In the essay Whiteness as Property, author Cheryl I. Harris writes about the roots of American racism. She discusses the legal and social privileges of white people and disadvantages of black people, along with the evolution of these bases of racism and some of the big forms of implementation of these social and legal constructs. As the essay progresses, she transitions from the presence of whiteness as property to affirmative action and the way that the property interest in whiteness has been slowly, but surely, diminished and reduced over the years.
Harris discusses the original definition and viewpoints of “property” and how black people were associated with being considered property while white people were protected from this disadvantage and were privileged enough to be considered fully human. She writes about how only white people can own property and that many laws and definitions were carefully constructed to favor and benefit white people. She goes on to discuss major cases in Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education to give major examples of how racism and discriminatory laws negatively impacted black people and benefited their white counterparts. I agree with Harris’ ongoing point that race goes far beyond a physical and visual identity, rather that race is embedded into social structures, norms, and laws. I found it interesting how Harris connects laws and rules regarding racism and property during the early stages of America to the more modern forms of racism and the way the concept is viewed and used today. She essentially created a timeline of the way racial inequalities have been present in America, both legally and societally.
The final portion of Harris’ essay where she discusses modern-day forms of affirmative action ties together the entirety of her essay in a sense where after discussing the roots of racism, she displays ways that society is attempting to remedy or reverse the long-term impacts of these roots. She insists on the importance of recognizing that black people still suffer from the original definitions of property and laws that disadvantaged black Americans. She concludes her essay to say “it is long past time to put the property interest in whiteness to rest” and states how affirmative action is a step towards “shedding the legacy of oppression” (1791).
Overall, I agree with Harris’ points. Much of the essay is purely factual while the final major portion is more opinionated and less definite. I believe that the original definitions and views of property in America created a system that has continued to set black people back and still does to this day. There is a way to eventually get rid of this system altogether, it will just be a very long and very slow process, and affirmative action is the first step in this process.
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