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Book Report: American Apartheid: Segregation and the Making of the Underclass

The book "American Apartheid: Segregation and the Making of the Underclass" by

Douglas Massey and Nancy Denton greatly expands the body of knowledge on race and poverty.

It offers an interesting synthesis of conservative and liberal perspectives on the underclass,

despite the fact that the major conclusion is undoubtedly liberal. The two primary themes of the

book are. The first is that black racial segregation is caused by white prejudice and

discrimination in the housing market. Second, the development of underclass neighborhoods was

facilitated by racial and economic housing segregation. Black isolation describes a situation in

which poverty and unemployment are concentrated in a small number of black regions during

economic downturns.

The main topics relating to urban poverty's causes are examined in the first chapter.

According to Massy and Denton, the majority of theories have neglected the role that residential

segregation has in sustaining urban poverty as well as the devastating effects that it has on the

attitudes and actions of those who are forced to live in segregated areas (Massey and Denton).

Chapter 2 charts the development of segregated African American ghettos since the turn of the

century because residential segregation manifests itself in the existence of the ghetto.

The writers go on to explore the tremendous residential segregation that had crept into

every American city by the 1970s. Despite the Fair Housing Act of 1968, residential segregation

is a problem in practically all-American neighborhoods today (Massey and Denton). Because of

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the dramatic and high level of residential segregation in 16 major metropolitan regions,

researchers labeled the situation "hypersegregation.".

In Chapter 5, the detrimental effects of residential segregation and its ramifications on

African-American communities are more thoroughly studied. Massy and Denton contend that the

geographic concentration of poverty inside African-American urban areas has harmed the social

and economic fabric of the community because of the high frequency of residential segregation

(Massey and Denton). The poor were already marginalized and at risk of living in extreme

poverty before social programs were reduced in the 1980s.

The authors claim that "segregation and rising poverty interact to deliver an exogenous

shock to Black neighborhoods, pushing them past the point where physical deterioration and

disinvestment became self-perpetuating” (Massey and Denton). Massy and Denton contend that

the African-American community is at odds with the rest of American society due to "male

joblessness, female welfare dependency, crime, drug abuse, teenage childbearing, and single

parenthood," all of which are caused by the social environment that is concentrated in ghetto

neighborhoods.

The authors provide convincing evidence that policymakers, as well as a variety of other

social groups that gain either directly or indirectly from these patterns of racial disparity, have

tolerated and even backed the perpetuation of segregation in American cities with zeal despite

the devastating effects of segregation on African-American neighborhoods (Massey and Denton).

The authors contend that active federal government intervention is required to reduce the

structural and institutional barriers that African Americans experience and to strive to demolish

the ghetto (Massey and Denton). After that, Massy and Denton present a wide range of

suggestions for ending residential segregation. It is unclear how the implementation of some of
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these suggestions would end residential segregation on its own, even though many of them

appear fair.

According to Massey and Denton, different levels of segregation can affect a

community's overall personality. A good example is the West Side of Chicago's North Lawndale

neighborhood. In the neighborhood, there are reported "48 state lottery agents, 50 currency

exchanges, 99 licensed bars and liquor stores, but only one bank and one supermarket."

Residential segregation, according to Massey and Denton, is responsible for these discrepancies.

Little Village contains around a quarter non-Hispanic residents compared to the entire black

population of North Lawndale (Massey and Denton)."

Conclusion

The book American Apartheid makes a compelling argument for residential segregation

as a major contributor to urban poverty in American cities. The book offers a fresh look at the

compelling evidence for race's continuing significance in American culture. The book makes it

clear that, while there is no doubt that black people face housing discrimination, the facts

suggested that the practice was widespread enough to justify high levels of segregation. It is

important to note that prejudice was not the only relevant factor in this.

The authors suggest that in order to counter these problems, black ghettos should be

removed completely merging with the rest of the communities. The authors place their hopes on

government agencies aggressively seeking out and eliminating housing discrimination. The

proposal of the authors is based on arguments that show discrimination in housing is key to

segregation and segregation in turn is responsible for making and maintaining the underclass

To reverse residential segregation and urban decline, prolonged community participation,

neighborhood protest, and other forms of collective action might be beneficial. Residential
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seclusion, deteriorating public life, and urban community disintegration cannot be reversed

without renewed public effort. The abandoned cities and barren local and national institutions

can only be rejuvenated by involving those who have previously been excluded and by

establishing new national and local goals.

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Work Cited

Massey, Douglas S., and Nancy A. Denton. American Apartheid: Segregation and the Making of

the Underclass. Harvard Univ. Press, 2003.