It's Never Been a Level Playing Field: Overcoming 8 Racial Myths to Even the Field

It's Never Been a Level Playing Field offers a deep dive into the historical and contemporary dynamics of race and racism in America, particularly through the lens of White privilege and supremacy. The book confronts uncomfortable truths and dismantles pervasive myths that have perpetuated racial inequalities throughout American history. The book is structured around eight interlocking myths that have contributed to the perpetuation of racial inequalities in America. Each myth is examined in detail, revealing how they continue to influence various aspects of society: The Overarching Myth: America provides an equal playing field for all. The Where We Live Myth I: Housing. Any segregation in housing and neighborhoods Blacks may experience is now strictly a result of individual choice. The Where We Live Myth II: Health Outcomes. If Blacks have worse health outcomes than Whites, it's because of their own poor choices. The Access to Economic Opportunity Myth: Belief in meritocracy & the idea that hard work alone leads to success. The Access to Educational Opportunity Myth: Assumptions about equal access to quality education for all. The Access to Genuine Justice Myth: Perceptions of fairness within the criminal justice system. The Embracing Blacks' Access to Rights, Progress, and Power Myth: The belief that racial progress has been achieved &that discrimination is a thing of the past. The Concluding Myth: Denial of systemic racism. The second section of the book offers proposals and recommendations for addressing systemic racism and redressing past injustices. The specific recommendations to level the playing field including: Make transformative investments in early childhood education and reverse funding disparities in K-12 schools. Implement housing policies that advance genuine residential integration and fundamentally undo the dynamics of historical segregation. Create economic policies that demonstrably bridge the racial wealth gap and support enormous scaling up of Black entrepreneurship. Reform the criminal justice system to reduce mass incarceration and reverse racial disparities in policing and sentencing. By dismantling myths and offering concrete solutions, the book provides a roadmap for addressing systemic racism and building a more just future.

About the Author :
Steve Brigham is a leader in the public engagement field who, for the past 24 years, has known great success as a facilitator, consultant, and designer of complex public meetings and community-building processes on critical public policy issues. He has facilitated numerous national and international forums. Since 2010, his bread-and-butter consulting has focused primarily on local and metro D.C. issues, such as land use policy, affordable housing, transportation, support for BIPOC business owners in jeopardy of displacement, economic development, and public school redistricting. In the past decade, Steve's work and volunteer time have increasingly tackled racial equity and equitable development issues. Steve is the proud father of two bi-racial children and lives in Prince George's County, MD.

Review :
It's Never Been a Level Playing Field offers a profound exploration of the deeply entrenched issues of race, privilege, and systemic inequality that have shaped the fabric of our nation. With keen insight, Brigham dissects the myths that perpetuate racial disparities and presents bold ideas for dismantling these longstanding injustices. To those in pursuit of John Lewis' good trouble, this book stands as a vital roadmap for understanding the roots of racial injustice and a compelling call to action for all of us to take part in building a more just and equitable society. A beloved community." State Delegate Jazz Lewis, Maryland House of Delegates, 24th District (Prince George's County) Comprehensive and bold, It's Never Been a Level Playing Field challenges readers to rethink racial inequality in America. Critiquing the fallacy of individual meritocracy, the book exposes the dirty underbelly of White supremacy and domination at the heart of the American project and its consequences for Black Americans. From urban renewal and redlining to the dumping of toxic waste in Black communities, Brigham shows how White Americans and institutions have upheld an unjust system through their action and inaction. In tracing how violent practices have endured and shape-shifted from slavery to our pretense politics, he shows why racial disparities and disadvantage persist in everything from education, health care, and criminal justice to housing and entrepreneurship-and what we can do about it. It's Never Been a Level Playing Field is sure to spark needed debate in classrooms and boardrooms, and around kitchen tables across the country. Willow S. Lung-Amam, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Urban Studies and Planning at the University of Maryland, College Park