Bold Policies for Economic Justice by Darity and Hamilton - Essay Example

The main argument of the article is that the post-racial American society is marred with widespread racial unemployment disparities and serious racial wealth gaps that are not primarily attributed to differences in educational attainment.

Throughout the article, the two authors particularly espouse the view that bold policies for economic justice urgently need to be instituted to help redress the current racial economic inequalities in different parts of the United States. This is primarily based on the argument that throughout history, the U.S. has always been characterized by a longstanding pattern of structural racial inequalities that have further deepened due to the recent economic downturn. For example, the article argues that although the U.S. Bill of Rights and the Constitution guarantee freedoms to all Americans, post-slavery America has always been characterized by a highly stratified social system that has continued for many years.

According to Darity and Hamilton (82), although considerable improvements have been made in the income gap, both the racial wealth gap and employment gap have remained stubbornly persistent. The article offers two potential remedies to the current economic justice that involve the implementation of racially neutral programs that could help eliminate racial economic inequality while at the same time benefiting all Americans.

For example, one of the recommendations of the two authors is that the federal government should implement federal jobs guarantee to all American citizens by providing economic security of a job and minimizing the threat of unemployment among Americans. On the other hand, the authors also propose that the government should also institute substantial child development accounts for all American citizens regardless of their economic position at birth. Such child development accounts will be expected to grow progressively depending on the familial asset positioning of the parents of a child and will be an important way of providing asset security for all Americans. Darity and Hamilton conclude that the two race-neutral programs will not only help eliminate racial inequality but will also provide much-needed economic security, sustainability, and mobility for all Americans regardless of their race and economic position.

In conclusion, the general argument of the article is that the current racial economic inequalities in different parts of the United States can only be effectively redressed through the implementation of racially neutral programs that could help eliminate racial economic inequality while at the same time benefiting all. Although critics of such policies have always argued that race-neutral policies and other forms of affirmative actions often work through reverse discrimination, the authors suggest that their proposal only seeks to facilitate racial economic justice for minorities and does not wish to undermine other races. Read More