“A social movement that only moves people is merely a revolt. A movement that changes both people and institutions is a revolution.” -- Martin Luther King, Jr.
Welcome to the eighth edition of These Revolutionary Times. Each Sunday, we focus on a small selection of papers, articles, and essays published in various publicly available sources that reflect political change already happening or that we think ought to happen or ought not to happen in 21st Century America. Our goal is to spur people to read these pieces with an open-minded but critical focus and engage here in an interchange of ideas about the issues raised in them.
We begin this week's selections with a look at the struggle people of color face with fair housing practices. Redlining is real, and it is insidious. This, combined with other unfair housing practices have led to systemic segregation.
The excellent resource, Reveal, from the Center for Investigative Reporting, has done yeoman's work on the unfair practices used by banks to exclude people of color from the housing market. Over the course of the last year, they provided a series of articles, podcasts and videos dealing with this important topic from unfair lending practices to gentrification. Here are a few of their offerings in this excellent series:
For people of color, banks are shutting the door to homeownership, By Aaron Glantz and Emmanuel Martinez
“The analysis – independently reviewed and confirmed by The Associated Press – showed black applicants were turned away at significantly higher rates than whites in 48 cities, Latinos in 25, Asians in nine and Native Americans in three. In Washington, D.C., the nation’s capital, Reveal found all four groups were significantly more likely to be denied a home loan than whites.
“It’s not acceptable from the standpoint of what we want as a nation: to make sure that everyone shares in economic prosperity,” said Thomas Curry, who served as America’s top bank regulator, the comptroller of the currency, from 2012 until he stepped down in May."
Gentrification became low-income lending law’s unintended consequence By Aaron Glantz and Emmanuel Martinez
"Jacobs, who is white, got a special home loan from New Jersey-based TD Bank that is designed to help low-income people and blighted neighborhoods, where banks are required to lend under the landmark Community Reinvestment Act of 1977. The law was designed to correct the damage of redlining, a now-illegal practice in which the government warned banks away from neighborhoods with high concentrations of immigrants and African Americans.
But the law didn’t anticipate a day when historically black neighborhoods would be sought out by young white homebuyers. So instead of lending to longtime black residents of Point Breeze, most of the loans there are going to white newcomers such as Jacobs."
8 lenders that aren’t serving people of color for home loans By Aaron Glantz, Emmanuel Martinez and Jennifer Gollan
"Across America, a troubling pattern emerges: Nearly two-thirds of mortgage lenders denied home loans for people of color at higher rates than for white people. But among the 6,600 U.S. lenders, some stood out for particularly extreme practices."
Chase rarely lends to people of color in DC – and it’s probably legal, By Aaron Glantz and Emmanuel Martinez
"Across the street from the White House is the U.S. capital’s only outpost of the nation’s largest bank – tucked away on the ninth floor of a grey stone tower.
The bank’s name, JPMorgan Chase & Co., appears on the directory in the building’s lobby. According to the company’s website, the office, features “a team of dedicated specialists” who offer a “comprehensive range of financing choices, including mortgages and lines of credit.”
But the office is not open to the public. Stop by and security will turn you away. And while the bank has a team of professionals designed to serve the district’s rich, it is not technically a branch. So, in Washington, Chase doesn’t have to abide by the Community Reinvestment Act – a 1977 law designed to reverse the legacy of redlining, or racial discrimination in lending. The law requires banks to lend in low- and moderate-income areas only if they have a branch in the area that takes deposits.
And so, even though Chase rarely lends to low-income residents or people of color, who make up a majority of the region’s population, it is not breaking the law."
State attorneys general probe lending disparities, By Aaron Glantz and Emmanuel Martinez
"As the Trump administration withdraws from enforcing consumer protection and fair lending law, a group of state attorneys general are stepping into the breach.
On Feb. 28, the new director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Mick Mulvaney told a gathering of states attorneys general that his office would no longer “push the envelope” in bringing consumer protection suits. This came on the heels of Mulvaney stripping the bureau’s Office of Fair Lending of its enforcement responsibilities.
“We are going to be looking to the state regulators and state attorneys general for a lot more leadership when it comes to enforcement,” he said, according to the American Banker."
How we identified lending disparities in federal mortgage data, By Emmanuel Martinez and Aaron Glantz
"Reveal’s analysis was based on publicly available data released through the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, or HDMA, and maintained by the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council. The act, passed in 1975, requires mortgage lenders to report basic data about loan applications to ensure fair lending practices.
The HMDA dataset contains information about nearly every mortgage application in the country in a given year. It includes a wide range of information, from the lending institution that received the application to details about the applicant – such as race, ethnicity and income. It also includes the type of loan that was being sought, the loan amount and characteristics of the neighborhood where the property was located.
Reveal combed through 31 million of these records for 2015 and 2016.”
