Zone1 To The White People Who Believe Black People Have More Rights Than They Do

[Lisa558]

The answer is still the same and it's not going to change because it's the same answer to the question of why have the "Irish, Italians, Jewish people, Asians, etc." been able to "progress, assimilate, etc." but Black people haven't.

BECAUSE NONE OF THOSE PEOPLE ARE BLACK therefore they are not and never were subjected to the anti-Black racism that was a part of the fabric of the United States for close to 200 years of its existence.

And because there are still white and other racists who lie and claim things like "Black people need a hand up" when affirmative action only provides opportunities in an attempt to counter the impediments put in place such as the institutional racism installed by the white supremacists who created our system as well as the laws that enforce[d] the racial segregation and discrimination against Black people here in the U.S.

What affirmative action doesn't provide are shoe in jobs to unqualified Black people as you all seem intent on keeping this particular falsehood alive.

We got rid of all that generations ago. As a result, most blacks are now working class or higher, as are most whites. Mission accomplished.

 

[NewsVine_Mariyam]

Nope, never going to happen. White people, who are going to be the majority for a long time, simply won't put up with it. Neither will Asian people, for that matter, I doubt Hispanics will. So while you are on your way to being the country's fourth largest ethnic group, wonder why the others are passing you up, and what they are doing right vs. what you are doing wrong. You don't see Asians waiting for "reparations", they get out there and they work.

You know, the topics I mentioned, the Ukraine war, middle eastern wars, homeless problem, etc. was not to discuss policy, my point was did any of you get to call up Uncle Sam and tell him "I'm paying for that, send my tax money back"? If you don't agree with any of these events but YOUR tax money is being spent on it anyway, why in the hell do you think you get to tell our government that they can't spend THEIR money on reparations.

And while it's true that White people are the majority, you seem to be under the impression that the majority of white people are racist or that if they aren't racist, the idea of our government paying reparations will turn them into racists? You know that doesn't make any sense right? And you all will do what exactly? Revolt? You may as well get comfortable with it because the train has already begun moving.

Would you mind elaborating on how you imagine that I'm being passed up and what exactly Asians and Hispanics are doing right that I should be emulating?

Is it because the Ukrainians are white that you all don't have a problem with our government sending them $50 billion of our tax dollars but you put your foot down if our government even dares to consider reparations for the real harm that their laws, policies and court rulings have caused to Black people?

And I'm not sure why you brought up the war on poverty considering there are more whites living in poverty than Blacks. Do you resent the money spent on poor whites or is it only poor Blacks that you have an issue with?

 

[SweetSue92]

You know, the topics I mentioned, the Ukraine war, middle eastern wars, homeless problem, etc. was not to discuss policy, my point was did any of you get to call up Uncle Sam and tell him "I'm paying for that, send my tax money back"? If you don't agree with any of these events but YOUR tax money is being spent on it anyway, why in the hell do you think you get to tell our government that they can't spend THEIR money on reparations.

And while it's true that White people are the majority, you seem to be under the impression that the majority of white people are racist or that if they aren't racist, the idea of our government paying reparations will turn them into racists? You know that doesn't make any sense right? And you all will do what exactly? Revolt? You may as well get comfortable with it because the train has already begun moving.

Would you mind elaborating on how you imagine that I'm being passed up and what exactly Asians and Hispanics are doing right that I should be emulating?

Is it because the Ukrainians are white that you all don't have a problem with our government sending them $50 billion of our tax dollars but you put your foot down if our government even dares to consider reparations for the real harm that their laws, policies and court rulings have caused to Black people?

And I'm not sure why you brought up the war on poverty considering there are more whites living in poverty than Blacks. Do you resent the money spent on poor whites or is it only poor Blacks that you have an issue with?

Uhhhh.....who are you invoking with the Ukrainian money pit? Just Joe, or who is "you all"? No doubt about it from my end. More American money for ALL Americans, and how about legal ones? And how about not another red cent for Ukraine.

But yeah, the Leftists just love Ukraine for whatever reason....

 

[Lisa558]

It's still colorblind however when a company is ordered to increase the number of women or minorities it's usually because they've been adjudicated to have discriminated against said groups in the past (or have signed a consent decree).

In other words, that's a requirement that becomes part of how they make their workforce for inclusive and equitable and more representative of those groups in the general population.

But that only applies if a company is hiring lesser-qualified whites over better-qualified blacks. The fact is that the opposite is true - and mosr pervasive in the federal government.

