Framing Individual Mobility and Attainment
Chapter five addresses the recurring thoughts about how low-income African American men make sense of mobility and attainment in American society. Its main focus is to help determining what we can do to enhance these men's thoughts on advancement in society. Through the information acquired during the interviews, it seems as though the men's ability to imagine aspects of life that are present further out in society such as mobility barriers and discrimination are often limited to what they have experienced in Near West Side.
The men were asked about their thoughts of mobility and attainment in the country, and they were mostly split into two categories. Those who knew little about it and didn't have much to say, and those who had passionate responses towards why they believed there were barriers and discrimination in society. Half of the men hadn't been fortunate enough to have a job because of their lack of motivation, or qualifications.
These men, being isolated were least likely to speak of the role that outside forces play in shaping a person's chances in life. On the other hand, the men that were a part of some sort of employment had completely different thoughts on mobility and attainment. The men with more work experience were often those that experienced social conflicts themselves and were able to talk thoroughly about their beliefs on how the role of external factors did affect an individuals chances in life.
Read more about this topic: The Minds Of Marginalized Black Men, Chapter 5
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—Elizabeth Blackwell (1821–1910)