The Failures of Integration: How Race and Class Are Undermining the American Dream

by Sheryll Cashin

Book Overview

On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court unanimously declared that separate educational facilities for blacks and whites are inherently "unequal" and, as such, violate the 14th Amendment. The landmark... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 158648124X
• ISBN13: 9781586481247
• Release Date: April 2004
• Publisher: PublicAffairs
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 1.68 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

this book changed my life and my housing choices

As a "middle class white male" with little first-hand understanding of the real/unique challenges continually facing black Americans, this book literally haunted me for 3 years. I eventually changed my choice regarding the neighborhood I live in and the public schools my children attend. What Rick fails to understand in his recent review is that there is well established evidence that blacks are at a unique disadvantage based on the housing choices and preferences of all other racial/ethnic groups. The separation along the lines of race and class is uniquely poisonous to blacks living in areas of concentrated poverty. While Mrs. Cashin might not explore that evidence in detail, she certainly is aware of it. To acquire a more complete understanding of the vast sum of evidence regarding the unique challenges faced by blacks in America's real estate market, try reading the following book: The Geography Of Opportunity: Race And Housing Choice In Metropolitan America (James A. Johnson Metro Series) This book will reveal subtle thinking patterns exercised by people of various racial/ethnic backgrounds and how those thought processes help perpetuate the separation we see along the lines of race and class in our country. There is also compelling evidence (based on well designed longitudinal studies) that shows improved outcomes for black Americans who are removed from areas of concentrated poverty. The evidence is overwhelming for those of us who choose to seek it and fully understand its implications.

a social analysis of the highest importance

I had the experience of seeing Prof. Cashin summarize her book in person. I found her approach very shrewd. First, she reviewed her own options and rationale for choosing where to buy a house in Washington. Then she cited studies on people's racial preference in housing patterns. Then she moved from subjective attitudes to "objective" political-economic realities and the policies behind them. She outlined a ratings system ranking the quality and hence real estate value of types of neighborhoods from the very top to the very bottom, which do not reflect the subjective whims of homebuyers but the value set by business. At the top are exclusively white, affluent neighborhoods. The key issue here is not the affluence, but the fact that the desirability of a well-off neighborhood is indicated by its (white) racial homogeneity. She segued to the cost of segregation to whites. Their upward mobility is also affected by this hierarchy, because the "desirable" all-white neighborhoods become so expensive that most middle class whites can't afford them and are thereby relegated to a lower social status. The prescription is policy that supports safe, desirable neighborhoods with mixed race and income levels, of which there are some model examples. Whites will also materially benefit from not having to live in a situation where every move they make is dominated by fear of blacks. Cashin emphasized her book's title's claims that there have been failures to achieve the stated goal of integration, not that integration is a failure. She is pro-integration, and is concerned about the practical measures to make it a reality and not merely pay lip service to the ideal. "Integration" should not be considered an old-fashioned word from the early '60s. To some extent the nature of the audience response was split by race. The blacks tended to emphasize the artificiality of racial separation, how little sense it makes, and how odd America's de facto racial segregation seems from outside the United States and how alike all Americans seem to foreigners. The whites, most of whom were well-meaning and very anxious to redress the problem, had different sorts of comments and questions. Cashin clearly dissociated herself from appeals to white guilt either promoted or criticized by certain white people in the room, emphasizing that she did not play blame games either in her talk nor in her book. I commended Cashin for her approach, beginning with the subtitle of her book (race and class) and proceeding from the subjective and objective sides of residential patterns, which ultimately determine so much. I argued that the mass media and popular culture and everyday interaction send mixed messages: on the one hand popular culture encourages integration; on the other, it too often rigidly reinforces stereotypes. People are much more accepting these days of one another at the workplace and in casual interactions in public, but then they go home to separate neighb

interesting though a bit vague here and there

Like many other commentators, Cashin argues that class and race segregation hurts the black poor - but she also makes some less common arguments, suggesting that: a) the black middle class suffer from this status quo, because black in-migration leads to white flight, which in turn lowers property values just enough for poorer blacks to move in, which in turn means that even relatively upscale black suburbs suffer from poverty-related ills such as higher crime and worse schools than well-off white suburbs. b) the white middle class suffers, because in order to avoid the fate of the black middle class, whites must live in overwhelmingly white, well-off areas - because only in such areas can whites keep their children out of poverty-packed (and thus low-achieving) schools. But the scarcity of such areas means that whites must pay heavy costs to obtain them- either in money (for close-in and thus desirable upscale areas) or in time (for outer suburbs that require hefty commutes). c) the isolation of the minority poor victimizes the middle class of all races. Cashin suggests that if the poor were more likely to live near and go to school with the middle class, they might commit fewer crimes and be more easily educable. (This assertion is, I think, the weakest link in her argument; perhaps it is simply unprovable given the difficulty of separating geographic isolation from a variety of other factors that might cause crime and underachievement). d) the status quo is not the result of market forces, but of government policy: zoning laws that artificially separate economic classes by keeping cheap housing out of wealthy areas, highways that facilitate white flight from cities, and federal housing policy that created public housing ghettoes. Cashin's solution is to spread the poor more evenly throughout American suburbs. How can this goal be achieved? Cashin asserts that if the poor lived in more diverse areas and attended schools dominated by the middle class, they would be more educable and act more civilly. Such class integration can be achieved by substituting inclusionary zoning for exclusionary zoning (that is, mandating that new housing include, rather than excluding, the poor), using housing and school vouchers to enable people to live in middle-class neighborhoods and to attend any public school regardless of residence. One danger of integrationist remedies: they only work if applied throughout a region. If suburb X integrates and suburb Y refuses to do so, suburb X, like the black middle-class suburbs Cashin discusses, gets a disproportionate share of the region's poor- which means it becomes undesirable to upscale families, which means it goes downhill. So if only diversity-minded cities or inner-ring suburbs adopt Cashin's remedies, the ultimate result might be just to spread poverty further into the suburbs and thus to create a new round of middle-class flight from integrationist suburbs.

