美国国家公共电台 NPR For The Black Middle Class, Housing Crisis And History Collude To Dash Dreams

For The Black Middle Class, Housing Crisis And History Collude To Dash Dreams  

play pause stop mute unmute max volume 00:0008:12repeat repeat off Update Required To play the media you will need to either update your browser¹ to a recent version or update your Flash plugin. ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: 

The American middle class is not monolithic². It looks different depending where in the country you live, how old you are and what your race is. Today in our series The New Middle, a slice of the black middle-class experience. One of the wealthiest majority-black counties in the United States sits just east of Washington, D.C. This is Prince George's County, Md. The median income is $73,000 a year. That's more than $20,000 higher than the national average.

GRATTAN BETANCOURT: Hi.

SHAPIRO: Hi.

G BETANCOURT: Welcome.

SHAPIRO: Thank you so much.

G BETANCOURT: Thanks for coming out.

EVELYN BETANCOURT: Thank you so much for having us.

SHAPIRO: Grattan and Evelyn Betancourt bought their home here in 1986. It's two stories, with a brick front and a wide lawn. Some evenings, deer come out of the woods and linger in their yard.

E BETANCOURT: This was our first, and it will be our only home.

G BETANCOURT: You know, when you look at the neighborhood, it has a kind of a look of middle-class prosperity. But the reality is - and we're aware of this - that many people here, even though they've lived here many years, are fighting to save their homes.

SHAPIRO: That's true of the Betancourts, too. They think back to when they bought this house. They were both working at the Ford³ dealership⁴ that they still work at today. The house was new construction, and they added special touches, like a bay window.

G BETANCOURT: Even though that was 30 years ago, we started thinking of the future. We wanted a home that didn't involve a lot of steps because we knew that one day steps were going to be a problem.

SHAPIRO: Because, when you bought it, you knew this was the place you were going to grow old in.

G BETANCOURT: Yes.

E BETANCOURT: Yes.

G BETANCOURT: That was our intent. We were going to stay here. This is where we were going to live the rest of our lives.

SHAPIRO: Here in Prince George's County, a quarter of the homes are underwater. The owners owe more than the homes are worth. The Betancourt's home is worth a little over $300,000, but they owe close to half a million on it. Around the country, black middle-class neighborhoods have recovered from the housing crash much more slowly than white neighborhoods. In the Betancourt's case, they had almost paid off their mortgage in 2005, when Grattan needed open-heart surgery. The bank suggested that Evelyn cash out her retirement⁵ plan. She liquidated⁶ everything and took out a loan on the house to pay her husband's medical bills.

G BETANCOURT: Then Evelyn had an accident on the job that really hurt her earning ability for a while.

SHAPIRO: Both of them had to scale back their hours at the Ford dealership, where they've worked for more than 30 years. They fell behind on payments. Now, they're afraid they'll lose their home.

G BETANCOURT: Being in the middle class, it gives you opportunity, but it doesn't give you immunity⁷. And the further up you step, the harder it is to stay there.

SHAPIRO: You know, we know from lawsuits⁸, we know from Justice Department investigations⁹ that black homeowners have been consistently given a worse deal than white homeowners. And here we are in Prince George's County, one of the wealthiest majority-black counties in the country, and the rate of recovery has been nowhere near that of the rest of the country. What do you make of that?

E BETANCOURT: I would say definitely race plays a part in it. I would say, unfortunately, age sometimes plays a part in it. You have people that are in their 60s and their 70s that don't understand the paperwork. You know, they're told or they get a certified¹⁰ letter and, like in my case, with my husband having a bad heart, do I decide to show it to him or share it with him, or do I put it away? And then, sometimes, you put it away, and it's too late to try to be able to unravel¹¹ what you've got into.

SHAPIRO: For the Betancourt's, it might not be too late. They're working with a counselor¹² named Luis Perez at a place called the Housing Initiative Partnership¹³.

LUIS PEREZ: The majority of the people that walk in here are middle class.

SHAPIRO: His small office has plants and a fish tank to help people relax a little bit.

PEREZ: I have seen a lot of tears, I have. I've seen people come in here, you know, stressed out, worried, can't sleep at nights. They know they're going to lose their homes.

SHAPIRO: Most of his clients are black or Latino. He says about 30 percent of them manage to hang onto their homes. When he tells people not to lose hope, he speaks from personal experience.

PEREZ: I went through exactly what people in front of my desk are going through. I did lose my house.

SHAPIRO: It's a familiar story. He got laid off in a merger¹⁴, then went through foreclosure, bankruptcy¹⁵, moved into a tiny apartment. He was 63 years old, and it took him five years to rebuild his credit. He tells his clients about what it was like to show them that they can bounce back, too.

