Race is such a hot topic in our everyday social and political discourse that it inevitably rises to the forefront of most such discussions. But whenever race comes up as an issue in conversation, I find myself frequently wondering whether or not race is actually at the heart of the issue.

Far too often, in my opinion, issues assumed to be ones of race are actually issued of economic and social status. Before I give an example, I know the first response will be that issues of race and social/economic status can not be separted. I believe, however, that they can be looked at empirically as separate issues.

For example, most people go into a conversation about affirmative action assuming that race itself is a barrier to higher education. But if we look from a different angle, is that really still the case? I firmly believe that a wealthy black student is far more likely to succeed academically than a poor white student. The wealthy have access and opportunity that the poor do not have, and that fact crosses racial boundaries. Furthermore, if that theoretical black student has two parents instead of one, has a family who places importances on proper manners, proper attire, and schooling in general, then I believe that black student will have every opportunity to succeed in this world. In fact, he or she may have BETTER opportunities than a white counterpart because so many people look at smart black people as extraordinarily valuable commodities in a workplace that places (or perhaps I should say misplaces) such high value on diversity. As a white person, I would truly and honestly feel at a disadvantage competing for a job with a black person of equal intelligence because there is a pervasive feeling in the business world today that smart white people are a dime a dozen, but a smart black person is a real find and an asset to any firm.

There are plenty of other examples of the cross cutting effects of race and economics, but I think the other one that strikes me as obvious is the supposed lack of equality in the criminal justice system, specifically with regards to the death penalty. People assume, once again, that the death penalty is racist or at the very least an issue of race. I think it is nothing of the sort. The same analogy can be applied to this situation, as a rich, successful black man (see Orenthal James Simpson) is far less likely to get the death penalty than a poor white person. Why? Because he has better attorneys and more access to resources. So it doesn't matter if one is white or black; what matters is if one is wealthy, poor, or somewhere in between. Poor people with public defenders will see much harsher sentences than their wealthier counterparts.

Perhaps I am in small company with these beliefs, but I think this lens is equally as legitimate a way of analyzing these issues as any other. We should never assume something to be true unless it is statistically proven, and I don't believe that sufficient proof exists to prove that race itself is a disadvantage in either of these two situations. And there are certainly many others which have not been mentioned yet.

Well, I wonder there a real line between the effects of classism versus racism. I would say that for me the line blurs, way to often. If one is poor and a member of a minority group does it matter. Isms hurt and the ouche of classism is no less painful than pulled over in a car cause I DWB

I think it's difficult to compare what has a "larger" affect on a person's chances-- classism or racism-- and it can become a dangerous game when we begin to try to find the more deserving.

I agree that those who are poor and who come from a poor family have a harder time gaining access to opportunities than those who are rich. However, I would also say that my white skin prevents me from fully knowing the injustices that any person of color experiences because I do not have to face them. I would argue that even those who are well-to-do and black experience face obstacles that you and I have no idea about. For example, I am currently working at a somewhat expensive camp with predominantly white campers, and I have worked with a parent whose 6-year-old child was already being harassed by other 6-year-olds because of the color of her skin. Imagine facing that (to different degrees and in different ways) your entire life.

In regards to the criminal justice system, this website will give you statistical evidence of prejudice in the system: http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?did=105

One of the most disturbing things found (by an Amnesty Report) is that 80 percent of people who are executed are those involving white victims (when black and white victims are almost equal).

I think that it's incredibly important for us to acknowledge the privilege that we have been granted by being born white. We don't get harassed by police because of the color of our skin. People do not avoid us when we're walking down the street because of the color of our skin. People do not assume that we will steal something when we walk into a store because of the color of our skin. Teachers do not make automatic assumptions about us when we walk into the classroom because of the color of our skin. In most places that we go, we can look around us and see that most people have our skin color. We can look at most magazines and television shows and find that almost everyone in or on them has our skin color. We don't have to worry that when we move into a neighborhood that others might move out because of the color of our skin. These are all examples of things that I take for granted because I am white. Most of these things have been proven statistically in one way or another and definitely have an impact on a person's access to opportunities.

While the statistics from the deathpenaltyinfo website are telling, I did not see one that "proves" prejudice in the system. Maybe I missed the one you were talking about since there were a lot of different links, but most of the surveys showed percentages of people of each race who have received or await the death penalty. The fact that black people sit on death row in numbers disproportionate to their population only goes to prove racial injustice if a smaller percentage of black people actually committed death penalty eligible crimes. Furthermore, in order to disprove my earlier point about the issue of class, these statistics would need to be broken down even further to actually serve as evidence of structural racism.

Also, my intention was not to say that we currently have 100% equality or race doesn't matter or anything of that sort. I was trying to point out only that often times we assume that races matters when in reality it matters less than we think. I think that if I were a judge or a district attorney, both legal scholars esteemed highly by their peers, or a logical, thinking member of a 12 person jury that I would be offended by the insinuation that I acted to send someone to death row solely because they are black. While that may have happened on unfortunate and outrageously unfair occassions, I refuse to believe that it happens as a matter of course in the criminal justice system.