That‘s what’s so funny - no, sad - about Biden’s agency to increase diversity. The government hires unqualified or lesser qualified blacks over whites all the time. That is the reason there’s so much incompetence in the government - they are prioritizing race over competence.

I personally know two white people who lost out on promotions in the government to blacks laughingly unqualified. They both sued - and won. They got the jobs they deserved, the differential in back pay, and the blacks who never should have gotten the promotions in the first place were places back in their original positions.

 

[SaxonJackson]

The smartest people should be at the top of the list for consideration where smart people are required.

We can solve this issue once and for all. IQ tests!! If everyone is born "equal" then everyone has an equal chance to pass a rigid IQ test. The ones who pass win. The ones who don't pass lose.

We can completely eliminate the claim that "only whites" or "only blacks" are discriminated against by having a crowd of people take the tests without revealing their race. Each is assigned a number which they keep on their person. At the top of the test, where it says "name of applicant," simply write your number down.

When the tests are complete, they're run through a machine (make sure the machines aren't produced by Dominion because it could take days to get the results) which calculate the results. The "numbers" that pass the test are recruited, while the "numbers" that fail the test go back home and whimper that they were "discriminated" against.

 

[NewsVine_Mariyam]

Reparations are tricky in the US because slavery wasn't a universal horror show; not all states enacted it. Yet all Americans will pay reparations. Similarly with Jim Crowe laws. I guess you could make the case that the US endured it for however long--but then, some northerners lost entire families of sons fighting for the North, and that war ended slavery. Is that family to pay reparations after paying so dear a price?

That's what's so sticky. But the fact that there WAS slavery and Jim Crowe in this nation is why I am a reluctant advocate of affirmation action in hiring and college admissions. Reluctant because it's not really Constitutional--but then, neither was slavery. So there's that.

Any plan will not be perfect but so many don't want it to even be considered because slavery was so long ago however slavery was just the beginning. After it's abolishment began the new era of "slavery by another name" and Black people still lived under legal segregation in the U.S.

But individual families will not be paying. Hell my taxes probably go to many of the programs used to violate my rights and they're nothing I can do about that because there is no sufficient remedy for those types of government abuses.

 

[NewsVine_Mariyam]

Uhhhh.....who are you invoking with the Ukrainian money pit? Just Joe, or who is "you all"? No doubt about it from my end. More American money for ALL Americans, and how about legal ones? And how about not another red cent for Ukraine.

But yeah, the Leftists just love Ukraine for whatever reason....

My comment was in response to Joe, but he's not the first individual here to state they don't want their tax dollars going towards paying reparations. I brought up the war in Ukraine as well as several other programs that our tax dollars have funded and was making the point that we didn't and still don't get a choice in what our government spends our tax dollars on.

Our government is not responsible for what happened to the people of Ukraine but it has sent 50 billion dollars to them nonetheless. I was just curious why no one has an issue with that set of circumstances of helping them but doesn't want to pay anything to people it has actually harmed (through laws, policies, procedures, court cases, etc.)

 

[Lisa558]

Any plan will not be perfect but so many don't want it to even be considered because slavery was so long ago however slavery was just the beginning. After it's abolishment began the new era of "slavery by another name" and Black people still lived under legal segregation in the U.S.

But individual families will not be paying. Hell my taxes probably go to many of the programs used to violate my rights and they're nothing I can do about that because there is no sufficient remedy for those types of government abuses.

Yes, individual families will be paying, via taxes, and then the money will distributed to black families. That means black families NET money from this. White families pay.

Let‘s reduce it to simpler terms: There’s a neighborhood of 100 houses, and 90 are owned by whites and 10 by blacks. Now the HOA declares that reparations should be made to black families, and that all every family black or white must pitch in $1000.

Now they’ve collected $100,000 and divide it among the black families, with each getting $10,000. So the whites have paid in $1,000 and the blacks net $9,000. Your answer is really going to be “well, black families paid in too!”?

 

[Baron Von Murderpaws]

If you really cared about underprivileged Black people, you wouldn't mock a man dedicating his life to help them.

I find it interesting that these types of woke nutters do nothing but complain, when they have more freedoms than any other country on this planet, the government literally gives them anything they want...........and yet they NEVER honor those blacks who made the truly HARSH journeys through life, in order to bring them this cushy, easy, soft life they have all come to whine, *****, and complain about 365 days a year.

