The current multi-racial protests against police brutality of Black people throughout the nation, including those in Milwaukee and Madison, are a result of George Floyd’s murder and the continued violence and slow death of Black people through institutional racism.
We have seen decades and centuries of this violence because racism is a part of the institutions, structures, policies and processes of our society. Some of the looting, arson and vandalism are the result of white supremacist organizations who have infiltrated groups to cause confusion and disarray so that Black protesters will be blamed and viewed as dangerous and wild. While this is a concern, we believe Black protesters are engaged in protests that go beyond physical violence against Black people to include everyday racism experienced. There is a notion of “paradigmatic intersectionality” described by Ange-Marie Hancock, which refers to racialized institutions that disempower and disadvantage young black boys and girls in American society. For instance, Trayvon Martin was in a school system that overwhelmingly punishes black students compared to their white counterparts, his father lived in a predominantly white neighborhood, a space where whites are often suspicious of Black people, and he was a young black boy which, in the eyes of many whites, criminalized him. These racialized structures and racist people intersect and lead to Black people’s specific experiences.
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In Milwaukee, interaction with institutions are further shaped by residential segregation. Historically, ethnic and racial groups in Milwaukee have been concentrated in different areas of the city with most Blacks living in the northern area of the city. Residential segregation is the result of redlining, racist real estate practices, intentional city design such as the construction of I-43, and the defunding of public transportation. Because most of Wisconsin’s black population resides in Milwaukee, perception of the area is often tied to racist perceptions of Black life and Black people.The COVID-19 pandemic revealed the disparities in health care between Blacks and whites in Milwaukee. Instead of the health care system being examined for its historical exploitation of and discrimination against Black people, segregation enables many white Americans to blame black people for their social and economic conditions. While many Blacks are deemed essential workers, they are further exposed to the virus. When Blacks seek health care or healthy food outside of their communities, their presence is questioned and they are viewed as suspicious and as criminals. These experiences further exacerbate discomfort and anxiety. It is physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausting for Black people in Milwaukee.
Considering Black people in Milwaukee, we can apply this idea of paradigmatic intersectionality to illustrate how racialized structures interact to lead to violent death whether it be slow death through hunger, unemployment, incarceration, low-quality health care, extremely under-resourced schools in Black neighborhoods or through police violence. In 2018, the Black Wisconsin unemployment rate was three times higher than the white unemployment rate. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Center for Economic Development researchers Joel Rast, Yaidi Martinez and Lisa Williams found that as of April 2020, 69% of COVID-19 related deaths in Milwaukee County were African Americans. Annysa Johnson, Eric Litke and PrincessSafiya Byers reported in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that in 2020, although Black students made up 51% of Milwaukee Public Schools they were 81% of suspensions and expulsions. Referring to demographer T.J .Matthews’ research, Shamane Mills revealed on Wisconsin Public Radio that as of 2018, Wisconsin had the highest Black-white gap in infant mortality in the United States with black babies being three times more likely to die. While we could cite more studies confirming the violent health, educational, and economic environment in which Blacks in Milwaukee live, the point is that these structures interact to lead to Black physical or social death. How is a person truly living when they face anxiety when they enter a hostile work or school environment?
Orlando Patterson’s notion of social death is useful in the present as it allows us to think about how present conditions leave Black people immobile without the chance to live a full life, free of constant stress due to racism. In a city such as Milwaukee, a young Black child who is suspended from school may fall behind in their schoolwork. Furthermore, this same student may be labeled by their teachers, and these negative perceptions have an impact on this student’s learning. Not only will this student experience school as a stressor, but the other institutions they may interact with such as medical institutions or everyday racism and anti-blackness brings about additional stress and trauma.
Today’s protests about George Floyd’s killing at the hands of police officers are not only about his death but is the culmination of Black people’s frustrations at persistent inequalities that strangle our life chances. Milwaukee’s real killing of Black people such as Dontre Hamilton, high maternal and infantry mortality rates and its social killing of Black people by denying employment, denying quality education or not offering Black-centered education must be dealt with in an intersectional and holistic way. These are not single issues. Policy makers, academics and grassroots activists must think about these issues together. Former Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele signing a resolution declaring that racism is a public health threat is important. However, we must think about how racialized and racist institutions can be dismantled and recreated or radically changed to lead to widespread improvement in the life chances of Milwaukee’s Black population.
Gladys Mitchell-Walthour, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of African & African Diaspora Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Crystal Ellis is a Ph.D. candidate at UW-Milwaukee. They are members of the Wisconsin chapter of the national Scholars Strategy Network, which brings together researchers across the country to improve policy and strengthen democracy.
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