PEREZ: OK, my wife was not working. OK, the stress that we went through, the sleepless¹⁶ nights that we went through, the fear, OK, and the decision that I have to make because I was afraid of being thrown out on the streets.

SHAPIRO: Now, he's about to buy a home once again. At work, he is negotiating with the Betancourt's lender, trying to get a repayment¹⁷ plan that'll let them stay in their house without having to go through the trauma¹⁸ that he experienced.

PEREZ: I think that we've got a pretty good chance of keeping their home.

SHAPIRO: But even if they do keep their house, any prospect¹⁹ of retirement or taking a vacation seems far away for the Betancourts.

KRIS MARSH²⁰: You know, we often talk about how, when white America gets a - gets a cold, black America gets the flu.

SHAPIRO: I met Professor Kris Marsh in another part of Prince George's County to try to understand why the black middle class has recovered so much more slowly from the housing crisis. She's a University of Maryland sociologist²¹ who studies the black middle class and lives in a beautiful home in an upscale housing complex. Most of the homeowners here are black, and she says the houses are worth less than they'd be in a similar neighborhood that's majority white.

MARSH: That's the fundamental truth - is, like, it's a racist²² housing market (laughter). But if we kind of unpack²³ that and add some sociology around that, we have to look at, like, the resources that whites had before the problem that we had in the housing market and how that kind of helped them to rebound²⁴ so much quicker. Blacks didn't have those resources, so when an emergency or something happens or a crisis happens, it's a little harder for them to bounce back.

SHAPIRO: This is one theme that keeps coming up as we look at what it means to be middle class in America today. You can get by all right, until there's a medical emergency or a tree falls through the roof of your house. One big, surprise expense, and suddenly you're in free fall.

MARSH: You - you might want to go straight.

SHAPIRO: Kris Marsh takes us on a tour of her neighborhood, past duck ponds and playgrounds.

MARSH: It is really great to have a cardiologist live next to you and have a executive police officer live to the right of you and a geneticist live down the street. I mean, that's kind of hot. And they're black. But then, on the flip²⁵ side, it's like, but we quite haven't arrived yet because are living here by choice, or are we forced to live here? Is that - is the housing market constrained²⁶?

SHAPIRO: Would you prefer to live in a place that is, you know, 30 percent Latino, 30 percent white, 30 percent black?

MARSH: Well, those places don't exist because whites live in predominantly white areas. But (laughter), OK, so here's how I'm going to answer that question - is it more important for my psychological well-being²⁷ to be in a predominantly black neighborhood, or is it more important to for me to build equity²⁸ faster in my house? And if that's the case, then I should live in a more mixed community.

SHAPIRO: Because you know that, living in a predominantly black neighborhood, your house is not going to increase in value as quickly as if your neighbors were white.

MARSH: Yes, yes.

SHAPIRO: Even if it's a neighborhood like this, where every house is gorgeous?

MARSH: Yes.

SHAPIRO: She leads us to the center of the housing complex, where there's a grand mansion²⁹. It's the original plantation³⁰ house. This entire development was built on land that once held slaves. Professor Marsh lives on a street named after one of those slaves, a woman called Hattie.

MARSH: I'm pretty sure Hattie was a cook.

SHAPIRO: Marsh feels a bit like she's reclaiming³¹ history, but it's also painful.

MARSH: So every morning, when I'm - like, I arrive, I've got to drive past that.

SHAPIRO: Hattie was never allowed to own a home. And today, it still feels like black homeowners face some obstacles that white homeowners do not.

1 browser   

n.浏览者

参考例句：

• View edits in a web browser.在浏览器中看编辑的效果。
• I think my browser has a list of shareware links.我想在浏览器中会有一系列的共享软件链接。

2 monolithic   

adj.似独块巨石的；整体的

参考例句：

• Don't think this gang is monolithic.不要以为这帮人是铁板一块。
• Mathematics is not a single monolithic structure of absolute truth.数学并不是绝对真理的单一整体结构。

3 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

4 dealership   

n.商品特许经销处

参考例句：

• The car dealership has a large inventory of used cars. 这家汽车经销商拥有数量庞大的二手车。
• A key to this effort is the experience in the dealership. 达到这个成果的关键是销售的体验。

5 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

6 liquidated   

v.清算( liquidate的过去式和过去分词 )；清除（某人）；清偿；变卖

参考例句：

• All his supporters were expelled, exiled, or liquidated. 他的支持者全都被驱逐、流放或消灭了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• That can be liquidated at market value any time. 那可按市价随时得到偿付。 来自辞典例句

