Response to Herbert Article & Newt Gingrich Video

Bob Herbert's article in the New York Times on the need for "a new civil rights movement" brings many issues up for discussion.  Herbert seems to believe that a large part of the issues facing the black community stem from "bad behavior," and that if they'd only just "straighten up and fly right," things would start looking up for them.  Herbert makes a rather bold claim, quipping that ,"You don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to know that some of the most serious problems facing blacks in the United States - from poverty to incarceration rates to death at an early age - are linked in varying degrees to behavioral issues and the corrosion of black family life..."  From my own personal standpoint Herbert's article, while making some valid points,seems to largely ignore the structural factors (or roadblocks) that have limited many blacks from pursuing a higher quality of life.  For instance, in addressing the plight of those blacks who live in poverty, Herbert seems to suggest that one just wakes up and says, "Oh you know, I think I'll be poor today."  There have been and still are many factors that contribute to people of color (those with little political representation) and their close association with poverty.  I mean take a moment to to think of America's leading politicians and even business figures - how many well-known high ranking black officials are there in contrast to their white counterparts?  Surely it boils down to more than good behavior.  As far as the high incarceration rates for African Americans, one cannot ignore the "anti-race" let's get tough on crime campaigns that have placed many blacks behind bars, and have honestly been in place since the end of the Civil War (see Michelle Alexander's "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness).  And yes, there are some instances in which an increase in personal responsibility is required, but far more notable and New York Time's worthy are the structural barriers that exist to keep well behaving and not so well behaving blacks in "their place."


As far as Newt Gingrich goes, if he is so willing to go down to the NAACP and deliver a life changing message for black people, how about he really goes and advocates for the conditions of black people in fighting the deeply institutionalized racism that continues to ensure that black people remain in poverty, are poorly educated, and are disproportionately incarcerated?  This video (and the comments below) just further show that America thinks crime and anything related to poor people is a black problem.