biological vs. sociological definitions of race

biological — distinct, shared biological traits within a species derived from one common ancestor
- technically, all humans are one race
- race: a biologically distinct subgroup or sub-species within a species
- ethnicity: groupings of people that have a shared culture, an alleged shared biological ancestry, and a shared “homeland” or alleged place of origin
sociological — appearance-based, based on physical characteristics
- “determined” by traits such as skin color, eye color and shape, bone structure, and hair color and type
- this concept is problematic and has little basis or definition

segregation and gentrification

residential segregation

residential segregation: any lack of intermixing of people of different races in the same neighborhood
- supported by redlining (practice of banks and real estate agents of preventing people of certain races from obtaining housing in certain areas)
affinity: people living around and/or interacting with other people who live the same way

gentrification

when higher-class (usually white) people move into neighborhoods occupied by lower-class people of color, raising property values and forcing out the original inhabitants

blockbusting and white flight (reverse gentrification)

white flight — migration phenomenon
- as people of color moved into predominantly white neighborhoods in cities from which they had previously been excluded, many white residents of those neighborhoods moved out
- they resettled in newly build, overwhelmingly white suburbs
- during the civil rights era, as courts forced school integration and shot down other discriminatory practices, many white people moved out of the city and into the suburbs
blockbusting: the practice of introducing black homeowners into previously all-white neighborhoods in order to spark rapid white flight and housing price decline
- real estate speculators have historically used this technique to profit from prejudice-driven market instability
- after intentionally placing a black homeowner onto a block, speculators told white owners that value deprecation was imminent
- as white residents flee, other white residents sell their homes for even less, depreciating housing prices further and further → “self-fulfilling prophecy”

reservation: an area of land set aside for Indigenous residence and usage by the United States government
run under federal law, but state laws do not apply (autonomous to an extent)
not considered their own nations entirely, but also not entirely part of the United State → deal with the US government in a manner similar to international affairs, but must observe federal laws, ordinances, regulations, etc.
less than 50% of the total Indigenous American population lives on reservations, but reservations remain majority-Indigenous
there are currently (as of 2020) 326 reservations in the US which take up 56.2 million acres of land, or ~2.3% of the country’s total land area
- largest reservation is the Navajo reservation, consisting of 16 million acres across Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico
many reservations were created by treaties, but many treaties were broken and land was stolen; many Indigenous people were forced into Oklahoma in the 1800s, primarily through the Trail of Tears
high poverty and unemployment rates on reservations; high suicide rates and drug abuse; poor overall living conditions
- casinos and other tourist destinations have been created on reservations in the hopes of restoring the local economy
culture is being somewhat preserved on reservations through the continued practice of traditional songs, crafts, languages, dances, and ceremonies

biological — distinct, shared biological traits within a species derived from one common ancestor
- technically, all humans are one race
- race: a biologically distinct subgroup or sub-species within a species
- ethnicity: groupings of people that have a shared culture, an alleged shared biological ancestry, and a shared “homeland” or alleged place of origin
sociological — appearance-based, based on physical characteristics
- “determined” by traits such as skin color, eye color and shape, bone structure, and hair color and type
- this concept is problematic and has little basis or definition

residential segregation

residential segregation: any lack of intermixing of people of different races in the same neighborhood
- supported by redlining (practice of banks and real estate agents of preventing people of certain races from obtaining housing in certain areas)
affinity: people living around and/or interacting with other people who live the same way

gentrification

when higher-class (usually white) people move into neighborhoods occupied by lower-class people of color, raising property values and forcing out the original inhabitants

blockbusting and white flight (reverse gentrification)

white flight — migration phenomenon
- as people of color moved into predominantly white neighborhoods in cities from which they had previously been excluded, many white residents of those neighborhoods moved out
- they resettled in newly build, overwhelmingly white suburbs
- during the civil rights era, as courts forced school integration and shot down other discriminatory practices, many white people moved out of the city and into the suburbs
blockbusting: the practice of introducing black homeowners into previously all-white neighborhoods in order to spark rapid white flight and housing price decline
- real estate speculators have historically used this technique to profit from prejudice-driven market instability
- after intentionally placing a black homeowner onto a block, speculators told white owners that value deprecation was imminent
- as white residents flee, other white residents sell their homes for even less, depreciating housing prices further and further → “self-fulfilling prophecy”

reservation: an area of land set aside for Indigenous residence and usage by the United States government
run under federal law, but state laws do not apply (autonomous to an extent)
not considered their own nations entirely, but also not entirely part of the United State → deal with the US government in a manner similar to international affairs, but must observe federal laws, ordinances, regulations, etc.
less than 50% of the total Indigenous American population lives on reservations, but reservations remain majority-Indigenous
there are currently (as of 2020) 326 reservations in the US which take up 56.2 million acres of land, or ~2.3% of the country’s total land area
- largest reservation is the Navajo reservation, consisting of 16 million acres across Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico
many reservations were created by treaties, but many treaties were broken and land was stolen; many Indigenous people were forced into Oklahoma in the 1800s, primarily through the Trail of Tears
high poverty and unemployment rates on reservations; high suicide rates and drug abuse; poor overall living conditions
- casinos and other tourist destinations have been created on reservations in the hopes of restoring the local economy
culture is being somewhat preserved on reservations through the continued practice of traditional songs, crafts, languages, dances, and ceremonies