Race and Social Class

“I can’t help it, that I am Black.” “Why can’t people except me the way I am?” “Do you want me to go hang myself?” Surprised that someone would say this things still in this century, well don’t be because race will always be there. These are the things that were said by a floor mate of mine name Shelly. She is so nice but she is always upset because this guy name Mike makes remarks about her and she can’t say or do anything to change how he feels. She got drunk last night and she said everything that was on her mind to Mike and all he did was walk away. The reason I told you about Shelly because she is only one of those many people who go through torcher from other people. I thought that what Mike was doing to Shelly was unfair because she and her family has worked so hard to be where they are today. To my knowledge, Shelly’s parents are probably middle class and are fitting in the society. On the other hand, Mike’s parents are in high class level and I think that is why he is the way he is towards Blacks. He once told me that he has never lived in the same area as a Black family.

William Julius Wilson determines life chances and the important factors of social class. He is a Black man from Harvard University. He wrote a book called “Declining Significance of Race”. Wilson has many arguments, he argues that the city has low skilled people with low income, while the suburbs has more high class opportunity and so the suburbs have more high class people. He also argues that addressing the needs of the underclass cannot be based only on race, instead he says “ it’s quite clear to me that we’re going to have to revise discussion of the need for WPA style jobs. Only these more structurally based programs, open to all in need, are likely to garner political support among the majority and to address the deep-seated problems that changes in the global economy have wrought”(Time, June 17, 1996:57).