Tally's Corner Summary

Tally’s Corner is the sociological interpretation of the culture of Negro streetcorner men. Elliot Liebow sets out to show the hypocrisies that lead black men to this circumstance. The study is carried out in Washington D.C. The key argument posed by Liebow is that black males are incapable of attaining jobs because they lack education. He also argues that this is a cycle that inevitably results in a trans-generational marginalization of the black race. On top of this, he argues that the white middle class are unrelenting with their methods of depriving black advancement in American society. Knowledge of this incites many blacks to take dead-end jobs, or to settle for mediocrity in the face of adversity. A large number of black males

Dr. Liebow, born in Washington, dropped out of high school to join the Marine Corps in 1942 and saw action in the South Pacific during World War II, He earned an English literature degree on the GI Bill. He received a bachelor's degree in English literature from George Washington University in 1949 and pursued graduate studies in ancient history at the University of Maryland before turning to anthropology. Liebow sets out to show the hypocrisies that lead black men to this circumstance. The study is carried out in Washington D.C. The key argument posed by Liebow is that black males are incapable of attaining jobs because they lack education. He also argues that this is a cycle that inevitably results in a trans-generational marginalization of the black race. On top of this, he argues that the white middle class are unrelenting with their methods of depriving black advancement in American society. Liebow picked a location that would be easy to get to from his office and his home in Brookland: 11th and M streets NW in Shaw, a corner that had a carryout, liquor store, dry cleaner and shoe-repair shop. He went to 11th and M nearly every day for 18 months. He accompanied the men to bars and parties. He went to court appearances and visited them in

The government must work to make up for that. America is still a racist society, therefore a federal affirmative action law is necessary. Due to unequal opportunity, minorities still lag behind whites in all statistical measurements of success. For example, someone that supports welfare, including long-term welfare. And believe welfare is a safety net which provides for the needs of the poor. Welfare is necessary to bring fairness to American economic life. It is a device for protecting the poor. As a liberal, one is appalled by the lack of government as outreach in these areas. It is not the fault of these men that are basically newly freed slaves trying to figure out a living in this new economy. An economy not easily accepting of a new demographic of worker. One that is not designed for a mass influx of non-white skilled labor. In an act of desperation, wanting to keep out any non-white future employs to this newly created market, labor unions were established to maintain the proper boundaries that may not have been so visibly to the non-whites of that time. Liebow gives us an example, he talks about the work experience of some of these underprivileged black men in remedial jobs. He points out “that many of their employers anticipate that they will steal from the company and in