read these books myself in the last two years this have completely changed my view of the problem of race, and what I as a Christian should do about it.
Myth 1: America is the land of equal opportunity
Read: "White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America" by Nancy Isenberg
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Reality: From even before the country was born, the USA inherited and perpetuated a strict social hierarchy where rich White families stayed rich and poor White families stayed poor for generations.
Myth 2: Through hard work and ingenuity, poor White people pulled themselves up by their bootstraps
Read: "Fear Itself: "The New Deal and the Origins of Our Time" by Ira Katznelson
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Reality: A series of massive government actions limited corporate abuse and created the social safety net, the suburbs, and the middle class, while purposely locking out Black citizens.
Myth 3: Black Americans have achieved an equal playing field in the law and society.
Read: "The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America" by Richard Rothstein
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Reality: A series of federal and local laws prohibited Black citizens from buying homes in White neighborhoods, while also de-investing in Black neighborhoods, which created segregation and poverty that exists today.
Myth 4: Black drug dealers and drug users destroyed inner-city neighborhoods, and created fatherlessness in Black families.
Read: "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness" by Michelle Alexander
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Reality: Republicans created a racially targeted war on crime (and drugs), and Democrats created a crime bill that over- policed Black neighborhoods, and incarcerated a grossly disproportionate number of Black men.
Myth 5: Black people suffer from health disparities because of lack of education about health
Read: "Just Medicine: A Cure for Racial Inequality in American Health Care" by Dayna Bowen Matthew
Read: "Just Health: Treating Structural Racism to Heal America" by Dayna Bowen Matthew
Watch:
Reality: Doctors provide better and more personalized care to White patients than Black patients, even when they are of the same economic class. Also, inequality in healthcare, housing, and education harms Black people.