RACISM

Why “Black Jobs” Suggests Black People Are Only Fit For Certain Jobs

This is not a matter of ability but opportunity

Woman in Black blazer holding smartphone | Photo by Anna Shvets via Pexels

Just as scientists can detect the presence of a black hole without seeing it with the naked eye, Black people can recognize racism expressed under the thin guise of concern. Comments made by former President Trump at last night’s presidential debate illustrate this point. Trump claimed President Biden’s immigration policies harm Black Americans — “His big kill on Black people is the millions of people that he’s allowed to come in through the border. They’re taking black jobs.” While he made a pitch to Black Americans, he executed this plan with the grace of a bull in a china shop.

First and foremost, his rhetoric fed into the “great replacement theory,” popular among white nationalists, which suggests immigrants are replacing American citizens. However, there is no evidence to suggest that’s actually happening. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate was 4% in 2023, indicating the majority of adults are gainfully employed. Americans are putting in the work, but far too many are living check-to-check, and the cost of living is rising. The problem Trump and many other White Americans seem to miss in discussions about the low Black unemployment rate is the role low pay plays in undermining that achievement. What does it matter if most Black Americans have a job if, ultimately, they do not make enough to buy food, clothing, transportation, or a home? Unemployment was low during chattel slavery, too, but no historian would claim their labors enriched them.

While conservatives often claim that immigrants are taking jobs away from Americans, the truth is they’re filling in the gaps caused by demographic changes. Daniel Costa and Heidi Shierholz found that “immigrants make up 18.6% of the U.S. labor force” and play a key role in “numerous industries and are employed in a mix of lower, middle, and higher-wage jobs.” During the debate, Trump employed the classic divide-and-conquer strategy, trying to portray Biden’s immigration policies as harmful to the black community. This scarcity mindset is toxic, as it will not alleviate the racial wealth gap disparities or improve Black people’s access to higher-paying jobs. And perhaps…