Xa umxumi we-arhente yeTempile yaseDetroit efuna ukuba “akukho bahlali baseDetroit”
kwiprofayili yayo yokuqesha, umphathi wabasebenzi be-arhente wakhala kakubi.
Uye wafaka isikhalazo kwi-ofisi yengingqi yeEqual Employment Opportunity
IKhomishini, echaza ukuba umqeshi wakhe uvumele abathengi ukuba bahlole amandla
abasebenzi temp hayi kuphela uhlanga, isini, inkolo, kunye nokukhubazeka, kodwa
kunye nendawo yokuhlala.
Kutheni abaqeshi befuna ukucoca iDetroiters? Ewe, ukuba uvela
Detroit, kukho i-75.5 yeepesenti ithuba lokuba ungum-Afrika waseMelika. Ngokutsho
ukuya kubalo lokugqibela, mhlawumbi awufundanga kwaye unezakhono ezimbalwa
kunomgqatswa wedolophu. Ngokusekwe kwezi zibalo, iifemu ezininzi ngokwezigaba
zikhabe izicelo zomsebenzi ezisuka esixekweni, zikhetha ukuqesha abasebenzi abavela
iindawo suburban ezifana Oakland County engummelwane, apho imfundo kunye
amanqanaba ezakhono aphezulu kakhulu kwaye apho i-89.6 ipesenti yabemi
mhlophe.
Olu hlobo localucalulo lufak’ isandla kwimeko yezoqoqosho eyinkangala
yabahlali baseDetroit. Ukuba yiDetroiter kuthetha ukuba umvuzo wakho
kuphela $8,809 ukuba ungumAfrika waseMelika, kwaye $11,947 ukuba umhlophe. Kwi
I-Oakland County, kwelinye icala, umndilili wengeniso yomntu ngamnye yi-$21,617
kwabamhlophe kunye $16,133 for African Americans. NjengeDetroiter, kukho
a 20.5 ekhulwini ithuba lokuba umatshini okanye umsebenzi, kunye a
I-18.7 yepesenti yamathuba okuba ungumphathi okanye ingcali. E-Oakland
County, kuphela 10.7 ekhulwini bonke abasebenzi machinists kunye nabasebenzi, kodwa
I-35 ekhulwini ingabaphathi kunye neengcali. NjengeDetroiter, kukho i41.3
ipesenti enokwenzeka yokuba awuphangeli okanye awusebenzi. Kwi-Oakland County
kuphela 26.4 ekhulwini abahlali abasebenzi, ngokutsho U.S. Census
amanani.
Abaqeshi bafuna abasebenzi abanezakhono nabafundileyo, kunye nokuphucula amathuba abo
lokufumana abasebenzi abanjalo, bazama ukunciphisa inani lezinto ezingafunekiyo
abafaki zicelo. Ukuba, umzekelo, ama-Afrika aseMelika anezibalo ezisezantsi
amanqanaba emfundo kunye nezakhono, emva koko ngaphandle kwabo bonke abantu base-Afrika baseMelika kwi
iinkqubo zokuqesha kwandisa amathuba omqeshi okufumana ichibi
abafundileyo nabafake izicelo zomsebenzi abanezakhono. Olu hlobo localucalulo olucacileyo yi
ekujoliswe kuzo imithetho federal ethintela ucalucalulo ngokobuqu
iimpawu ezifana nobuhlanga. Kodwa kuthekani ngendawo?
Abaqeshi bakhetha ukuphepha izixeko ezifana neDetroit apho imfundo kunye nobuchule
amanqanaba aphantsi kwaye apho uninzi lwabahlali base-Afrika baseMelika. Kunoko bona
bagxile kwiinzame zabo zokuqesha kwiindawo ezisezidolophini, apho banokuba ngabafaki-zicelo
baye baxhamla kwiinkqubo zezikolo ezixhaswa ngemali kakuhle nakwiiprogram zoqeqesho.
Nangona kunjalo, ngaphandle kwabafaki-zicelo bemisebenzi ngokwendawo abahlala kuyo
lucalucalulo olufana nokungabandakanyi abafaki-zicelo ngokobuhlanga,
isini okanye inkolo. Iingcali zejografi zibhekisela kwesi senzo njengocalucalulo lwendawo.
Ucalucalulo lwendawo lusebenza ngeendlela ezichuliweyo. Sinyanzelisa inkcubeko
imifanekiso kwiindawo kwaye emva koko ufake loo mifanekiso kubantu abahlala kuzo
ezo ndawo. Kwincwadi yakhe Iinkcubeko zeedolophu, uSharon Zukin ubonisa
indlela iimpawu zenkcubeko zabantu ezisoloko zicingelwa ukuba zihambelana ngayo nemisebenzi ethile.
Kwishishini lokutyela laseManhattan, umzekelo, amagcisa awenza iprojekthi
umfanekiso oqhelekileyo wedolophu ubekwe ngaphambili kwindawo yokutyela njengeeweyitara
kunye nemikhosi, ngelixa abafuduki baseMexico, abamele umfanekiso osulungekisiweyo ongaphantsi
yabahlali behlabathi lesithathu, bavalelwe ngasemva, njengabapheki kunye nekhitshi
uncedo.
