Racism in Minnesota as a Midwestern state was historically very widespread as in the territory where slavery and racial discrimination were present in 19 century and persisted for a large part of the 20th century. Notwithstanding the fact of the large civil movement against racism in Minnesota beginning in the mid-20 century racism persists in this state in different forms of violent assaults on blacks, racial prejudices, institutionalized racial discrimination in work, authority, etc.
These processes are accompanied by the racialization of lower classes as the black population becomes the poorest layer in society. The institutionalization of racism is evident in illegal and prejudiced jurisdiction for blacks and other forms of discrimination. Racial disparities exist in many issues concerning social life. For instance, they exist not only in the homeownership rates, but in home values as well and this is the case even for the people with an equal income. For earnings between $30000 and $74999 the home value is: $129200 for white people, $71600 for African Americans, $92100 for Latinos.
In 1999 homeowners of black origin had 18% valueless for their homes than white owners in 1990. This gap can be named ‘segregation tax’ because it mainly results from racial segregation in the neighborhoods. The gap in home value depends on the scope of segregation. The metro areas in Minnesota have the highest segregation tax.
Racial segregation can be also found in education as less percent of white students and an increasingly growing number of students of color are educated in school settings considerably segregated. In 2003 Black and Latin 4-grade students were likely to study in the high poverty schools (evaluated by the number of students being eligible for subsidized lunch) and there was a very low percentage of their study in low-poverty schools. The same is true of the school’s location. Black and Hispanic pupils and students were predominantly concentrated in the poorest schools in the central city, urban fringes, and rural areas.
From the beginning of the 20th-century racism that was presented in the form of slavery transformed to institutionalized racism in a form of legal discrimination of the American citizens of African origin. This was particularly a case for Minnesota state where the black population was widely represented. Notwithstanding the fact of technical capacity to vote and poll taxes, acts of terror (of such organizations as Ku Klux Klan found in the South and further disseminated to other states) and various discriminatory laws, for example, grandfather clauses, kept the Black population oppressed, particularly in North-Eastern regions of Minnesota.
As a response to institutionalized racism different protests, lobbyist antiracist groups emerged in the United States in general and in Minnesota in particular, the most notable of which, NAACP – National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1909. In the modern era, the number and scope of such advocacy organizations increasingly expanded. One of the most active anti-racist organizations in Minnesota is MCARI – The Minnesota Collaborative Anti-Racism Initiative which implements important anti-racism programs analyzes racist accidents and cooperates with state and justice agencies. Educational institutions such as Minnesota State University organize anti-racist training and courses for their students; anti-racist content is extensively presented in the curriculum.
However important all these processes and initiatives are, the problem of racism is still burning in Minnesota. Racist messages are painted on walls (such as ‘Get out of St. Cloud Nigger’, racist insults are common, and offenses are made against black’s homes and property.
References
Aptheker, Herbert. Anti-Racism in U. S. History: The First Two Hundred Years. Westport, CT: Praeger, 1993.