 

[Baron Von Murderpaws]

This speaks for itself.

To The White People Who Believe Black People Have More Rights Than They Do

Listen to the conversations surrounding affirmative action. The underlying sentiment from those opposed is that someone is taking something away from white people that they are entitled to. A similar complaint, mainly promoted and funded by white people, is that Asians suffer because Black people are getting their spots for college admissions to top schools. The truth is that segments of the white population are pitting minority populations against each other while they keep the lion's share. Affirmative action exists because jobs, business opportunities, and college admissions were almost exclusively reserved for whites, whether by law or tradition. What they see as their rights being taken away is simply opening up opportunities to those previously denied.​

White people initially granted themselves to and later saw reduced; the right to vote, the right to hold political office, the right to an education, the right to many jobs, preferred seating on public transportation, separate drinking fountains, special seating at movies, better access to grocery stores, banks, and medical care. There was no aspect of American society where white people didn't have an advantage, and many see gains by minorities as an affront to themselves.

Many white people, certainly not all, think Black people are taking their rights away. Read the comments section after any race-related Internet posts, and it's clear.

Exactly WHAT is "owed" to you?

You get FREE shit from the government, and have been given free shit since slavery was abolished in this country.
Abolished by a WHITE MAN AND HIS WHITE ADMINISTRATION!!!

And nobody was having problems until the Democrats came along with their newly formed Ku Klux Klan organization, to introduce radical RACISM, HATE, and VIOLENCE on blacks during the time when blacks were becoming notable citizens, working good jobs, and even getting into eductaion. The Dems had a major problem with that.......but nobody else did..............but you BLAME ALL WHITE PEOPLE.

And from the Dem's KKK initiatives, rose some of the best human rights speakers the USA has ever had...........

• Julian Bond
• Medgar Evers
• Charles Hamilton Houston
• James Weldon Johnson
• Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Oscar Micheaux
• Harry T. and Hariette Moore
• Mary White Ovington
• Rosa Parks
• Roy Wilkins
• Carter G. Woodson

And yet, you do nothing but use and abuse a very few of their quotes, twist them and bastardize them, into something negative and narcissitic on your own behalf. These people fought for equal treatment and happiness for all, not just blacks. Although some may see it differently. But YOU do nothing but harp and hang on all the BAD, all the fuktards that were part of the Dem hatred they spread, part of the stupidity and ignorance, blaming ANYBODY WITH LIGHT SKIN for YOUR problems. PLENTY of whites were in these organizations, but I don't hear you preaching THEIR postitives to helping create an enlightened and equally happy society.

Seems to me, YOU are the problem. Just like the Democrats who still to this day encompass, preach, and foster hate, bigotry, and racism in this country that they organized back in 1865...........you STILL BLAME EVERYBODY.

THAT is all YOUR problem. And as long as YOU live with your head up your ass......it will continue to be YOUR problem for your entire life. Why? Because you've gone along with the Democrats (white men and women I might add) brainwashing propaganda to continue to foster and create more hate, animosity, bigotry, prejudice, and racism in this country. You are nothing more than their pawn for their agenda to destroy this country from within. And again, thats YOUR problem.

YOU and the likes of YOU keep the philosophies of the Democrat created KKK alive and well, and continue to do so with every whine, every *****, every complaint, and every finger pointing hypocrisy you make. This is why Dems love blacks........you're their favorite social puppets to play with and control.

Many blacks in this country have seen this and deprogrammed themselves from the Democrat lies, hypocrisy, and abuse of being their pawns and puppets, and just gotten on with their lives and families, becoming a force against the Dems KKK philosophies and propaganda. Why can't you?

AGAIN..............YOUR PROBLEM!!!

 

[hadit]

Incorrect. But that's what your right wing race hustlers tell you.

“While people of color, individually and as groups, have been helped by affirmative action in the subsequent years, data and studies suggest women — white women in particular — have benefited disproportionately. According to one study, in 1995, 6 million women, the majority of whom were white, had jobs they wouldn’t have otherwise held but for affirmative action.”
-Sally Kohn

Sally Kohn, Affirmative Action Has Helped White Women More Than Anyone, Time, JUNE 17, 2013, Affirmative Action Has Helped White Women More Than Anyone affirmative-action-civil-rights-white-women/#:~:text=But%20 study%20after%20study%20shows%20that%20affirmative%20 action,affirmative%20action%20helps%20the%20most%20in% 20America%20today.

