21st-Century Capitalism, Austerity, and Black Economic Dispossession

The article is an analysis of late capitalism and the nature of Black inequality today given the political economy of late capitalism. As always, the fundamental fact of 21st-century capitalism is profit. Yet the system is in crisis, centered in a crisis of accumulation. Given this, what are the consequences for the Black population in the United States and globally? A number of key questions inform the discussion, centered on the nature of capitalism today. Issues of austerity, neoliberalism, race, gender, and class are interrogated. Then there is the issue of how might the situation be changed. Using the September 2012 Chicago Teachers Union strike as an entry point, an initial set of reflections on how might we resist and struggle are articulated, centering some key lessons from the fight for educational justice in Chicago.