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In 1854 my great-grandfather, Morris Marable, was sold on an auction block in Georgia for $500. For his white slave master, the sale was just “business as usual.” But to Morris Marable and his heirs, slavery was a crime against our humanity. This pattern of human rights violations against enslaved African-Americans continued under racial segregation for nearly another century.
The fundamental problem of American democracy in the 21st century is the problem of “structural racism” the deep patterns of socio-economic inequality and accumulated disadvantage that are coded by race, and constantly justified in public speeches by both racist stereotypes and white indifference. Do Americans have the capacity and vision to remove these structural barriers that deny democratic rights and opportunities to millions of their fellow citizens?
This country has previously witnessed two great struggles to achieve a truly multicultural democracy.
The First Reconstruction (1865-1877) ended slavery and briefly gave black men voting rights, but gave no meaningful compensation for two centuries of unpaid labor. The promise of “40 acres and a mule (骡子)"was for most blacks a dream deferred (尚未实现的).
The Second Reconstruction (1954-1968), or the modern civil rights movement, ended legal segregation in public accommodations and gave blacks voting rights. But these successes paradoxically obscure the tremendous human costs of historically accumulated disadvantage that remain central to black Americans’ lives.
The disproportionate wealth that most whites enjoy today was first constructed from centuries of unpaid black labor. Many white institutions, including some leading universities, insurance companies and banks, profited from slavery. This pattern of white privilege and black inequality continues today.
Demanding reparations (赔偿) is not just about compensation for slavery and segregation. It is, more important, an educational campaign to highlight the contemporary reality of "racial deficits” of all kinds, the unequal conditions that impact blacks regardless of class. Structural racism’s barriers include “equity inequity.” the absence of black capital formation that is a direct consequence of America’s history. One third of all black households actually have negative net wealth. In 1998 the typical black family’s net wealth was $16,400, less than one fifth that of white families. Black families are denied home loans at twice the rate of whites.
Blacks remain the last hired and first fired during recessions. During the 1990-91 recession, African-Americans suffered disproportionately. At Coca-Cola, 42 percent of employees who lost their jobs were blacks. At Sears, 54 percent were black, Blacks have significantly shorter life spans, in part due to racism in the health establishment. Blacks are statistically less likely than whites to be referred for kidney transplants or early-stage cancer surgery.
36. To the author, the auction of his great-grandfather is a typical example of ________.
A) crime against humanity
B) unfair business transaction
C) racial conflicts in Georgia
D) racial segregation in America
37. The barrier to democracy in 21st century America is ________.
A) widespread use of racist stereotypes
B) prejudice against minority groups
C) deep-rooted socio-economic inequality
D) denial of legal rights to ordinary blacks
38. What problem remains unsolved in the two Reconstructions?
A) Differences between races are deliberately obscured.
B) The blacks are not compensated for their unpaid labor.
C) There is no guarantee for blacks to exercise their rights.
D) The interests of blacks are not protected by law.
39. It is clear that the wealth enjoyed by most whites ________.
A) has resulted from business successes over the years
B) has been accompanied by black capital formation
C) has derived from sizable investments in education
D) has been accumulated from generations of slavery
40. What does the author think of the current situation regarding racial discrimination?
A) Racism is not a major obstacle to blacks’ employment.
B) Inequality of many kinds remains virtually untouched.
C) A major step has been taken towards reparations.
D) Little has been done to ensure blacks’ civil rights.
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