7 immunity   

n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权

参考例句：

• The law gives public schools immunity from taxation.法律免除公立学校的纳税义务。
• He claims diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested.他要求外交豁免以便避免被捕。

8 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句

9 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

10 certified   

a.经证明合格的；具有证明文件的

参考例句：

• Doctors certified him as insane. 医生证明他精神失常。
• The planes were certified airworthy. 飞机被证明适于航行。

11 unravel   

v.弄清楚（秘密）；拆开，解开，松开

参考例句：

• He was good with his hands and could unravel a knot or untangle yarn that others wouldn't even attempt.他的手很灵巧，其他人甚至都不敢尝试的一些难解的绳结或缠在一起的纱线，他都能解开。
• This is the attitude that led him to unravel a mystery that long puzzled Chinese historians.正是这种态度使他解决了长期以来使中国历史学家们大惑不解的谜。

12 counselor   

n.顾问，法律顾问

参考例句：

• The counselor gave us some disinterested advice.顾问给了我们一些无私的忠告。
• Chinese commercial counselor's office in foreign countries.中国驻国外商务参赞处。

13 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

14 merger   

n.企业合并，并吞

参考例句：

• Acceptance of the offer is the first step to a merger.对这项提议的赞同是合并的第一步。
• Shareholders will be voting on the merger of the companies.股东们将投票表决公司合并问题。

15 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

16 sleepless   

adj.不睡眠的，睡不著的，不休息的

参考例句：

• The situation gave her many sleepless nights.这种情况害她一连好多天睡不好觉。
• One evening I heard a tale that rendered me sleepless for nights.一天晚上，我听说了一个传闻，把我搞得一连几夜都不能入睡。

17 repayment   

n.偿还，偿还款；报酬

参考例句：

• I am entitled to a repayment for the damaged goods.我有权利索取货物损坏赔偿金。
• The tax authorities have been harrying her for repayment.税务局一直在催她补交税款。

18 trauma   

n.外伤，精神创伤

参考例句：

• Counselling is helping him work through this trauma.心理辅导正帮助他面对痛苦。
• The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.恐惧症可能源于童年时期的创伤。

19 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

20 marsh   

n.沼泽，湿地

参考例句：

• There are a lot of frogs in the marsh.沼泽里有许多青蛙。
• I made my way slowly out of the marsh.我缓慢地走出这片沼泽地。

21 sociologist   

n.研究社会学的人，社会学家

参考例句：

• His mother was a sociologist,researching socialism.他的母亲是个社会学家，研究社会主义。
• Max Weber is a great and outstanding sociologist.马克斯·韦伯是一位伟大的、杰出的社会学家。

22 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

23 unpack   

vt.打开包裹（或行李），卸货

参考例句：

• I must unpack before dinner.我得在饭前把行李打开。
• She said she would unpack the items later.她说以后再把箱子里的东西拿出来。

24 rebound   

v.弹回；n.弹回，跳回

参考例句：

• The vibrations accompanying the rebound are the earth quake.伴随这种回弹的振动就是地震。
• Our evil example will rebound upon ourselves.我们的坏榜样会回到我们自己头上的。

25 flip   

vt.快速翻动；轻抛；轻拍；n.轻抛；adj.轻浮的

参考例句：

• I had a quick flip through the book and it looked very interesting.我很快翻阅了一下那本书，看来似乎很有趣。
• Let's flip a coin to see who pays the bill.咱们来抛硬币决定谁付钱。

26 constrained   

adj.束缚的,节制的

参考例句：

• The evidence was so compelling that he felt constrained to accept it. 证据是那样的令人折服，他觉得不得不接受。
• I feel constrained to write and ask for your forgiveness. 我不得不写信请你原谅。

27 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

28 equity   

n.公正，公平，（无固定利息的）股票

参考例句：

• They shared the work of the house with equity.他们公平地分担家务。
• To capture his equity,Murphy must either sell or refinance.要获得资产净值，墨菲必须出售或者重新融资。

29 mansion   

n.大厦，大楼；宅第

参考例句：

• The old mansion was built in 1850.这座古宅建于1850年。
• The mansion has extensive grounds.这大厦四周的庭园广阔。

30 plantation   

n.种植园，大农场

参考例句：

• His father-in-law is a plantation manager.他岳父是个种植园经营者。
• The plantation owner has possessed himself of a vast piece of land.这个种植园主把大片土地占为己有。

31 reclaiming   

v.开拓( reclaim的现在分词 )；要求收回；从废料中回收（有用的材料）；挽救

参考例句：

• People here are reclaiming land from the sea. 这儿的人们正在填海拓地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• How could such a man need reclaiming? 这么一个了不起的人怎么还需要别人拯救呢？ 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