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English 102

8 Oct 2019

ILA #1

Inquiry: What are the long-term effects of racist policy and segregation on African Americans

living in urban areas, specifically in Baltimore, Maryland?

Proposed thesis: “Years of segregation and racist policy have created deep-rooted blockades to

African-American success.”

Covert, Bryce. “Black Wealth Matters.” Nation, vol. 300, no. 5, Feb. 2015, p. 5. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=100561269&site=ehost-live.

This source is a periodical that describes the struggles African Americans face in the

housing market and building wealth. The source claims that years of segregation and

oppressive policy have made it hard for African Americans to build wealth via the

housing market compared to their White counterparts. Because of these racist policies,

“the median household of white households today is thirteen times higher than that of

black ones.” The source supports this claim by using housing statistics about

neighborhood segregation and comparing the median net worth of African Americans

and Whites. This article is the most dubious in terms of credibility out of all the potential

articles. It is a magazine article that is published by a known progressive-leaning

magazine. Despite the obvious bias, I still think it is a viable source. It provides valid
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statistics that show racial wealth differences. It also provides some analysis on these

statistics. This is suitable for my research because of the statistics. The stake in this

article is the generational wealth difference created by racist housing policy. The

stakeholders are African Americans, Relators, and Whites. The Kairos of the article is

affected by the Black Lives Matter movement that was gaining popularity at the time the

article was written. The audience is government officials, fair housing activists, and the

general public. The stasis argument this article makes is a quality argument.

Kotecki, Jack A., et al. “Separate and Sick: Residential Segregation and the Health of Children

and Youth in Metropolitan Statistical Areas.” Journal of Urban Health, vol. 96, no. 2,

Apr. 2019, pp. 149–158. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s11524-018-00330-4.

This source is an academic journal article about the differences in health between

segregated populations in cities. The source claims that segregated minorities have much

worse health than their white counterparts. Specifically, this article claims the differences

in available healthcare for Whites and Minorities “adversely affects the health of Black

children and youth.” The cause of this is lack of resources and poverty in segregated

areas. This difference in healthcare as a youth causes long-term health affects for

minorities. These health issues create additional costs and disabilities that Whites do not

experience and thus create a barrier for African-American (and other minority) success.

The article supports this claim by using statistical data from studies and justifying claims

with data. This article is a part of a peer-reviewed academic journal, so the information is

legitimate. Since the article has an argument, it has a bias toward the solution it proposes,

although the bias is not severe. It was published in 2019, so it is very up to date. The

Kairos of this article is the ongoing adverse effects against minorities explained in this
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article. This article will be suitable for my project because it shows a long-term affect

associated with segregation. The stake in this story is the health problems with minority

children. The stakeholders are the minority children, their families, healthcare

professionals, and government officials. The audience is the general public and activists.

The stasis argument made by this article is one of policy.

Lens, Michael C. “Measuring the Geography of Opportunity.” Progress in Human Geography,

vol. 41, no. 1, Jan. 2017, pp. 3–25. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1177/0309132515618104.

This source is an academic journal about the disadvantages of living in impoverished,

segregated neighborhoods. The source claims that the disadvantages faced by minorities

living in these neighborhoods severely limits opportunities in education, jobs, etc. The

source supports this claim by using claims from other academic journals and analyzing its

own collected data. The source explains the long-term affect of the lack of opportunity by

alluding to the circle of poverty. Because people living in impoverished areas lack

resources, they will be “less able to afford transportation to find economic opportunities

elsewhere or pay for private school tuition to provide better schooling for their children.”

This article is a peer-reviewed academic journal and is very reliable. The source includes

a section where the author claims to have no conflicting interests to the information. The

article was written in 2017 and is very relevant. The Kairos of this article is the aftermath

of the Black Lives matter movement and the Freddie Gray protests. There may be a slight

bias in favor of the author’s argument, but it is not major. This source is very suitable for

my report as it is a general overview to my thesis. The stake in this source is the negative

effects of living in “bad” neighborhoods. The stakeholders are residents of “bad”

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neighborhoods and the people that live around them. The audience is government

officials, activists, and the general public. The stasis argument made is one of quality.

Lieb, Emily. "The “Baltimore Idea” and the Cities It Built." Southern Cultures, vol. 25 no. 2,

2019, p. 104-119. Project MUSE, doi:10.1353/scu.2019.0019.

This source is an article about the “Baltimore Idea” and its effects on other cities

nationally. The “Baltimore Idea” is the segregation plan that originated in Baltimore. This

plan was the first major urban segregation legislation passed in the United States. The

source claims that the plan used in Baltimore to segregate schools and neighborhoods

created long lasting racial effects in Baltimore and the other cities that were inspired by

Baltimore. These effects, such as lack of education and investment, are obvious today:

“between 2011 and 2016, public and private capital investment swamped white

neighborhoods at the expense of black ones.” This article uses past legislation and

demographic statistics as evidence to support its claim. While it is not an academic

journal, this source still seems very factually accurate and supports its claims with a lot of

data. It is biased in support of the argument it is making- that the “Baltimore Idea” still

has effects today. It was written this summer (2019) and is very up to date. The Kairos of

this article is the Freddie Gray protests and possibly the new Port Covington investment

plan confirmed in the Spring of 2019. This is a very good source for my project because

it specifically talks about segregation in Baltimore and presents the information in an

easy to understand way. The stake in this article is that the “Baltimore Idea” still effects

African-Americans today. The stakeholders of this situation are African Americans in

Baltimore (both past and present), the city government, relators, and other residents of the

city. The stasis argument being made is a quality argument.