Fact Sheet: Affirmative Action and What It Means for Women, July 1, 2000, The National Womens Law Center, Home - National Women's Law Center resources/affirmative-action-and-what-it-means-women/

Tim Wise, Is Sisterhood Conditional?: White Women and the Rollback of Affirmative Action, September 23, 1998, http://www.timwise.org/1998/09/is-s...women-and-the-rollback-of-affirmative-action/

ictoria M. Massie, White women benefit most from affirmative action — and are among its fiercest opponents, White women benefit most from affirmative action — and are among its fiercest opponents

Who could ever predict that government action would not do exactly what it is supposed to do? The same thing will happen should the government decide to tax black Americans to pay reparations to black and white descendants of slaves.

 

[Lisa558]

Exactly WHAT is "owed" to you?

You get FREE shit from the government, and have been given free shit since slavery was abolished in this country.
Abolished by a WHITE MAN AND HIS WHITE ADMINISTRATION!!!

And nobody was having problems until the Democrats came along with their newly formed Ku Klux Klan organization, to introduce radical RACISM, HATE, and VIOLENCE on blacks during the time when blacks were becoming notable citizens, working good jobs, and even getting into eductaion. The Dems had a major problem with that.......but nobody else did..............but you BLAME ALL WHITE PEOPLE.

And from the Dem's KKK initiatives, rose some of the best human rights speakers the USA has ever had...........

• Julian Bond
• Medgar Evers
• Charles Hamilton Houston
• James Weldon Johnson
• Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Oscar Micheaux
• Harry T. and Hariette Moore
• Mary White Ovington
• Rosa Parks
• Roy Wilkins
• Carter G. Woodson

And yet, you do nothing but use and abuse a very few of their quotes, twist them and bastardize them, into something negative and narcissitic on your own behalf. These people fought for equal treatment and happiness for all, not just blacks. Although some may see it differently. But YOU do nothing but harp and hang on all the BAD, all the fuktards that were part of the Dem hatred they spread, part of the stupidity and ignorance, blaming ANYBODY WITH LIGHT SKIN for YOUR problems. PLENTY of whites were in these organizations, but I don't hear you preaching THEIR postitives to helping create an enlightened and equally happy society.

Seems to me, YOU are the problem. Just like the Democrats who still to this day encompass, preach, and foster hate, bigotry, and racism in this country that they organized back in 1865...........you STILL BLAME EVERYBODY.

THAT is all YOUR problem. And as long as YOU live with your head up your ass......it will continue to be YOUR problem for your entire life. Why? Because you've gone along with the Democrats (white men and women I might add) brainwashing propaganda to continue to foster and create more hate, animosity, bigotry, prejudice, and racism in this country. You are nothing more than their pawn for their agenda to destroy this country from within. And again, thats YOUR problem.

YOU and the likes of YOU keep the philosophies of the Democrat created KKK alive and well, and continue to do so with every whine, every *****, every complaint, and every finger pointing hypocrisy you make. This is why Dems love blacks........you're their favorite social puppets to play with and control.

Many blacks in this country have seen this and deprogrammed themselves from the Democrat lies, hypocrisy, and abuse of being their pawns and puppets, and just gotten on with their lives and families, becoming a force against the Dems KKK philosophies and propaganda. Why can't you?

AGAIN..............YOUR PROBLEM!!!

Actually, if there’s a higher percentage of crime and poverty among blacks, it’s YOUR PROBLEM. Get your people to behave.

 

[Baron Von Murderpaws]

Actually, if there’s a higher percentage of crime and poverty among blacks, it’s YOUR PROBLEM. Get your people to behave.

Yeah, but WHO is responsible for that? The blacks themselves.
MILLIONS of black people born into poverty have risen above it and become industry leaders, big name athletes, corporate executives, inventors, realtors, eductional professors...........

They are only there because thats where they WANT to be. Otherwise they have to WORK. Why WORK when you can sit on your fat, gargantuan ass, collecting welfare, shovelling fried chicken down their throats, and popping out welfare babies while watching Oprah?

They CHOOSE that life. Again...........THATS ALL THEIR OWN FAULTS!!!

 

[JoeB131]

And this scenario has only ever played out with a Black person? You've never worked with a white person who did the same thing?

