The Economics of Racism.
Bootstraps, Black Banks and Redlining.
Progressives continually lose the debate on issues of institutional poverty, structural inequality and systemic racism because they’re loaded with history and meaning that require thinking. It’s a lot easier to say, “Make America Great Again,” “Free Markets,” or “America First.” This episode uncovers the economic side of systemic racism in the United States throughout history and how it led to the uncomfortable reality where Black people in America have been locked out of every period of wealth accumulation by design. We ask and answer difficult questions that used to only be asked in polite company but have now become off-the-cuff talking points on the right. The show also challenges conventional economic wisdom within the Black community and draws a conclusion that can only be called “inevitable”: Reparations or Revolution.
Show Notes
Clips
Episode Timestamp + Link | Clip Link
- 00:04:57 | Oldest Survivor of Tulsa Race Massacre Testifies Before House Committee
- 00:08:05 | Dave Chappelle Reveals White People's Weakness
- 00:11:23 | James Baldwin: Pin Drop Speech
- 00:16:13 | Blazing Saddles: Wake and Bake
- 00:16:34 | MLK On Economic Justice
- 00:20:58 | Angela Davis: We Can't Eradicate Racism Without Eradicating Racial Capitalism
- 00:24:26 | Boyz n the Hood: Gentrification
- 00:33:33 | George Wallace: Segregation Forever Speech
- 00:35:09 | Black Journal: Black Capitalism, Community & City Control
- 00:39:59 | Cornel West: The End of Reagan Era Politics
- 00:42:02 | The Big Short: The Firm Investigates Florida
- 00:44:37 | SNL: Mr. Robinson’s Neighborhood
- 00:45:51 | Milton Friedman on Capitalism and Poverty
Resources
- Electronic Frontier Foundation: The FCC and States Must Ban Digital Redlining
- CNET: The broadband gap's dirty secret: Redlining still exists in digital form
- CNET: Microsoft expands low-cost broadband push to 8 cities to address racial, digital inequality
- National Digital Inclusion Alliance: AT&T’s Digital Redlining Of Cleveland
- Public Knowledge: It’s 2021. Why is Redlining Still Happening?
- Bloomberg: Amazon Doesn’t Consider the Race of Its Customers. Should It?
- New America: The Cost of Connectivity 2020
- BBC News: Why black TikTok creators have gone on strike
Book Love
- Mehrsa Baradaran: The Color of Money: Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap
- Richard Rothstein: The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America
- Adam Jentleson: Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of American Democracy
- Jelani Cobb: The Essential Kerner Commission Report
Pod Love
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