Gender pay inequity in women's soccer (futbol)...

We are concluding our unit on race.  Starting in 4th block we will be examining class and gender.  I thought this recent article on pay inequities with the U.S. Women's National Soccer team was a startling example of how far we are from gender equality in the job market.  Please read the article and reflect on it in your own blog.  Do you find this surprising?...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/uswnt-wage-discriminatory-suit-us-soccer_us_56fd33c3e4b0a06d5804ecac

"Race: The Game of Life"...

Go to the following link and play "Race: The Game of Life"...

http://www.understandingrace.org/lived/game/index.html

After playing the game, on your own blog answer the following questions...

1. How is access to health care different for Whites, Blacks and Latinos?  Be specific and use statistics.

2. How is the job market different for Whites, Blacks and Latinos?  Be specific and use statistics.

3.  How is access to education different for Whites, Blacks and Latinos?  Be specific and use statistics.

4.  How is banking different for Whites, Blacks and Latinos?  Be specific and use statistics.

5.  How is legal system different for Whites, Blacks and Latinos?  Be specific and use statistics.

6.  How is housing different for Whites, Blacks and Latinos?  Be specific and use statistics.

Powerful quotes from "Race: The Power of an Illusion" Video 2...

In "Race: The Power of an Illusion" Video 2, historian James Horton makes several powerful statements.  I want you to read the two following quotes and discuss them with your compas.  Afterwards, I want you to reflect on each quote separately on your own blog.  PLEASE MAKE YOUR OWN POSTS!  NOT GROUP POSTS!

1. Quote 1: “If America had just looked the world in the eye and said, ‘We hold these people in slavery because we need their labor, and we’ve got the power to do it.’  Now, that would have been much better because then when the power was gone, when slavery was over, it’s over.  But what we said was, ‘There’s something about these people.’  By doing that it means that when slavery is over, the rationalization for slavery remains.”

2. Quote 2: “All through the late 19th century, there is this constant message hammered at poor white people: you may be poor, you may have miserable lives right now, but the thing that’s most important, the thing that we want you to focus on, is that fact that you’re white.”

Are you a racist? Find out...

In class we will be talking about "unconscious" or "implicit" racism.  This relates to the fact that we live in a racialized society in which we are bombarded by images and messages that carry with ideas about race.  We often absorb these messages without even being aware that we do.

Researchers at Harvard University have put together an online test that tries to capture this racism (or prejudice) that operates at an unconscious level.  Try it out and share your results and your feelings about the experience on your blog.

Follow this step by step guide...

1. Go to the following link...
https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/selectatest.html

2. You will likely see a screen like this.  Click on the link illustrated in this image...

3. You should see a screen like the one below.  Click on "Take A Test"...

4. Next you will see a screen like the one below.  Click on "I wish to proceed"...

5. Now you should see a screen that looks like this.  Click on "Race IAT" (note the list does not always look the same, it is not always in this order, you may have to search for Race IAT in the list of tests)...

6.  You may need to complete a bunch of survey questions before you get to the actually test.  There can be as many as 30 or more survey questions.  Bear with it and answer the best you can.  When you are done with the survey questions you should see a screen that looks like the one below.  This is the start of the actually test.  READ THE DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY...

7. Once you have read the directions the test will start and you will see screens like the ones below.  FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY

After you have finished you will get a page with the results of your test.  Record your results or print the test page.  Respond to the following questions on your blog...

1. What was your result?

2. Where you surprised?

3. Why do you think you may have gotten that result?

4. What does the test tell you about unconscious (implicit) racism?

Black, White & Latino Wealth Gap in the United States...

Race the Power of an Illusion: Video 1, mentioned the Black / white wealth gap.  In the video the said the average white family has 8 times the net worth of the average Black family.  It has actually gotten much worse since the video was produced as you will see in the articles below.

Remember, this is about net worth NOT just income.  It is a family's total accumulated wealth including things like inherited wealth, the value of their home, etc.  As we have discussed, this single statistics tells us more about the continuing racial divide in our society than any other fact.  In the video series Race the Power of an Illusion, produced in the early 2000s, the Black / White wealth gap was 8 times (the average white family had 8 times the wealth of the average Black family).  I mentioned that the statistic was out of date and that after the great recession which began in 2008, things had gotten worse.  The two articles below illustrate just how much worse the situation has become.

Please read both articles carefully and respond on your own blog.  Try to answer these questions in your posts...

1. Why decades after the success of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960's, do we still have such a racial divide in America?

2. What do we need to do to try to change this situation?  What type of transformation is needed?

http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2013/04/30/179907029/what-do-we-do-about-americas-racial-wealth-gap

http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2011/07/26/wealth-gaps-rise-to-record-highs-between-whites-blacks-hispanics/

The "science" of "race"...

Hi Class,

Here is a recent article that covers much of the topics were are currently discussing in class.  Please read and respond on your own blog.  Try to answer the following questions....

1. Is race biology?

2. Is race genetic?

3. Does race exist?

4. Who "invented" race?

5. What term do biologist prefer instead of race?

6. How do contemporary scientists view race?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/07/06/human-race-biology-scientific-racism_n_7699490.html