On Nov 13, 2007, at 3:11 PM, Dwayne Monroe wrote:
> Of course, family support is crucial but equally important is the need
> for social forgiveness. "Forgiveness" is not the best word; it's
> weighted with unfortunate moralist connotations. By "forgiveness" I
> mean
> the willingness of employers et. al. to perceive this person as
> 'one of
> us' and deserving of a chance.
And if by chance, and the odds are not long, such a kid should find himself in jail, he's going to be seriously fucked when he gets out. For which, see Devah Pager's new book Marked, or listen to my interview with her from last Thursday:
<http://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/Radio.html#071108>.
Also, black families have considerably smaller savings than whites at the same income level, so if the family as a collective hits a rough patch they're far more likely to take a hard fall.
In an environment where people of any color are more likely to go to jail and more likely to take a spill than in the past, this double whammy is especially hard on blacks.
Doug