More than a few. But you see, here's the thing. In fact, I would say that Nepotism/**** buddy hires are probably a lot worse to deal with.
The Affirmative Action Hire is a government mandate. If I'm forced to hire an inept person because the government makes me do so, and I can't fire her without incurring the wrath of the EEOC, that's an imposition. The government isn't going to lose money because she didn't do her job right, I am as the business owner.

On the other hand, if I decide to hire my drinking buddy and he turns out to be a screwup, then that's on me.

 

[JoeB131]

hat's what's so sticky. But the fact that there WAS slavery and Jim Crowe in this nation is why I am a reluctant advocate of affirmation action in hiring and college admissions. Reluctant because it's not really Constitutional--but then, neither was slavery. So there's that.

Actually Slavery was constitutional. See also the Dred Scott decision.

 

[JoeB131]

You know, the topics I mentioned, the Ukraine war, middle eastern wars, homeless problem, etc. was not to discuss policy, my point was did any of you get to call up Uncle Sam and tell him "I'm paying for that, send my tax money back"? If you don't agree with any of these events but YOUR tax money is being spent on it anyway, why in the hell do you think you get to tell our government that they can't spend THEIR money on reparations.

Because most people agree on what we are spending money on. Most people oppose reparations.

UMass Amherst/WCVB Poll Finds Nearly Half of Americans Say the Federal Government Definitely Should Not Pay Reparations to the Descendants of Slaves | UMass Amherst

Nearly two-thirds of Americans and 90% of Republicans oppose the idea of providing reparations to the descendants of slaves, according to the results of a nationwide UMass Amherst/WCVB poll released today.

www.umass.edu

It's a massively unpopular idea even in concept, much less execution.

And while it's true that White people are the majority, you seem to be under the impression that the majority of white people are racist or that if they aren't racist, the idea of our government paying reparations will turn them into racists? You know that doesn't make any sense right? And you all will do what exactly? Revolt? You may as well get comfortable with it because the train has already begun moving.

Uh, the train is going nowhere. Here's the problem with reparations... it's not just whites who are going to have to pay them. It's also Hispanics and Asians, most of whom weren't even in the country when the objectional behavior happened.

Would you mind elaborating on how you imagine that I'm being passed up and what exactly Asians and Hispanics are doing right that I should be emulating?

You personally? Have no idea, I don't know you.
The African American community in general.
Um, okay,

Short list.

Stop having kids out of wedlock.

Stop turning criminals into folk heroes.

This is bullshit.

When they are lucky enough to get a job, treat it like the privilege it is.

Is it because the Ukrainians are white that you all don't have a problem with our government sending them $50 billion of our tax dollars but you put your foot down if our government even dares to consider reparations for the real harm that their laws, policies and court rulings have caused to Black people?

I'm for sending $50 Billion to the Ukraine because they are standing up to Russian Aggression.

We've already poured 22 Trillion into the Ghettos and slums, and we've probably made the problems worse. When I was a teen, we used to have a public housing project plopped right in the middle of our neighborhood. (It wasn't one of those high-rise slums). It didn't elevate the people in the project, it brought down the surrounding area. Eventually, they closed it down, tore down the building and left the trees. They have it fenced off now because they have no idea what to do with it.

And I'm not sure why you brought up the war on poverty considering there are more whites living in poverty than Blacks. Do you resent the money spent on poor whites or is it only poor Blacks that you have an issue with?

I have a problem with spending money to subsidize bad behavior, whether it be a ghetto or a trailer park.

The first thing I would do is replace Welfare with Workfare. You want your check, you have to show up at a job. Every day. Do what the boss tells you to do. Gain some job skills.

For those playing along at home, I have a business writing resumes. Do you know what I've never seen on a resume? Spent 10 years collecting welfare. Work begets work. Welfare begets welfare, and when you are on your fourth generation of welfare, there is a problem, and it has nothing to do with "slavery" or "Jim Crow".

 

[Hector12]

The country’s oldest institution of higher education broadly defended its longstanding effort for racial diversity as part of the education mission.

Diversity is only valuable when there is no diversity of merit.

I see no benefit whatsoever in lowering objective criteria of excellence for blacks, simply because they tend to be less intelligent than whites and East Asians.

Lower average IQ's for blacks are not caused by what happened to their ancestors one or two centuries ago, but what never happened to their ancestors. The process of human evolution has not prepared most Negroes for characteristics necessary to thrive in civilized society.

Cold climates select genetically for intelligence and monogamy. Civilizations select genetically for intelligence and obedience to the law.