Fascinating

Some of you may wonder why I, being a white Brit with conservative political beliefs, should be interested in a book about racial issues in America. It's quite simple, really - Britain, like America, is a multi-racial society in which the different races sometimes have difficulty relating to each other and this is a good way to understand some of what black people think of whites and how the differences can be overcome. While there are differences between Britain and America, there are also plenty of similarities. I do not agree with everything here but I never expected to. To be honest, the book is far better -and more constructive - than I dared hope.Sheryll Cashin, the author, is clearly a highly intelligent lady who has done a lot of research for this book. She presents her case well and it is, at times, uncomfortable reading for white readers, just as I expected, though it is also clear that she recognizes that progress needs the co-operation of the white community, so she is careful in her use of language. Furthermore, she acknowledges that black people have some of the same faults. In this way, she can reasonably hope to win support for her case from at least some white people. She presents a lot of facts as well as opinions presented as facts. One of the opinions that are presented as fact is fundamental to her philosophy. This is a forecast that the white majority will disappear this century in America and that by 2100 whites will only make up forty percent of the population - still the largest ethnic group but not a majority. This forecast may prove to be accurate but it may not. By persistently stating it as a fact rather than a forecast, Sheryll damages her case slightly.Sheryll mainly focuses on housing although schools are also given a fair bit of coverage. She scarcely mentions business or cultural situations. Furthermore, she only looks at what is happening in America. It would have been useful to compare the American experience with what is happening in Europe, where there is also a white majority, and with Africa, where there is a black majority.Sheryll complains that white people like to live in areas that are predominately white, yet acknowledges that black people like to live in areas that are predominately black. She wants us all to live amongst each other - no white areas, no black areas (actually, she concedes that a few enclaves might be OK, even useful) - but explains why she won't be an integration pioneer (her term for a black person going to live in a white area). All this explains why areas that somehow manage to become mixed generally don't stay mixed - eventually one race becomes a minority and moves out unless there is a strong sense of community.Sheryll does, however, draw one clear distinction, claiming that black people are accustomed to (and therefore comfortable) being a minority among whites, yet white people are uncomfortable being in a minority among blacks. This may well be true (at least for some whites

All People Should Read This to Open their Eyes to Reality!

I'm an upper-middle class white male who, for many years, has been seeking to eradicate all lingering propensities towards any measure of prejudicial perception. In meeting many open minded people, much knowledge has been transferred to help project an educated perspective on this whole issue. But, nothing has pulled the wool from over my eyes better than Sheryll Cashion's powerful, honest, and multi-dimensional analysis of separatist realities in this country.She is quite gifted as an author, objective conveyer of the truth, and true servant of human rights. She has produced the most insightful and informative piece of literature I've ever read on this topic. Her factual analysis is so obviously evidenced through a simple personal examination of our very own communities, living conditions, institutions, and social interaction tendencies. An unfettered open mind has the most amount to gain from this book. However, because her analysis is so factually based, anyone could gain unique insight into an unpleasant and unfair aspect of our society, irregardless of their own views.I grew up in Charles County, Maryland, and what Sheryll Cashion articulates, constitutes a disturbing, but all too accurate reality. As the human race, we all coexist in some relative physical proximity, but for all intensive purposes, our personal lives and residential existence are far from embellishing an integration mind set. Whether consciously or subconsciously, as a whole, we really have migrated towards a separatist society in far too many areas. My hope is that generations growing up in modern times will see the ugly truth of historical conditions, and become tomorrow's advocates for true integration and freedoms we hold dear. This book helps provide an accurate background of why our society has become separate, but also explains the avenue of mitigation moving forward.Though I could never truly know what it is like to grow up black and/or poor, it's painful to learn imposed prejudicial policies, and how they can significant affect the quality of life for any race that is subject to such conditions. It's so easy to be a majority of those who enjoy benefits of race from birth, and not see the other side of the coin. This is wrong, but until we gain related knowledge, how do we know any better sometimes? Read this book and it will fuel the fire of a realistic perception against racism.I firmly believe we are all in control of our own destinies with individual accountability. But racist indoctrination is simply TOO obvious to dismiss in being an atrociously detrimental force contributing to hardships incurred by black (and other minority) races. It's one thing to have the same opportunities with equal rights, but when life starts with such a disadvantage, the realization of success is tougher. Accountability of the individual is always important. However, when the playing field is not level, it's harder (though not impossible) to achieve the desired measu