SOCL Exam #2

Manifesting an A

Expulsion

A dominant group forcefully moves subordinate groups into specific geographic area.

Anglo-conformity

Minority group members learn the ways of a majority group to be included into a society.

Melting Pot

Different groups learn and incorporate the ways of others, creating a mixture that reflects every group.

Pluralism

A combination of the maintenance of cultural distinctiveness and the provision of equal opportunities in economic and political spheres.

Separatism

A minority group separate completely (politically, economically,
culturally) from the dominant group.

Cultural Assimilation

A person or a group learns cultural patterns of a different group.

Primary Structural Assimilation

The inclusion of a different group member into informal networks (such as friendship).

Secondary Structural Assimilation

The inclusion of a different group member into organizations on an official formal basis.

Amalgamation

In the context of race and ethnicity, it simply means interracial marriage.

Post-Racial America

A post-racial society as a situation in which a society attains the condition of cosmopolitanism.

Cosmopolitanism

Racial and ethnic identity is a matter of individual choice, thus no racial and ethnic group boundary is maintained. Rather, individuals can activate their racial and ethnic identity when they choose, and their choice does not accompany negative social costs (such as being discriminated).

Restrictive Covenants

Contractual agreement that properties will not be sold, leased, or rented to “undesirable” groups.

Blockbusting

The practice by realtors of infusing fear of minority moving into the neighborhoods, so that they can buy homes cheaply and sell them to minority members for profits.

Racial Steering

The practice by realtors of showing clients homes or apartments primarily in neighborhoods with residents who are racially similar to the clients.

Redlining

The deliberate decision by banks to refuse loans to people trying to buy homes in lower-income minority neighborhoods.

Hispanic Crusade

Because they are the fastest growing voting group, both parties are trying hard to lure Hispanic votes.

Hispandering

A strategy employed by political candidates to court Hispanic votes.

Shelby County v. Holder (2013)

The U.S. Supreme Court decided that “preclearance” by Justice Department, set in 1965 Voting Rights Act, before changing election or voting laws, was no longer required.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

“Separate is inherently unequal,” thus segregation is unconstitutional.

Brown v. Board of Education II (1955)

The U.S. Supreme Court decided that each locale achieves integration and equality “with all deliberate speed.”

Serrano v. Priest (1971)

California State Supreme Court decided that unequal funding resulting from the reliance on local property taxes to fund public education was unconstitutional. So, the state government must equalize the per-student funding for public schools.

San Antonio v. Rodriguez (1973)

The U.S. Supreme Court decided that educational funding was a state matter, not a federal matter.

Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg (1971)

The U.S. Supreme Court decided that each school district must bus students to achieve integration proportionate to student demographics in each school district.

Milliken v. Bradley (1974)

The U.S. Supreme Court decided that there was NO legal requirement for inter-district busing. (Busing across school district lines)

Oklahoma Board of Education v. Dowell (1991)

The U.S. Supreme Court decided that school districts can be released from court-ordered busing once they have taken all “practicable” steps to eliminate the legacy of segregation.

Parents v. Seattle School District (2007)

The U.S. Supreme Court deemed it unconstitutional to assign students to public schools solely for the purpose of achieving racial integration and declined to recognize racial balancing as a compelling state interest.

Secession Movement

Mostly white, economically well-off enclaves secede (or attempt to secede) from the larger, more diverse school districts to form their own school systems.

Affirmative Action

A policy designed to end discrimination (past and present) and to ensure equal opportunities for historically disadvantaged groups by giving preferential treatment to equally qualified minorities in employment, school admissions, and governmental contracting.

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978)

The U.S. Supreme Court decided that the U.C. Davis medical school’s affirmative action program that set aside 16 spots out of 100 (i.e., Quota System) was unconstitutional and thus must be discontinued. Importantly, in this case, the U.S. Supreme Court also stated that the use of race as a factor in admission is permissible, if applicants qualify based on merit.

Grutter v. Bollinger (2003)

In this case on law school admission, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that the use of race as one factor is constitutional.

Gratz v. Bollinger (2003)

University of Michigan’s undergraduate division had the point system which gave 20 points automatically to minority applicants. The U.S. Supreme Court decided that converting race to a pure number resembled a quota far too much, and thus unconstitutional.

Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard (2023)

On June 29, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court decided race-conscious college admissions processes are unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause, ending the policy of affirmative action.

Texas 10% Policy

Texas guarantees admission into the state’s public universities, if your class rank (GPA) is in the top 10% of the graduating class.

Interest Convergence

Racial progress only occurs when it benefits the dominant group, and the racial minority groups are accidental beneficiaries.

Characteristics of Urban Black Neighborhoods

More homogeneous, Isolated and Permanent

Pattern of Black Votes in U.S. Presidential Elections

Since 1960, Black people overwhelmingly voted for Democratic Party candidates in the U.S. presidential elections.

Examples of Voter Suppression Strategies

More strict voter ID laws, DMV closing, Polling location change

Derrick Bell’s Idea of “Alternative Brown” (SAQ)

Bell is argued that, instead of striking down Plessy, the Brown decision should have reaffirmed it with the specific instruction to achieve the “equal” part of “separate but equal.”

Pros of Affirmative Action

Promotes Diversity, Addresses Historical Inequities

Cons of Affirmative Action

Reverse Discrimination, Stigmatizes Beneficiaries

Concept of “Interest Convergence” in Brown Decision

The Brown decision, was made to serve more for the nation’s interests (that is, advancing its image as the moral exemplar of freedom and democracy), rather than to correct the racial injustice during the intensification of the Cold War.

Idea of Color-Blindness

Racial colorblindness is the ideology that the best way to end discrimination is by treating individuals equally without regard to race, skin color, or ethnicity. This approach ignores systemic racism and minimizes lived experience of minorities.

Mendez v. Westminster (1946)

A federal court case in California that challenged the segregation of Mexican and Mexican American students into separate "remedial" schools and was the first federal court ruling to hold that school segregation itself was unconstitutional.

What is the “opportunity gap”? Why do authors emphasize it instead of using the term “achievement gap”?

The unequal distribution of resources, funding, experienced teachers, advanced courses, high-quality learning materials, and institutional support provided to students of different racial and socioeconomic backgrounds. The term "opportunity gap" redirects attention to the systemic and institutional inputs rather than putting blame on students.

What is “tracking”?

The practice of separating students into different academic paths or tiers such as basic, general, honors, or Advanced Placement (AP) based on perceived academic ability or standardized test scores.

What are the consequences of “tracking”?

Racial and Economic Segregation, Self-Fulfilling Prophecies, Lower Expectations, Compounding Inequality

Understand Milton Gordon’s Stages of different dimensions of assimilation.

Milton Gordon sees these dimensions as stages, and the previous stage is a necessary condition to achieve the next stage of assimilation.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

“Separate but equal”

Understand Mica Pollock’s four myths about race.

-Myth of Biological Race,
-Myth of Colorblindness (Ignoring race will eliminate racial disparity)
-Myth of De-Racialized Inequality (disparities in student outcomes are purely individual or cultural)
-Myth that Race Labels Mean Simple/Uniform Group Identity