Black Workers Remember

[Jackie Wilson Said]

http://prospect.org/article/black-workers-remember

It is one of the great ironies of American labor history that enslaved workers toiled at a wider variety of skilled tasks than did their descendants who were free. Slave owners had an economic incentive to exploit the multifaceted talents of blacks in the craft shop as well as in the kitchen and field. But after emancipation, whites attempted to limit blacks to menial jobs. Throughout the late nineteenth century and well into the twentieth, blacks as a group were barred from machine work within the industrial sector, and from white-collar clerical and service work. "Modernization" wore a white face.

[psychmommy]

1. kicking to spread the knowledge

Thank you for this article. I hope lots of folks take the time to read it.

[1StrongBlackMan]

2. Great post.

[Number23]

3. Yeah, whatever. Since we all know that only white oligarchs screwed over minority communities

clearly this is you just shit stirring.

[Jackie Wilson Said]

4. What?

[JI7]

5. sarcasm

[Jackie Wilson Said]

6. What I thought but I never know anymore, I am able to say the wrong thing very easily

and be misunderstood and I dont like it when that happens.

All good!

[wildeyed]

7. That is so depressing.

What I am seeing in my own city and life is that evictions, racist housing policy and lack of public transport contribute hugely to the problem. Poor people get evicted, can't get to jobs, and if they are black, face more difficulty finding new housing, even if they can afford the rent.

Vicious circle. The system is still so gamed, but in subtle ways that are hard to point at.

Do you realize what we could do for the economy of this country if the mainstream could just stop being so stupidly racist? There is HUGE untapped talent out there in poor black communities.