This is why whites of European ancestry and East Asians have created the most advanced civilizations in the world. It is why the quality of civilization in black run countries, and in black run cities in the United States is declining.

 

[MarathonMike]

You and your wife too if you want to drag her into it, are perpetuating the myth that Black people who are hired into plum jobs are not qualified to hold them or are lesser qualified than let's say a white candidate who also wanted the job.

Of course I know how laws get twisted, misapplied or ignored by individuals. It happens every time a racist white hiring manager or recruiter ignores the Civil Rights Act because they don't agree with it and instead in direct violation of said laws hires whoever the hell they want to hire thereby depriving some minority candidate of an opportunity. Ask Flash, he brags about how he would immediately throw any resumes with "Black sounding names" into the trash. That is definitely a violation but he doesn't care and proof that changing the laws did nothing to change the hearts and minds of the white racists among us.

But when this happens, why are you all blaming affirmative action? And what about when it was happening to the benefit of whites prior to the enactment of affirmative action, why wasn't the disparity in hiring then a problem?

And something that none of you seem to understand is that there are a myriad of traits and characteristics that make a person a good candidate or a more desirable candidate than another and this applies to students as well as employees.

This is much more than individuals taking it upon themselves to hire or admit less qualified Black applicants in lieu of more qualified White or Asian applicants. DEI and ESG is what is driving the uptrend in this practice, it is pushed every day through emails, meetings and policies. You can pretend preferential hiring and admissions of less or under-qualified Black applicants doesn't happen, but you lose credibility when you make patently false statements.

 

[MizMolly]

Why do you all hold yourself in such high esteem? You all are NOT the government who put these racist policies in place that then allowed Black people to be lawfully discriminated and abused by just about any racist white they we had the misfortune to encounter.

And before anyone brings up their taxes, in what other instances do the American people get to prevent our government from spending the money that they collect from us as taxes, on things we don't want or agree with?

Todays government is NOT the same government who put racist policies in place.

 

[IM2]

Hey, IM. My people came off the boat a hundred years ago and your people them to go back. They were called "jive ass h******" and "cracker mf'ers" and blamed for slavery by teeming masses demanding reparations.

But they stayed anyone, and made their own way.

Why can't we all just get along? Poland isn't your problem.

Wrong.

Here it is important to understand how, exactly, Americans ‘become white’. The history of Polish-Americans is an illuminating example. Upon arriving in the U.S. en masse in the late 19th and early 20th century, Poles endured discrimination based on their appearance, religion and culture. In 1903, the New England Magazine decried the Poles’ “expressionless Slavic faces” and “stunted figures” as well as their inherent “ignorance” and “propensity to violence”. Working for terrible wages, Polish workers were renamed things like “Thomas Jefferson” by their bigoted Anglo-Saxon bosses who refused to utter Polish names.

The Poles, in other words, were not considered white. Far from it: they were considered a mysterious menace that should be expelled. When Polish-American Leon Czolgosz killed President William McKinley in 1901, all Poles were deemed potential violent anarchists. “All people are mourning, and it is caused by a maniac who is of our nationality,” a Polish-American newspaper wrote, pressured to apologize for their own people. The collective blame of Poles for terrorism bears great similarity to how Muslims (both in the U.S. and Europe) are collectively blamed today.

But then something changed. In 1919, Irish gangs in blackface attacked Polish neighborhoods in Chicago in an attempt to convince Poles, and other Eastern European groups, that they, too, were “white” and should join them in the fight against blacks. As historian David R. Roediger recalls, “Poles argued that the riot was a conflict between blacks and whites, with Poles abstaining because they belonged to neither group.” But the Irish gangs considered whiteness, as is often the case in America, as anti-blackness. And as in the early 20th century Chicago experienced an influx not only of white immigrants from Europe, but blacks from the South, white groups who felt threatened by black arrivals decided that it would be politically advantageous if the Poles were considered white as well.

With that new white identity came the ability to practice the discrimination they had once endured. Over time, the strategy of positioning Poles as “white” against a dark-skinned “other” was successful. Poles came to consider themselves white, and more importantly, they came to be considered white by their fellow Americans, as did Italians, Greeks, Jews, Russians, and others from Southern and Eastern Europe, all of whom held an ambivalent racial status in U.S. society. Also, intermarriage between white ethnic groups led some to embrace a broader white identity.”

How do you become “white” in America?