Residential and school segregation based on race impact the day-to-day lives of countless US citizens. The qualities of living and education are starkly different for those of different racial backgrounds. In Racial Domination, Racial Progress, Matthew Desmond and Mustafa Emirbayer provide an endless supply of facts that highlight the disparities by race in these two areas, as well as the connections between the two of them. It is a common belief among white Americans that racism and segregation ended with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Evidence to counter this misconception is evident in the lives of many nonwhite Americans and easily recognizable in the neighborhoods in which they live. “In many areas, more than 60% of the
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Residential segregation provides a foundation upon which school segregation is built. The entire basis of the public school system is where one lives. Students are assigned to different districts based on their residential address, which as previously stated is largely based upon race. In some areas, students have the option to attend a different school if a fee is paid. However, as covered in previous chapters of the book, most underprivileged, nonwhite families do not have the income nor the wealth to access the luxury that is a quality education. (Desmond and Emirbayer 2010:157) In addition to school districting, one can also tie in the lack of monetary support some schools receive to residential segregation. Nearly half of all property tax revenue is used to fund schools, and seeing as “property tax is dictated by property value,” higher class, white schools receive exponentially greater funding than their nonwhite counterparts. Also, northern, whiter states spend significantly more on their poor children than southern, less white states do. (Desmond and Emirbayer 2010: 339) These two facts provide further proof of the workings of institutional racism within the US public school system. The connection between residential and school segregation can also be seen in the reverse. Poor school performance and career outlook cause young members of minorities to have no option other than to continue living in the conditions in which they grew up. These two types of racial segregation work hand in hand to hold many nonwhites captive. Also, seeing as “disadvantage breeds disadvantage,” generation after generation of racial minorities are trapped within the confines of residential and school segregation. (Desmond and Emirbayer
Residential segregation provides a foundation upon which school segregation is built. The entire basis of the public school system is where one lives. Students are assigned to different districts based on their residential address, which as previously stated is largely based upon race. In some areas, students have the option to attend a different school if a fee is paid. However, as covered in previous chapters of the book, most underprivileged, nonwhite families do not have the income nor the wealth to access the luxury that is a quality education. (Desmond and Emirbayer 2010:157) In addition to school districting, one can also tie in the lack of monetary support some schools receive to residential segregation. Nearly half of all property tax revenue is used to fund schools, and seeing as “property tax is dictated by property value,” higher class, white schools receive exponentially greater funding than their nonwhite counterparts. Also, northern, whiter states spend significantly more on their poor children than southern, less white states do. (Desmond and Emirbayer 2010: 339) These two facts provide further proof of the workings of institutional racism within the US public school system. The connection between residential and school segregation can also be seen in the reverse. Poor school performance and career outlook cause young members of minorities to have no option other than to continue living in the conditions in which they grew up. These two types of racial segregation work hand in hand to hold many nonwhites captive. Also, seeing as “disadvantage breeds disadvantage,” generation after generation of racial minorities are trapped within the confines of residential and school segregation. (Desmond and Emirbayer