But while redlining and gentrification have a firm hold, there are folks out there joining forces to fight back:
Rats in the Hallway, by Georgia Kromrei for The Indypendent
Of course, the challenges people of color face are not limited to redlining. Over the years, trying to keep themselves safe has resulted in everything from having "the talk" with their children to publication of safety guides such as The Negro Motorist Green Book, which was published from the mid '30's to the mid '60's to help navigate the web of Sundown Towns across this country.
After the election of Donald Trump, there was much discussion here on how people of color could protect themselves from what many feared would be rise in abuse of those who aren't white, a fear that has sadly become reality. Below are articles examining how people of color are trying to protect themselves in the modern age, and the pitfalls and dangers they face in doing so:
From the Green Book to Facebook, how black people still need to outwit racists in rural America, by Ed Pilkington at The Guardian
"Over a barbecue grill last summer in a park in Springfield, Missouri, Jonathan Herbert and his friend Marlin Barber fell to ruminating about the challenges they faced as African Americans when driving across the country.
Barber, who teaches history at Missouri State University, was planning a road trip to Arkansas with his white wife and two young children, and was apprehensive about what they might encounter in the rural backwaters. Herbert had an idea – why not float the dilemma to friends on Facebook and see what came back?
“Sadly, it’s 2017,” Herbert went ahead and posted, “and we still have to consider the racial climate of some of the most beautiful places in this country before we decide to vacation there with our families.”
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The comment sparked intense Facebook reaction. A black friend divulged the fact that he had been called the N-word in Oklahoma and had run into the KKK in Texas. “I remember not taking our kids through parts of Missouri or Arkansas out of fear,” he said.
A white woman lamented that, in this day and age, her black friends still had to think twice about where they could go. “This knocks the breath out of me. Your beautiful family has to consider factors mine doesn’t. WTF, America?”
A third friend, a black playwright named Michelle Johnson, mentioned the Green Book, the historical travel guide for African American motorists that in the old days of Jim Crow had provided an invaluable roadmap. It listed locations where black drivers could fill up their tanks, get a bite to eat or stay the night, all without danger.
“Just saying,” Johnson remarked. “Unfortunately, it needs a comeback.”
The Racist Origin of the Second Amendment and the Rise of Black Gun Ownership, by Zenobia Jeffries at Yes Magazine
"The debate over an individual’s right to bear arms was reignited since last month’s mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida, where 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz took 17 lives, has been framed as yet another partisan conflict that has divided the country. Those on the right support the Second Amendment, and those on the left are calling for either its repeal, or tighter gun control. But the reality is more nuanced: some on the right support gun law reform, and some on the left support the Second Amendment.
In particular, many people of color say they have good reason to be protective of their right to bear arms."
There should be no dispute that the criminal justice system discriminates against people of color in everything from arrest and sentencing to jury selection. But there are those among us who are willing to take a different approach and take a stand against these unfair practices:
Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner Promised a Criminal Justice Revolution. He’s Exceeding Expectations.by Shaun King at The Intercept
“Across the country, talking the talk of criminal justice reform has gotten many people elected as DA. Once in office, their reforms have often been painfully slow and disappointing. Krasner was the first candidate elected who publicly committed not just to intermittent changes, but a radical overhaul.
So far, having been in office less than three months, he has exceeded expectations. He’s doing something I’ve never quite seen before in present-day politics: Larry Krasner’s keeping his word — and it’s a sight to behold.”
Any discussion of the mountain of problems people of color face in this country would not be complete without an examination of income inequality and how to combat it. Old ideas, such as the Civilian Conservation Corps (which was tailored exclusively for white folks) and the Works Progress Administration (a more inclusive approach) are being considered for adaptation for the modern age, while new ideas such as baby bonds aim to get every child off to a fair start.
Now comes Darrick Hamilton, director of the doctoral program in public and urban policy, and jointly appointed as professor of economics and urban policy at The Milano School of International Affairs, Management and Urban Policy and the Department of Economics at The New School, with an approach whose time has hopefully come:
Profile on William Darity Jr. & Darrick Hamilton at Politico
“In a country facing the unsettling prospect of automation taking more jobs, one of the sexiest ideas is the universal basic income, a favorite of Silicon Valley venture capitalists. So far, the idea of guaranteed minimum payments to all Americans doesn’t have much political traction. But a similar idea that does—thanks in part to the work of William Darity Jr. and Darrick Hamilton—is the job guarantee.
For more than a decade, the two academics have advocated for the simple-sounding idea that in America, everyone who wants a job should be able to get one—and if the private sector doesn’t employ them, the government should.”
Why We Need a Federal Job Guarantee by Mark Paul, William Darity Jr, and Darrick Hamilton at Jacobin
“A job guarantee is not a new idea. It has been part of the American conversation at least since populist governor Huey Long put forth his Share Our Wealth Plan. In 1934, he argued that the United States should use public works to ensure “everybody [is] employed.” These calls were echoed by politicians from Roosevelt in his Economic Bill of Rights to George McGovern during his 1972 presidential bid. Martin Luther King also stumped for a job guarantee, demanding immediate “employment for everyone in need of a job.” He saw “a guaranteed annual income at levels that sustain life and decent circumstances” as the second-best option.