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Lung, Amam, Willow S., et al. “Opportunity for Whom? The Diverse Definitions of

Neighborhood Opportunity in Baltimore.” City & Community, vol. 17, no. 3, Sept. 2018,

pp. 636–657. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/cico.12318.

This source is an academic journal article about the differences and perceptions of

opportunity. This source claims that groups of people have different definitions of

opportunity. These definitions of opportunity affect where people reside and what they

seek. For example, people who think that education is the best opportunity live in areas

where they have access to it. For impoverished residents, “information about jobs, job

training, and addressing barriers to employment” were more important than receiving

higher education. This source supports its claim by using data from a survey it conducted.

This article is part of an academic journal and is peer-reviewed. It is very credible and

timely, being published in September 2018. The Kairos of this article is the ongoing

housing crisis in Baltimore. The article has little bias except towards the argument it is

making. This source is suitable for my research because it has first-hand data and

statistics about Baltimore, the focus of my paper. The stake in this source is that

opportunity means different values to different people. The stakeholders are the different

people investigated for this report. The audience is the greater Baltimore community and

political leaders. The stasis argument is one of definition.

Pappoe, Yvette N. “Remedying the Effects of Government-Sanctioned Segregation in a Post-

Freddie Gray Baltimore.” University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender

& Class, vol. 16, no. 1, Spring 2016, pp. 115–143. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=118493357&site=ehost-live.
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This source is an academic journal that examines the historical factors that caused the

Freddy Grey incident and what steps can be taken to alleviate racial barriers. The source

claims that Freddy Grey’s environment negatively affected him and possibly caused his

interaction with the law, and that environmental factors can be fixed. These

environmental factors such as unemployment and bad schooling are a result of past

segregation and racial policy: “[these] issues are a byproduct of racist government-

sanctioned policies that continue to perpetuate racial and economic segregation and

concentrated poverty in Black communities.” The author uses multiple sources as

evidence, including other academic journals, political reports, and statistical data. This

report was made in 2016 and is very up to date. The Kairos of this article is the Freddy

Gray protests. The data presented is still relevant today. This is an academic journal, so it

is peer-reviewed and lacks inaccuracies. The source is listed as an “opinion” on the

database website, which brings into question its biases. I personally do not believe it is

too biased to the point where it is unusable because it is an academic journal. That being

said, it is obvious in the argument it presents. I plan on using this source as it makes a

good argument and provides relevant information. The stake in this argument is the

strategy presented and the factors that affect African-American majority neighborhoods.

The stakeholders in this article are the people living in the areas the author mentions,

political leaders, and community activists. The audience is the general public and those

living around the Baltimore area. The stasis argument made in this report is a policy

argument.
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Sahasranaman, Anand, and Henrik Jeldtoft Jensen. “Ethnicity and Wealth: The Dynamics of

Dual Segregation.” PLoS ONE, vol. 13, no. 10, Oct. 2018, pp. 1–22. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0204307.

This source is an academic journal that analyzes the relationship between wealth,

ethnicity, and segregation. The source claims that wealth is the driving force of wealth-

and ethnicity-based segregation. This segregation is caused by decades of restrictions

against African-American success. The article also claims that the decrease of wealth

segregation is a direct correlation with the decrease of ethic segregation: “a decrease in

wealth segregation does not merely accompany, but in fact drives, the increase in ethnic

segregation.” The source supports this with statistics from other academic journals and

probability-based simulations. This article is a peer-reviewed academic journal and

therefore is credible. The bias in the article is a slight bias toward the argument the article

makes. It was published in 2018, so the information is still relevant and valid. The Kairos

of the article is the ongoing struggle to desegregate urban areas and reduce the wealth

gap. This article will be useful because of its explanation of the causes of current

segregation and provides a solution for them. The stake in this story is the causation

between wealth segregation and ethnic segregation. The stakeholders are city planners

and wealthy residents. The audience is government officials, activists, and city planners.

The stasis argument made in this article is a policy argument.

Schlichting, Kurt, et al. “Racial Segregation and Voter Turnout in Urban America.” American

Politics Quarterly, vol. 26, no. 2, Apr. 1998, p. 218. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.1177/1532673X9802600205.
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This source is an academic journal that studies the effects of segregation on voter turnout.

The report begins by presenting multiple hypotheses about the possible political effects

on proportional differences between neighborhoods and communities and uses Baltimore

and Bridgeport, Connecticut as case studies. The study defines neighborhoods as defined

city block areas and communities as the areas around the defined city block. The report is

concluded by accepting two of the hypotheses on a case-by-case basis, but in Baltimore

turnout is negatively affected by segregation. These issues about voting can be

generalized into larger issues created by segregation: “the participation of minority group

members in mainstream American economic, cultural, and social life.” The study uses

data from previous studies and statistically analyzes it. I find this source to be credible. It

is a peer-reviewed academic report that is published in a popular academic journal. It was

published in 1998, so it is quite old, but the data it reports about segregation does not

necessarily change over that short a period. The Kairos of this article is the election of

1998 that happened a few months after the article was released Because it is a study that

creates hypotheses, the source is biased to have one of its hypotheses be true. The source

claims that its predicted hypothesis (that segregated neighborhood causes less political

participation) is true in the two cities presented in the report, but the opposite hypothesis

is true on a national scale. This source is very usable for my project as it reports on

Baltimore specifically. The stake in this report is that segregation disinterests citizens

from voting. The stakeholders are the authors, as they make the argument, and the

citizens living in segregated areas. The audience is the reader of the report. The stasis

argument being made in this report is a factual argument.