Equality of Opportunity American ideal that we should

Equality of Opportunity • American ideal that we should pursue policies that create equality of opportunity for all citizens and that citizens should be free to maximize their fortunes/happiness under conditions of relatively equal opportunity – Equality of process not outcomes • Most American debates take this form of equal opportunity over equality of outcomes • Does equality of opportunity exist?

Myth of Equality of Opportunity? • Historic oppression and foundations of discrimination – Slavery and dehumanization of racial minorities – Jim Crow, residential segregation and forced neighborhood exclusion based upon race and socioeconomic status • Inheritance, property and wealth accumulation across generations – Unequal racial “starting points” – Rawls – Some will have to work “twice as hard” and be “twice as ambitious” to achieve the same level of upward mobility • Connections, rich social networks, and advantaged rolodexes – It’s not what you know but who you know – Exposure and occupational opportunities oftentimes vary by race • Unequal educational opportunities and limited access to financial capital

Race and (In)Equality of Opportunity • Structural inequality and racial minorities – Residential and neighborhood segregation • Suburbanization, “redlining”, and housing discrimination • Inner-city abandonment and concentrated “ghetto” and “barrio” poverty in modern America – – – – – Criminal justice discrimination & mass incarceration Employment discrimination Growing wealth inequality Inheritance & property accumulation Limited access to banking institutions & financial capital Limited access to health insurance & health services Limited access to educational opportunities Limited access to automobile transportation & mobility Limited access to healthy, natural & nourishing foods Environmental racism: Lingering effects of asbestos & lead

Race and Equality of Opportunity • Centuries of oppression and subjugation led to unequal starting points based on race both historically and arguably in contemporary times • Unable to acquire and accumulate property and wealth across generations – Residue of slavery and Jim Crow remains today • Arguably, centuries of unjust accumulation of resources and exclusive opportunities accruing to dominant white population at the expense of minorities