Here are five reasons to agree with him.”
Episode 4: Darrick Hamilton on the racial wealth gap & the job guarantee, Podcast Episode #4 from The Next SystemPodcast
“I’ll say one more thing about stratification. It’s somewhat ironic that in a field that’s often times criticized as being hyper-rational, that we treat something like discrimination as some taste or bias that should be rectified by the market, or sanctified by the market, because it’s non-productive over time. Well, stratification economics thinks that there’s a functional role to discrimination, and that that functional role might be intentional and strategic in trying to maintain social hierarchy. So it’s important to understand this if we want to combat it.”
As we struggle to find our way in the age of Trump, the way forward isn't clear. Some look at the two parties dominating our political discourse and say "a pox on both their houses." In a sweeping interview examining problems around the globe in this age of chaos, Noam Chomsky finds that while both parties are damaged, one is much more dangerous than the other:
Noam Chomsky: ‘The Republican Party is the most dangerous organization in human history’ by Lynn Parramore at Alternet, by way of RawStory
“There’s been nothing like this in history. It’s kind of an outrageous statement, but it happens to be true, that the Republican Party is the most dangerous organization in human history. Nobody, not even the Nazis, was dedicated to destroying the possibility of organized human life. It’s just missing from the media. In fact, if you read, say, the sensible business press, the Financial Times, BusinessWeek, any of them, when they talk about fossil fuel production, the articles are all just about the prospect for profit. Is the U.S. is moving to number one and what are the gains? Not that it’s going to wipe out organized human life. Maybe that’s a footnote somewhere. It’s pretty astonishing.”
Any last but in no way least, yesterday saw the profoundly moving March for our Lives, where hundreds of thousands of our youth took to the streets to say "We're mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore!" Below please find a round-up of the best speeches of the day, as well as their plans for the future, theirs and ours. Yes, the kids are alright:
In case you missed them, or want to listen again, here are 17 speakers at the DC March for Our Lives by Meteor Blades at Daily Kos
“Below are speeches delivered Saturday at the Washington, D.C., March for Our Lives. That march, which officials estimated drew 800,000 participants, was one of some 840 such events in the United States and several other nations.
There has already been a significant amount of analysis of what the march portends as well as the content of what was delivered by the young speakers. Over the next few days, there will be plenty more of that. Rather than add my words to that, here are 16 17 speakers in their own words.”
Our manifesto to fix America’s gun laws, by the Editorial staff of the Eagle Eye, Marjory Stoneman Douglas Schools, via The Guardian
“As a student publication, the Eagle Eye works to tell the stories of those who do not have a voice. Today, we are the ones who feel our voice must be elevated.
In the wake of the tragedy that occurred at our school on 14 February at Marjory Stoneman Douglas, our lives have changed beyond what we ever imagined. We, along with our publication, have been transformed. We will remain so for the rest of our lives.
We have a unique platform not only as student journalists, but also as survivors of a mass shooting. We are firsthand witnesses to the kind of devastation that gross incompetence and political inaction can produce. We cannot stand idly by as the country continues to be infected by a plague of gun violence that seeps into community after community, and does irreparable damage to the hearts and minds of the American people.
That’s why the Eagle Eye has come together and proposed these following changes to gun policy. We believe federal and state governments must put these in place to ensure that mass shootings and gun violence cease to be a staple of American culture.
We will be marching this Saturday, 24 March, for those that we loved and lost, and we write this in the hope that no other community or publication will ever have to do the same.
The changes we propose...”
I’m ashamed to admit I’ve been so involved in my own activism this week, I’ve not had time to seek out links to highlight here to promote everyday activism. With that in mind, I will link to MoveOn.org, where I hope you’ll find something to pique your interest and spur you to action.
A giant tip of the hat to the following dedicated Kossacks, who provided this author with the vast majority of the links above, and advice on how to present them. I couldn’t have made today’s post happen without them:
Links on redlining and gentrification, as well as links to articles pertaining to the work of Darrick Hamilton provided by ptressel.
Links to Darrick Hamilton on his ideas on achieving full employment, Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner’s criminal justice reform, Noam Chomsky’s excellent interview and the alliance between working class women of color and young socialists, and for expert assistance in posting twitter links for the tweet challenged provided by igualdad.
Link to Georgia prosecutors systemically excluding black jurors provided by subir.
Links to breaking up the two-party system, and Bernie Sander’s town hall on income inequality provided by benny05.
Link to gun ownership provided by ZenTrainer.
Special shout out to Meteor Blades for yesterday’s round-up of the speeches at March for Our Lives.
