Racism on Trial: The Roll of Colorblind Narratives in Courts

• In Event: 30420 - Section on Racial and Ethnic Minorities Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 5: Racial State and City Dynamics

Abstract

Drawing on my experiences as an expert witness in several federal civil rights cases I examine two trends that both expose and attempt to conceal racist actions by state actors. First, I outline the conditions that give rise to and are predictive of race based discriminatory treatment against non-whites by government employees, elected officials and white stake holders. While espousing a colorblind view of how events unfolded, defendants routinely: defined racial minorities as being different from and inferior to the whites; used of disparaging language to demean non-whites and justify different treatment; had a sense of entitlement to resources by white elites and were concerned that the subordinate group was encroaching on those resources that the dominant group believed was the prerogative of their group. Second, I examine the way in which lawyers attempt to “whiten” cultural products typically associated with African Americans in an effort to remove race from their legal analysis.

Author

• Charles A. Gallagher, La Salle University