Biden recently declared his commitment to "move heaven and earth" to reopen Baltimore's port and rebuild the bridge. However, these reconstruction efforts may be mired in controversy as they are expected to advance progressive notions of racial justice, immigrant treatment, climate change, and wealth redistribution.
An opinion piece in The Hill highlights the potential conflict between these demands. For instance, the call for increased African American representation in construction could clash with the push for the U.S. to continue accommodating the influx of migrants at its borders.
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According to Roger House, Professor Emeritus of American Studies at Emerson College, the preference for immigrant labor has led to "high rates of displacement and discouragement" among African American workers in the construction industry.
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In his article, House implores the President to demonstrate concern for both the reconstruction of the critical bridge and the inclusion of African American workers in the construction sector.
March 30, 2024
House's op-ed states:
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"President Biden has struggled to connect the benefits of his signature infrastructure laws to disenchanted African American labor. When he boasts about the jobs created by federally backed construction projects — such as his recent comments in Arizona about a semiconductor chip factory — it only serves to remind some African American working-class men about their exclusion from the industry."
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The collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge presents an opportunity for Biden to alter this narrative. The bridge, a crucial link over the Baltimore Harbor, collapsed after being hit by a cargo ship and will need to be rebuilt.
House asserts that "the administration has failed to hold states accountable for equity planning as encouraged in the infrastructure legislation."
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He further criticizes Biden for missing opportunities to advocate for racial reforms in construction and, specifically, to support African American men seeking skilled jobs and contracting opportunities.
House attributes the exclusion of African American workers from construction jobs to "union racism" and "contractor preference for immigrants." He cites Bureau of Labor Statistics data showing that the construction sector is 60 percent white, 30 percent Hispanic, and just five percent African American.
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In contrast, the overall U.S. population is 59.3 percent non-Hispanic white, 18.9 percent Hispanic, and 12.4 percent African American.
House contends that "the surge of immigration since the 1980s provided a source of cheap labor that contractors desired and unions could not hold off, and African American labor was the odd man out.
Even during disasters like Hurricane Katrina, federal contractors opted to use the labor of immigrant work crews rather than hire and train African American men from the region."
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