Carter Wilson, head of NMU’s political science department, will deliver a Black History Month presentation on Friday, Feb. 12. He said he will explain how the “racialization” of policies can desensitize people to the impact those policies have on all Americans.

“Between 1940 and 1980, as the economy expanded and income increased, lower-income Americans benefitted the most,” Wilson said. “After 1980, the top 1 percent was increasing wealth while other income groups were losing ground. That continues to happen even now. I’m going to draw a parallel between the present situation and the reactionary movement by the dominant class in the South during the Reconstruction. That movement not only hurt African Americans, but also poor white Americans.  

“Today we’re experiencing something similar with the dominant class attacking equal opportunity programs and policies that had been in place for the benefit of all Americans and especially African Americans. When you talk about inequality, you’re not talking about poverty and poor black people, but the erosion of policies that were in place for a long period of time that gave rise to the middle class—black and white.”

During his talk, Wilson will reference his 2015 book, Metaracism: Explaining the Persistence of Racial Inequality. The book documents the emergence of metaracism, “a deeply embedded bias fueled by economic insecurity, entrenched—though no longer publicly accepted—stereotypes, and shifts in public policy.” Wilson contends that, while individuals and communities reject biological determinism and find bigotry offensive, structural inequalities remain and racially biased narratives persist.  

“We’re seeing a more subtle form of racism that uses coded language or euphemisms rather than blatant language,” he said. “Examples are ‘welfare queen’ or 'young bucks getting food stamps.’ It’s grounded more in cultural expressions than genetics. The people who say those things aren’t hateful, but the ideas and stereotypes have political consequences and evoke negative emotions. They can affect public policy and limit opportunities not only for African Americans, but for all Americans.”  

The book addresses a broad range of policy issues related to education, social welfare, criminal justice and economic inequality. 

Wilson’s presentation is scheduled from 5-6:30 p.m. in 2904 West Science.