The legacy of lynching continues to hurt the economic prospects of black Americans
Despite progress, the long shadow of racist violence continues to undermine economic opportunity for African Americans today.
A historical marker detailing lynchings in Anne Arundel County and the United States was installed in Whitmore Park on Calvert Street in Annapolis, Maryland on September 17, 2019.
Catherine Frey/The Washington Post via Getty Images
With black American unemployment at an all-time low and “black jobs” coming up in June’s presidential debate, the economic echoes of historic racism continue to reverberate in the U.S. Today, black Americans face higher unemployment, lower incomes and deepening poverty. than white Americans.
The legacy of injustice is most visible in the economic disparities that remain in places once plagued by lynching.
Lynchings were widespread in the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries, with more than 4,700 extrajudicial killings between 1882 and 1968, according to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The 1955 murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till in Mississippi shocked the country and galvanized the nascent civil rights movement.
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These horrific acts continue to impact the economic situation in many of the counties where lynchings occurred. Today, the legacy of lynchings taints the economic prospects of Black Americans, limiting upward mobility and perpetuating the cycle of poverty. This is not just a historical anecdote; it is an ongoing reality, backed by rigorous research.
How do we know? In one study Published in Kyklos in June, My colleagues and I have studied the levels of economic opportunity for black people in counties with the highest historical rates of lynchings. The economic disparity between these areas and counties with no history of lynchings is as large as the disparity between New Orleans and San Francisco; the median income in San Francisco is more than 170% higher. This contrast is important given that the United States is known as the “land of opportunity.”
Previous research has found that the effects of lynchings linger. A 2021 study found that families of lynching victims continue to suffer emotionally and financially decades and generations later. “We went from prosperity to poverty overnight,” the victim’s 77-year-old daughter told the study’s authors. That same year, Health and location The researchers looked at life expectancy in 1,221 counties in the Southern United States and found that counties with a history of lynchings had life expectancy more than a year shorter than counties with no recorded lynchings.
The idea that anyone, regardless of background, can achieve economic success through hard work is a cornerstone of the American Dream. But these findings reveal a different reality for many Black people in the United States, whose economic prospects are still heavily impacted by a legacy of racial violence and discrimination. The promise of equal opportunity remains unfulfilled, highlighting the need for continued efforts to address these deep-rooted inequalities. How real is the American Dream when historical injustices persist and undermine prospects for prosperity today?
To understand the persistent poverty and destruction left by these murders and mob terror, one must consider the broader historical context. Rapid urbanization and industrialization that occurred after 1880 intensified racial competition for land, and for political and economic dominance at the local level. The migration of African Americans to urban areas in search of better opportunities intensified tensions in these rapidly changing communities. White residents, fearing a loss of economic and social status, often responded with hostility and violence, even lynchings. Furthermore, discriminatory practices such as redlining and occupational segregation further entrenched economic disparities. In this volatile environment, tensions frequently erupted, reinforcing institutional racism and socioeconomic disparities for decades to come. The aftermath of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, in which white mobs murdered hundreds of men, women, and children over two days and burned more than 1,250 homes, epitomized “economic devastation.”“ It was caused by racial violence and the long-term devastation of the survivors and their descendants. As a result of racial tensions and lynchings, black families were forced to flee their communities, abandoning their social networks and losing valuable assets. This displacement caused immediate economic hardship, preventing generations of wealth accumulation and educational opportunities. As a result, the descendants of lynching victims are often trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty and have limited opportunities for advancement.
Overall, as we continue to grapple with the legacy of racism in the United States, it is important to recognize that the economic inequalities we see today are not simply the result of current policies or economic conditions. They are also the direct result of a long history of racism and violence that has systematically undermined the economic foundations of Black communities. Addressing opportunity disparities requires taking a comprehensive approach that recognizes and addresses the historical context of economic inequality. In doing so, we can pave the way for a more equitable future where the shadows of the past no longer dictate present opportunity.
This is an opinion and analysis article and the views of the author are not necessarily those of Scientific American.
