The American ideology that has dominated the US country since its birth relies on the dependence of consumer demands and a free market. It views competition as the driving factor of success and human relations. The citizens of the country are consumers and their buying and selling demands are what shape the economy and the social construct of the public. It believes that leaving the market to be shaped solely by the public provides unmatched benefits that can’t be replicated if the market was in some way regulated or planned. The foundation of the Constitution and America was built on the value of liberty and the interpretation of liberty at the time it was written. Any regulation or altering of a completely public market is viewed as inimical to this idea of liberty. This thought process often isn’t identified by the public, as people accept it as it is and don’t give challenge or thought to it. 

The term used for this ideology is “neoliberalism”, first coined  in 1938 by Ludwig von Mises and Friedrich Hayek. Neoliberalism was a common system of beliefs in the 1900s, but was really put into effect in the back half of the century and under the Jimmy Carter and Richard Nixon administrations. Neoliberalism and free markets favor the upper-class and their success comes at the expense of marginalized communities. Specifically, African American communities experienced improper treatment, opportunities, and support in comparison to more privileged groups. Upon action to enforce neoliberalism formalities, trade unions were minimized, the rich received sizable tax cuts, privatization, deregulation, outsourcing, and competition for public resources (Tejaswini, “Annual Review of Anthropology” Page 68). These actions and influences of neoliberalism are leading contributors to the continued marginalization of African Americans which have led to a sense of alienated vulnerability from these individuals. 

In order to escape many of these hardships including poor employment and educational opportunities in the South, African Americans began to relocate to northern and western cities. The schools in these areas in which they relocated to were better funded and were viewed as better than the ones they left behind. However, this was short-lived because a phenomenon called “white flight” occurred. Companies relocated away from these areas and white citizens were able to relocate as well with federally subsidized low-interest loans that were denied to African Americans. Thus the opportunities for African Americans were just as separate in relocated areas as they were in the South. Institutionalized racism through bank loans and redlining perpetuated the exclusion of Black people from higher funded areas and segregated them into lower income areas with worth schooling and less financial support/opportunities. Redlining also prevented investment in Black neighborhoods, further declining these areas and developing them into sites of urban decay. Despite advancements in the Civil Rights Movement, African Americans were unemployed at higher rates and underpaid significantly compared to their White counterparts (Freedom on My Mind page 985). Neoliberalism follows a pattern of underinvestment in support for the marginalized and overinvestment in the corporate space, all while preserving white privilege and protection. This is seen through the War on Drugs starting in the 1970s and the mass incarceration of Black Americans. For decades, even until today, the neoliberalism response to struggling ethnic areas is to use policing and incarcerations to replace investment and employment. Inequality of coveted resources such as housing, health care, wealth and education leads to disproportionate death and wealth in black communities. 

Generations of failure by the government to fully address the inequality, support, and underinvestment of African American communities took a huge toll on the trust that African Americans had with the government. A sense of vulnerability was occupied by many Black individuals and the community as a whole. Cathay Cohen, PhD and award winning author at the University of Chicago shared multiple perspectives on this idea of vulnerability in Black communities, specifically among younger generations, at her presentation at the University of San Diego on April 19th, 2022. She outlined many of the points of neoliberalism previously stated and how this impacts the young African American community. The concept of vulnerability in this sense pertains to an overall feeling among a group. The feeling that someone or some group is more prone to negative impacts of an unjust system that is set in America under the neoliberal ideologies. She defines it as “an inward feeling or perception, real or imagined, that one or one group can be or has been harmed with little ability for recourse or protection.” It is important to note not only that it is a feeling that one is being harmed, but also the feeling that one is not receiving the necessary help or support. There hasn’t even at times been recognition of the African American community and the uphill battle that many have to face in today’s society, starting a life in a system that is programmed to funnel these individuals into a predetermined way of life. 

As outlined by Dr. Cohen, vulnerability is not just a temporary feeling but an overarching mindstate that African Americans can feel in America. She is conducting an ongoing survey asking adults of different ethnic groups a range of questions regarding civil rights and politics. The aim in this study is to locate discrepancies between groups’ views and thoughts in America. It also provides a gauge for the mental state of these groups and offers an overarching feel for their faith in the American political system and where it is headed. The results indicate a large disparity among views of African Americans and white Americans. According to the survey, 86% of young black men agree that killing of black men by police is a serious issue while 48% of white young men think it is. The same trend can be said about protests for Black equality and support of the Black Lives Matter movement. White participants were less likely to believe that racism was as big of an issue as what Black participants believed. However, all groups agree in some sort of understanding that political leaders don’t care too much for individual citizens. The most striking statistic is that 86% of white participants agree that they are a full and equal citizen, while only 56% of Black participants agree. Black young adults still feel as though they are second class citizens, thus exemplifying a sense of political alienation among this community. 

Not feeling equal and valued in your own society is the mindset which has occupied African Americans, shown still relevant today through the survey, and is what motivates change and action from Black communities. How can a society consider itself free and equal if whole groups of individuals don’t feel as though they are full and equal? This mindset is crucial to understand the change that takes place in African American history, because it is a promise written in the Constitution that the Black community is fighting for. Neoliberalism has deterred the focus away from actual individuals in society and is what is contributing to the political alienation that Black individuals feel. Dr. Cohen explains that alienated vulnerability is “a feeling of harm and anger with no sense that the institutions, systems, and or agents will protect you. In fact may be the source of your harm.”  Young African Americans do not feel equal, and they don’t feel like the systems meant to deal with this issue are doing anything about it. In the survey when asked to achieve racial progress in the country, African Americans were deterred from saying elections or typical electoral government solutions are the best ways while other groups did. The focus was put on protests, community, and revolution perpetuating this idea that African Americans have lost trust in the government to make impactful change, because the community has been waiting since America was created. 

Neoliberalism values a free market and an open economy that puts responsibility on the individual to acquire wealth. However, history has shown that this comes at the expense of marginalized communities and specifically African American communities. Black communities weren’t recognized as needing support and were given blame for many issues surrounding the community such as crime and poverty. This is unfair to suggest considering that neoliberalstic regimes have failed to provide support, funding, and a voice to the African American community. As shown by the work of Dr. Cohen, this has resulted in Black young adults losing trust in the government and their ability to make change. Their feeling of alienated vulnerability has led them to trust community efforts for change more than those done by the government. This belief is the same one that led to the Civil Rights Movement. It is repeated and ongoing throughout African American history. Change and progress has only been done as a result of Black communities taking action into their own hands and history will continue to repeat itself unless collective mobilization takes place. This reaches out farther than the African American community, it pertains to the whole American community. It is time to put aside the commitment to a fully neoliberalist society because people are suffering and dying as a result of it and it is the responsibility of every individual to recognize the disparities in America and make the voices of the African American community heard. 

Works Cited

Apfelbaum, Evan P., Michael I. Norton, and Samuel R. Sommers. “Racial color blindness: Emergence, practice, and implications.” Current directions in psychological science 21.3 (2012): 205-209.

Ferguson, James. “The uses of neoliberalism.” Antipode 41 (2010): 166-184.

Ganti, Tejaswini. “Neoliberalism.” Annual Review of Anthropology 43 (2014): 89-104.  

Harvey, David. A brief history of neoliberalism. Oxford University Press, USA, 2007.

Illume/Knapp: We Want Revolution: African American Young Adults and the Politics of Vulnerability – Cathy Cohen, PhD

White, Deborah Gray, et al. Freedom on My Mind. 3rd ed., BibliU version, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2020.