I am happy to have the opportunity to review Rich Thanks to Racism: How the Ultra-Wealthy Profit from Racial Injustice (publication date April 15) by civil rights lawyer Jim Freeman, courtesy of Press Shop PR. This book is a current look at how systematic racism is deeply rooted in the history of the United States, and how it continues due to the influence of the wealthy few on government and policy. This is true in just about every aspect of American life, from education to crime and policing to immigration. It is due to these “racism profiteers,” as Freeman calls them, that these deeply embedded issues never get solved. And they don’t just affect people of color, but white people as well, and society as a whole.
Understanding “Strategic Racism”
Despite his years as a civil rights lawyer and experience working with communities of color to end systemic racism (including a stint as a Commissioner on the White House Initiative on Education Excellence for African Americans under President Obama), Jim Freeman only recently realized that there was a bigger issue he was overlooking. He admits right off the bat that he wouldn’t have believed these things himself years ago:
“…but in truth I didn’t really have a clear grasp of who and what we were fighting. At the time, I thought that the biggest obstacle to justice was ignorance. That is what I believed to be our greatest enemy. It was only much later in my career that I realized that what we were really fighting against was much, much worse than that.”
Why, Freeman wondered, despite the many advances there have been for people of color over the past half century, does it seem that racism and inequality are still huge problems, or have even gotten worse? Even the victories feel hollow after a certain point due to the endless resistance against them.
He eventually realized that the opponents on every issue, whether reforms in education, voting rights, or criminal justice, had almost the same talking points each time. Most importantly, they were supported by the same few organizations, think tanks, and media outlets. And the end result was always policy that negatively impacted people of color.
This led Freeman to discover that these policies were always supported by the same group of ultra-wealthy people–and they were doing so strategically. They were literally getting rich thanks to racism.
While racism on an individual level is of course harmful, it is policies that shape everything in society, particularly for the most vulnerable. Yet there is no “collective urgency” to address them, which Freeman identifies as “the most pervasive form of modern-day racism.”
Even for someone as experienced in this field as Freeman, this was a major shift in thinking. It’s not ignorance that’s the main problem, but the fact that systemic racism and injustice is good business for this wealthy group–even for those you would not expect to be “racist” or “conservative.” This is not often discussed in the public sphere due to the huge influence these individuals have, but nothing will change unless this is somehow addressed. This is how Freeman came up with the term “strategic racism.” While it took Freeman years to figure this out, this is something people of color have known for a long time.
Freeman’s mission in Rich Thanks to Racism is to help mainly white people understand this fuller context of systemic racial inequity–not only because it’s the right thing morally, but because this network of wealth affects the lives of white Americans as well, and makes it their objective to pit white and non-white against each other in order to create as much chaos and distraction as possible while they count their money made off of it. The solutions to this are easy in theory, but will be nearly impossible to implement without a population armed with this knowledge. Understanding this will hopefully lead to a better outcome for all Americans.
Examples: Education, Criminal Justice, Immigration
The major areas in American life where these racism profiteers thrive are education, criminal justice, and immigration. Schools that are falling apart, mass incarceration of (mostly) black men, and the mess of immigration and issues at the border all are made worse as a result of this “strategic racism.” As Freeman explains, this is not an accident, but the result of years of dedicated campaigning by those who wish to profit off of such failures. In examples such as the promotion of charter schools as an alternative to failing public schools, support for private prisons and “criminalization” of poverty, and systemic discrimination against the undocumented supported by contracts with ICE, we see the hands of the ultra wealthy directly involved.
After explaining in detail the various issues that fall under these larger umbrella categories, Freeman offers solutions just as detailed, many of which involved defunding the very institutions that are causing this harm, so that this “dark money” can’t continue to flow directly towards people’s oppression. He ends on an optimistic note by asserting that only by recognizing “our fundamental interdependence” and “embracing our shared humanity” will we “ensure that racism is never again a source of profit,” and that America will live up to its true potential.
While I appreciate Freeman’s ideas, I’m not sure I share his optimism. I believe the last 20 years or so have sowed so much division and that government is so dysfunctional that we have completely lost our way. It seems we can’t find common ground on much of anything, and while I generally agree with the ideas Freeman presents, I believe he overestimates how receptive the country as a whole will be towards them, particularly his ideas around undocumented immigrants.
That said, I do think Rich Thanks to Racism is an important project that is worth looking into, especially for those who are relatively new to politics and why nothing in America seems to work or even those who know a fair amount and are interested in diving deeper–I was aware of much of what Freeman discussed generally, but he digs into a lot of specific information. If there is indeed hope for any change at all, it will start with awareness of where the problem really comes from–the ultra wealthy who use their wealth as power to manipulate and oppress the rest of us.
Thanks for reading! Please check out my new book on great women in Groundbreaking history, including Pauli Murray, Jeannette Rankin, Shirley Chisholm, and more!
For more book reviews, check out my review on Joe Trotter’s Workers on Arrival.
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