Ezo stereotypes zenkcubeko zikwasebenza nakubahlali baseDetroit kwaye bacebise ngokungathandekiyo
iimpawu zomsebenzi. Umndilili wesaburbanite ucinga ngeDetroit njengendawo yokuhlala
yebhums, izaphuli-mthetho, amaqela abulalayo kunye noomama bentlalontle. Abaqeshi abaninzi banombono
abasebenzi abangamakhoboka eziyobisi notywala, abasebenzi abangathembekanga, kunye nabasetyhini aba
abanakufumana inkedama yabantwana babo abangenatata. Aba baqeshi ngoko
sondela kwiiarhente zexeshana ngesicelo sokuba "akukho bahlali baseDetroit."
Ngeminyaka yee-1960, intetho ethi “inkcubeko yentlupheko” (esandul’ ukuvuselelwa njengaleyo ibizwa ngokuba
ingxoxo ephantsi) yacebisa ukuba izixeko ezingaphakathi zizale iintsapho ezingasebenzi kakuhle
kunye nabasebenzi abangawufanelanga umzabalazo wokhuphiswano wabasebenzi
imarike. Le mifanekiso yokujongelwa phantsi yahlakulelwa ngakumbi ngokuchukumiseka
amajelo eendaba asasaza ulwaphulo-mthetho, imfazwe yamaqela emigulukudu, impatho-gadalala yentlalontle, ukungabi namakhaya kunye
ukungabikho kwemisebenzi, ebonisa abahlali basezidolophini njengabantu abangahambi kakuhle ngokwentlalo
abangafuniyo nabangakwaziyo ukuhambelana nezithethe noqeqesho lwe
indawo yokusebenza.
Kwizixeko zaseMelika namhlanje, iilebhile ze "ghetto," "ubumelwane obuphantsi,"
okanye “ummandla ovinjwe intlupheko” uthetha imekobume yentlalo eyosulelayo yenkcubeko
i-pathology, ukunqongophala kwezakhono, ukungathembeki kunye nokuziphatha kakubi komsebenzi. Kanjalo
akukho mqeshi ofuna ukuqesha abasebenzi abanjalo. Uphando lwakutsha nje olwenziwa ziingcali zentlalo yoluntu
nabacwangcisi besixeko kwi Detroit kunye Chicago ibonisa ukuba abaqeshi suburban
badla ngokuphepha ukufunwa kwabantu abasuka kwiindawo ezingaphakathi edolophini ngokubeka izibhengezo zemisebenzi
kumaphephandaba ajikeleza kwiindawo ezisezidolophini, kodwa hayi kwi-African American
ubumelwane obuphakathi kwesixeko.
Ezi lebhile zigqwethiweyo zenza umonakalo kwithemba lengqesho yangaphakathi
abahlali besixeko, ukanti abawi-mthetho be-federal baye bajika bangaboni
iliso kumbandela. Abezopolitiko, bexhaswa yintlalontle eqhelekileyo kunye
uphando lwezoqoqosho, lwalatha kuhlengahlengiso lwamashishini, utshintsho kwimfuno
kwizakhono zemisebenzi, kunye nengqesho kwindawo ephantsi kwedolophu ngenxa yabasebenzi abatshabalalisayo
imeko yemarike yabahlali bangaphakathi-dolophu. Ngokubonisa ukungalingani kwemarike yabasebenzi
"njengeenkqubo zamashishini" kunye "namandla entengiso" angaphaya kolawulo
yomthetho, abezopolitiko banokukhanyela uxanduva kubo. Ngaloo ndlela, akukho
umthetho federal uyaluthintela ucalucalulo indawo, kunye neThuba elilinganayo leNgqesho
IKomishoni ihleli ingakwazi ukuthintela ukukhethelwa bucala kwengqesho ngokwesiseko
yendawo yokuhlala.
Kude kube nini siqhubeke sithobela amandla angenakuphepheka ezoqoqosho
uhlengahlengiso njengemithombo yentswela-ngqesho phakathi kwesixeko kunye nokungaqeshwa?
Ngexesha elithile kufuneka siqonde ukuba iinkqubo zokubekwa ibala kweendawo
bangabandakanyi kanye njengeenkolelo zobuhlanga, isini okanye inkolo. Thina
kufuneka ifune umthetho womanyano ogunyazisa i-U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity
IKomishini yokubeka iliso kucalucalulo hayi kuphela ngokobuhlanga, ngokwesini, ngokwenkolo,
umbala, imvelaphi yesizwe, ubudala kunye nokukhubazeka, kodwa kunye nendawo yokuhlala.
Kude kube ngumthetho womanyano okhusela abasebenzi kucalulo lwendawo
ikho—yaye andinathemba lokuba oku kuya kwenzeka nanini na—siyayifuna
ukuxhomekeka kwezinye iindlela zokulwa nokungabandakanywa kwindawo kubaqeshi’
iindlela zokugaya abasebenzi. Okona kubaluleke kakhulu, kufuneka sihlaze i-rhetorical
Ukwakhiwa kwe "ghetto," "inkcubeko yentlupheko," kunye
"indawo engasebenziyo yodidi oluphantsi." Z
UHarald Bauder ebengumhlohli kwiSebe leJografi kude kube kutshanje
kunye noCwangciso lweDolophu kwiYunivesithi yaseWayne State eDetroit. Ngoku ungumfundi we-postdoctoral
kwiYunivesithi yaseBritish Columbia, eVancouver.
