How Racism Invented Race in America

[bravenak]

The case for reparations: a narrative bibliography
TA-NEHISI COATESJUN 23 2014, 3:26 PM ET


As I've said before, the idea of reparations precedes this month's cover of The Atlantic, and the work around it—among scholars, activists, and writers—has been ongoing, even if the interest of the broader world is fickle. Following up on the autopsy of an idea, I thought I'd give some larger sense of how something like this came to be. My hope is to give people who are interested some entrée into further reading, and also to credit the antecedents to my own thinking. Perhaps most importantly, I wish to return to one of the original features of blogging—the documentation of public thinking. I would suggest that more writers, more academics, and more journalists do this, and do so honestly. It have come to believe that arguing with the self is as important as arguing with the broader world.

Okay. On y va.

Recently, a young woman told me that this generation of Americans was "the most diverse in American history." The assumption was that across the span of that history, there was some immutable group of racial categories whose numbers we could compare. I am not sure this holds up. Biracial is a new category for America, but it is not clear to me that today there are relatively more children of black and white unions than there were in the past. We certainly are more apt to acknowledge them as such, and that is a good thing. Nevertheless, the assumption of that "something new" is happening "racially," that these terms are somehow constant is one of the great, and underestimated, barriers to understanding the case for reparations.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/06/the-case-for-reparations-a-narrative-bibliography/372000/
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/06/slavery-made-america/373288/

[Number23]

1. Hell of a read. Thanks for posting this article

But Black Folk was the first book that made the argument that sticks with me to this day—that there is nothing particularly "natural" about viewing people with darker skin and curlier hair as inferior. Drake surveys all perceptions of people with darker skin, curlier hair, or both across history. He finds very little consistency and concludes that racism, as we know it, is basically a product of the slave trade, which is to say the seizure of power.

...But American notions of race are the product of racism, not the other way around.

...Whiteness and blackness are not a fact of providence, but of policy—of slave codes, black codes, Jim Crow, redlining, GI Bills, housing covenants, New Deals, and mass incarcerations.

Damn, I love that man.

[1StrongBlackMan]

3. Okay ... that hooked me ...

I'll get up earlier tomorrow, just to read the piece.

[Number23]

5. It's a great read

But I would say that this particular brand of racism -- darker skin, hair, eyes, curly hair etc. being seen as automatically inferior/less beautiful/less desirable etc. than light hair/eyes/skin etc. -- is actually a product of European colonialism and goes much further than the slave trade.

Lots of cultures are afflicted with the misconception that white skin/European features make one inherently more beautiful/wealthy/desirable etc. than darker skin, non-European features.

[Generic Other]

11. Asians especially

Look at the plastic surgeries to achieve the western eye. 76% of Korean women have had this procedure or their noses done.

[Number23]

15. Exactly. And it's a shame considering how utterly gorgeous so many Asian women are

As well as so many others. But it's hard to believe that you may be beautiful when a very narrow, very race specific standard of beauty has been the norm for as long as anyone can remember.

[bravenak]

4. He gets it right, i check for his articles every week.nt

[1StrongBlackMan]

2. Posted to for morning reading. eom.

[bravenak]

8. I think he has more coming soon.

Make sure to read both. They are so good.

[1StrongBlackMan]

9. I know he does. eom.

[nomorenomore08]

6. K&R

[bravenak]

7. Hola!!!

[RainDog]

10. TNC also talked about Blight's lecture series

so I posted here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1017198929

[bravenak]

13. Thank you, I enjoyed that.nt

[Uncle Joe]

12. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, bravenak.

[bravenak]

14. You're welcome.

I think the Author deserves a Pulitzer for his series. He is too good.

[Egnever]

16. Interesting article

Thanks for posting it.

[bravenak]

24. Welcome. More coming soon.nt

[bettyellen]

17. interesting, B- tks for posting

[bravenak]

23. No way i could stop myself from posting Ta- Nehisi Coates.

I find him to be one of the best minds of our time.

[AverageJoe90]

18. Admittedly interesting, to be truthful.

Perhaps the best quote I found was this one:

But Black Folk was the first book that made the argument that sticks with me to this day—that there is nothing particularly "natural" about viewing people with darker skin and curlier hair as inferior. Drake surveys all perceptions of people with darker skin, curlier hair, or both across history. He finds very little consistency and concludes that racism, as we know it, is basically a product of the slave trade, which is to say the seizure of power.

Indeed.

[bravenak]

22. I figured you would appreciate a more in depth explanation of his sources.

This has been a great series of articles.

[JustAnotherGen]

19. The closing paragraph says a great deal

This, to me, is the deepest significance of reparations. People who think this is just a matter of giving black things vastly underestimate the challenge. Reparations may seem impractical. Living without history, I suspect, will—in the long term—prove to be suicidal

I can't wait to read his follow up blogs on this.

Ultimately - I grow frustrated with the reminiscing about singing mighty freedom sings during the Civil Rights movement. I suspect many people are. That American experience changed only so much - and left a great deal undone. Because the social construct itself was never challenged. And well - it made black Americans full citizens without making us full human beings.

[bravenak]

21. The nostalgia irritates me a bit. :)

I am waiting with bated breath to read his next installment.

[JustAnotherGen]

20. Kick for the lunch crowd!

[bravenak]

25. I made sure to facebook it so you would see in case you skipped DU today.

If i wasn't already taken i'd track the man down and kiss him on the mouth. I love smart people.

[JustAnotherGen]

27. That IS how I found it!

[sheshe2]

26. Thanks for posting these bravenak.

Douglass says "a man is worked on by what he works on." For 250 years, Americans worked on the breaking of people for profit. What I found, going forward, is that enslavement had worked on us too. You can see its ghost all over American policy, especially in the realm of housing.

Both are great reads.

[bravenak]

28. I felt my brain tingle whole i read them.

I think he's getting better with every installment.

[sheshe2]

29. I've learned a lot from them bravenak.

Keep them coming.

BTW hows the writing coming along?

[bravenak]

30. It's decent.

Not too fast, since i have to keep the story flowing and i need to fill in some background. I'll send you an update by pm in a few.

[sheshe2]

31. Thanks.

I look forward to it.