Discrimination On African Americans

African Americans tend to fall under a lower class due to discrimination. African Americans are less likely to own a house, less likely to have a consistent job, and less likely to have the same pay as Caucasians. According to Shin, a personal financier, “The median white homeowner’s house is worth $85,800 compared to $50,000 for black homeowners. Discriminatory lending also exists today: Mortgages obtained by households of color tend to have higher interest rates” (Shin). African Americans are discriminated against, making them have higher interest rates than Caucasians. Woodruff, a personal finance correspondent states, “Since the 1960s, the difference in household income between black and white households ballooned from $19,000 to $27,000,
meaning black households on average earn just 59% as much as their white neighbors. Blacks enjoyed a bit of a boost from the prosperous early 2000s, when they earned 65% as much as white households” (Woodruff). For years African Americans have been paid less than Caucasians. However, today that wage gap has increased. African Americans are paid less than Caucasians and have higher rates mostly because of discrimination. According to Deborah Ashton, who works for the BMO Nesbitt Burns, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that Caucasian folks are paid more than African Americans. The statistics showed white men made a median of $896 versus black men who were only making $646 a week. On the other hand, white women made $621 versus a low $428 (Ashton). Robert Nielsen, who is a Certified Career Development Facilitator and earned his Ed.D., addresses the validity of studies because of the numerous variables involved. He was able to show that only people who have the same level of knowledge, such as a Master’s Degree, were compared. A high school dropout, would not be compared to someone who has earned their Doctoral Degree (Nielsen). Racism and discrimination have redesigned the social groups causing African Americans to be in a lower class than Caucasians.
Opposing viewpoints may be that African Americans are no longer affected by segregation and that the past of discrimination no longer influences society.
Segregation is still a big problem in the United States. Discrimination impacts African Americans by decreasing their pay, and by supplying them with less work benefits. According to Woodruff, a personal finance correspondent, “The average 401(k) balance for black workers enrolled in 401(k) plans in 2010 was $7,557, nearly half as much as white workers and barely unchanged from 2007. And for those blacks who are saving, they are 9% more likely to dip into their 401(k) contributions- more than four times as often as white” (Woodruff). The wage gap between African Americans and Caucasians has increased more and more each year, while being supplied with more taxes and less benefits. Another reason people believe African Americans get paid less is because of failing to receive a proper education. However, many African Americans get a subordinate education because of prejudice in the school system. According to Kohli, an editorial fellow at quartz, “The district had 6,622 students—38 percent of them black and 49 percent white—as of June 2013. But at every level where students are tracked, black students were underrepresented in higher-level classes” (Kohli). African Americans are being placed in lower level classes because of tracking, a biased system for class placement. Therefore, they are receiving an inferior education
compared to Caucasians. One could argue that the real issue is the discrimination of one who is of the Hispanic and/or the Latino descent. According the the United States Department of Labor (DOL), when the Latino men and women’s weekly salary is compared to Caucasian and African American ethnicities, statistics show that Latinos make a composite salary of $549 a week (“The Latino Labor Force in the Recovery”). This was the lowest average when compared to other races. The DOL is a part of the U.S. federal government, and is responsible for occupational therapy, wage and hour standards, unemployment insurance benefits, reemployment services, and economic statistics. Some may believerespond that to racism between African Americans and Caucasians is resolved and the new and more relevant issues isendure between Hispanics and Caucasians (Luzer). Daniel Luzer is a news writer for Washington Monthly. Despite the fact that discrimination among Hispanics and Caucasians is increasing particularly in school, African Americans still have further problems in nationally. “‘Over half of the schools that have more than 90 percent black or Latino students are also schools where half or more of students are living at or below the poverty line,’ Erica Frankenberg, a co-author of the study and an assistant professor of education policy at Pennsylvania State University, said in a call with reporters” (Maxwell). Lesli Maxwell is a writer for Education Week, an online newsletter with informational point of views about education to benefit students. Although racial opinions may be growing towards Hispanics today, the biggest discriminatory events still happen the most between Caucasians and African Americans. There are many cCourt cases such as the one of Trayvon Martin. Martin was , a 17-year-old from Florida who was shot and killed by a caucasian security officer simply because heTrayvon looked suspicious. There are many other cases involving African American beatings and unlawful shootings by caucasian law authorities. African American discrimination affects more than just the education and economic viewpoints, compared to Hispanic discrimination. African American discrimination affects the daily lives of African American citizens everywhere. All lives do matter, and there are racial groups that only believe in white power and subconsciously feel that caucasians are much more substantial compared to other races. Society is evolving, growing, and is continuously improving, but it is up to the citizens to embrace the change.
In American history, we have had laws and acts that have abolished some on the repercussions of slavery, but not all. “The 1964 Act certainly was not the first act Congress ever passed to vindicate civil rights. Soon after the Civil War (1861-1865), Congress passed the Civil Rights Acts of 1866 and 1875 in attempts to effectuate the liberty that many in Congress believed was granted by the abolition of slavery in the Thirteenth Amendment and the call for citizenship and equality in the Fourteenth Amendment,” (Chambers). The Fourteenth Amendment, as most people perceive, provided equality for people of color in the United States. However, beyond what meets the eye, there is a complex world full of discriminant people who do not treat others with equality and respect, due to the color of their skin. The Fourteenth Amendment for the most part, did clear up the partition between African Americans and Caucasians. If the government creates a law or amendment, similar to the Fourteenth Amendment, that is strict and provides a punishment for those who are discriminant to this day, then society can be a better place with equal opportunities for African-Americans and other racial groups. Social groups that promote racial equality can help influence the average american person today. President Obama stated in his speech to the NAACP Centennial Convention on July 16, 2009,
“Yes, government must be a force for opportunity. Yes, government must be a force for equality,” stated from the ACLU, American Civil Liberties Union (Promoting Opportunity). “ Black Lives Matter is an ideological and political intervention in a world where Black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for demise” (Black Lives).
Segregation is an unethical custom that was supposedly eradicated from American society . However, many Americans are affected by discrimination throughout their life. Whether it is through their education, social circumstances, or employment. In order to help fight off the repercussions of segregation, our society needs to unite and continue the path towards equality.