Surviving Oppression under the Rock: The Intersection of New York's Drug, Welfare, and Educational Polices in the Lived Experiences of Low-Income African Americans

• NCJ Number: 242744
• Journal: Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse Volume: 11 Issue: 4 Dated: October - December 2012 Pages: 339-361
• Author(s): Liliane Cambraia Windsor; Eloise Dunlap; Marilyn Armour
• Date Published: December 2012
• Length: 23 pages
• Grant Number(s): R01 DA09056; R01 DA021827
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute on Drug Abuse
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined the intersection of poverty, substance use, violence, and punitive policies in the lives of low-income African-American families in New York City.

Abstract

Drawing on standpoint and intersectionality theories, this study explores the degree to which interactions among New York State's Rockefeller Drug Laws and educational and welfare policies have contributed to the maintenance of a culture of surveillance in which the lives of impoverished African Americans are overseen and influenced by oppressive policies and governmental institutions. Qualitative secondary analysis of longitudinal ethnographic data was conducted. Findings demonstrate multiple disadvantages that impoverished African-American families struggling with substance use or sale experience. These disadvantages accumulated intergenerationally, in a snowball effect, making it difficult for participants to maintain stable lives. Findings explored the tension between participants' lived experiences and the multiple ways they either assimilated or resisted their oppression. New sensitive policies informed by standpoint, intersectionality, and Afrocentric perspectives must be developed to increase the availability of meaningful employment and strengthening impoverished African-American communities. Abstract published by arrangement with Taylor and Francis.