The Unjust World of Segregation in American Apartheid by Douglas S. Massey and Nancy A. Denton

American Apartheid Book Review

During the twentieth century, a word disappeared from the American vocabulary, a word that had a profound impact on the American society, a word specifically aimed at one group of people. Few appreciate the depth of that word in history. That word is segregation. American Apartheid successfully illustrates the controversial issue of racial segregation by examining the high level of poverty among black citizens and comparing it to the intentional isolation that they experience within American cities.

Before the reader can identify the issue and formulate an opinion, he/she must understand the credibility of the authors. The first author of the book is Douglas S. Massey. He currently serves as the professor of sociology at Princeton University and as the assistant professor of sociology at the University of Pennsylvania. He is an expert in immigration, specifically in residential segregation of black citizens within local communities. The second author of the book is Nancy A. Denton. She currently serves as the director of urban and regional research and as the associate director of social and demographic analysis at the Lewis Mumford Center in Albany, New York. She specializes in immigration, specifically in the families of immigrants and their impact on residential areas.

The book begins by tracing the construction of the black ghetto throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This proves that segregation has not always been common within American cities, but rather emerged at a certain point in time. These communities were formed in opposition to the desires of the blacks, through the beliefs, opinions, and practices of the whites. Their initial purpose was to contain the e...

... middle of paper ...

...ty that has plagued America for generations if they so choose.

In conclusion, racial segregation provides a gateway for countless other forms of injustice. Blacks are forced to live in a world, in which poverty is an epidemic, infrastructure is inadequate, education is non-existent, families are torn apart, and crime and violence are everywhere. Segregation utilizes all of these factors within a certain area to isolate one group of people from another. This apartheid system refuses to acknowledge the rights of blacks as rightful citizens and forces them to endure the consequences of economic, political, and social oppression. That is unfair and unjust. It is ironic how Americans are the first criticize foreign countries, yet remain blind to their own faults. Until they can identify the problem, the United States of America will continue to struggle as a country.