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ABSTRACT: The story of racism in America is well documented, and, despite the current public controversy over critical race theory, the idea that America's institutions have been historically constructed to benefit white citizens over minorities is commonly accepted by academicians today. African Americans, in particular, have been subject to extreme historical disadvantage due to institutional bias, ranging from residential ownership gaps and general health concerns to poor employment opportunities. Historians have typically grappled with the issue of institutional racism as a mixture of race and economic imperatives, with race as the primary driver behind the creation of the institutions to deprive blacks of civil liberties and economic freedoms. However, the origins of institutional racism may have stronger roots in economic and psychological than in social structures.
If the impetus behind America's biased institutions is more economic and psychological in origin, then the framing of the problem of institutional bias around race would be addressing an effect of the system rather than an underlying cause. In other words, those attempting to create solutions to institutional bias might be looking in the wrong place. Thus, studies to determine the primary cause behind the creation and proliferation of biased institutions might be necessary to generate genuine solution-based dialogue around a root cause, rather than well-meaning but unfocused attempts to address the corollary effects of institutional racism.
TWO COMPETING WORLD VIEWS
America has two competing stories of those living in poverty. The white working-class poor see fewer jobs, more competition, and less opportunity. They see an America so worried about being politically correct that it can no longer distinguish what is right from what is wrong. They see themselves being held accountable for the sins of their ancestors, over which they had no control and no part in, and they see their values and beliefs as being considered provincial at best, and idiotic at worst. They believe they work hard and deserve more respect and greater reward for their efforts. They do not and cannot see privilege in the lives they lead. The competing vision of American poverty looks quite different. America's black working-class poor have to edit their names on resumes to get called for job interviews. They endure casual racism in the workplace from customers and...