African Americans And Poverty

Poverty, the state of being extremely poor, exists all over America! There are several different types of poverty, and the causes of poverty. Most people think of poverty as just somebody who is homeless and has no job, somebody who has no money to support the basic needs of life, and wears ragged clothing and lives under a bridge. What people don’t know is there are people living in poverty that have jobs and make money but live so poorly that they are categorized with people that live in absolute poverty.

The article Being Poor, Black and American: The Impact of Political, Economic, and Cultural Forces written by William Julius Wilson is about the struggles and inequalities African Americans living in poverty encounter. Wilson discussed political, economic and cultural forces that have an impact on American impoverished communities. The author suggested the natural disaster of Hurricane Katrina brought the media and world attention to poverty in the United States. Prior to Katrina, the author believes Americans did not focus or sympathize with poor communities. This unsympathetic attitude stems from the belief that people are poor because they did not work hard enough, or are not doing anything to get out of that situation. After Katrina, Americans started to notice and care about the impoverished communities because the hurricane was a natural disaster and out of their control. Overall, the author explains how politics, economics and cultures forced many families into poverty, and diminishes the idea that people live in poverty because of their own shortcomings.

The current poverty rate in America is 13.5 percent (US Census Bureau). That measures out to roughly 43.1 million Americans. What exactly is poverty? Poverty means not having enough money to meet basic needs including food, clothing and shelter. However, poverty is so much more than just not having enough money. Poverty is not having access to a doctor or medications you may need, poverty is not having access to a good education. Poverty can be the people who are barely able to pay for food and shelter and simply can’t afford other expenses such as car repairs, field trips with their children and any other extracurricular activity.

staggering? Poverty occurs when a person’s need for food, clothing and shelter are not being

Racial discrimination is the main and ongoing problem in the social life of Americans. When we look at the gap of incomes between White and African Americans, we can see the inequality between these two groups. In general, whites have more annual earnings than their black counterparts in America. Lori Ann Campbell and Robert L. Kaufman emphasized that the wealth determinants, which are the indicators of socio-economic status, have effected more on Whites than Blacks. And even when society is organized, there is still some disparities on account of race and ethnicity. (Campbell and Kaufman, 2006). And income disparities between African and White Americans have definitely effected the peace of the social life. According to Campell and

Public housing is another program that helps to provide a roof over a family’s heads for reduced costs. Rent in some places can be quite high and a family of four may find it hard even to afford a small 3 bedroom house without breaking their pockets.

Poverty has been an ongoing issue since the birth of this Nation. When one thinks of poverty the last people we think of are the ones closest to home. As children some are told “finish your dinner, there are starving kids in Africa”, but what about the starving children whom are in neighborhoods close to us? Poverty is everywhere, even the places that are thought of as wealthy. Poverty in America; a continuing issue.There are many different definitions of poverty. The United States Census Bureau states that

“All Men are created equal” a quote from the United States Constitution. Freedom is what the United States stands for it is what it was rooted from. However, we are into the 21st century and the idea that the United States still discriminates against a certain race is taboo to many. Everyone likes to walk around thinking that everything is alright and equal. Sadly this is not true. The African American, especially those found in the urban setting of Chicago is at a disadvantage. This is due to the erosion of the public education system along with fractured families along with other socioeconomic factors which have contributed to the cycles of poverty and ultimately creates a disadvantaged for African Americans in Chicago. For this research paper I’m going to focus on Chicago for its strong roots in the African American Community, but this isn’t just a one city problem the disadvantages to African Americans are spread out throughout the entire country in every major city in every state and there is no hiding from it.

The United States developed the official poverty measures in 1960. It was developed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, who had declared a war on poverty during the Civil Rights era. (The Path of Power- The years of Lyndon B. Johnson, (Caro, 16). The poverty rate of African Americans has been declining for many years. The Census Bureau releases two reports every year that describe who is poor in the United States based on cash resources. There is also the supplemental poverty measure (SPM) which takes account for the cash resources and non cash benefits from government programs aimed at low income families. (www.Census.gov/People and household). In 2012 there were over 46.5 million people in poverty and of those numbers 10 million were African

When most people think of poverty they think of somewhere overseas, however; poverty is a lot closer to home than one might think. The winding, twisting roads of Eastern Kentucky have picturesque scenery, but many of the people here are struggling in these hills. The people of Eastern Kentucky have been dependent on the coal industry to feed their families and pay their bills, but this once thriving industry has been on the decline in recent years. Without coal, Eastern Kentucky is facing a grim future and many of its residents are struggling with the effects of losing one of their main employment opportunities.

African Americans have been systematically discriminated against since the advent of slavery over 200 years ago and still continue to be oppressed. Slavery created the ideology that Whites were superior to African Americans, because slaves were seen as property and not as human beings (O’Connell 2012). Following this sentiment, African Americans were not allowed to receive an education, let alone learn how to read. These slaves were dependent on their slave owners for the total well being of themselves, as well as their families. This dependency has created a cycle of poverty that has spiraled into the 21st century, affecting heavily populated areas of minority communities. While there is poverty among all Americans, Black Americans suffer from poverty rates highly disproportionate to White Americans (O’Connell 2012).

Can you imagine having a hard-working day at work with no food, unhealthy work conditions, and little to no support? It is no surprise that young African Americans are struggling in almost every arena, due to these matters: malnutrition, health hazards and lack of guidance. There are many elements working against young African American males that affect them biologically, psychologically and socially. Their parents have a lot to do with the way they are affected. Parents need to work hard to provide the basic needs that their children need to survive, but can’t meet the need due to inadequate funds, poor housing, and no health care.

“The United States has the highest poverty rate of any advance industrial nation” (Elizabetha, 2013). For many years, black people have considered to be the poorest race in the United states. There have been many government programs put in place to help poverty among black Americans. Such as welfare, unemployment, and Medicaid just to name a few. The question is, with so many government programs, why does poverty still exist among Black Americans?

Shue, I enjoyed reading your post! I agree with you that building trust with your patients is critical if you need that person to follow your instructions. Poverty along with racial discrimination diminish patients confidence in the healthcare system. African Americans that belongs to the lower economic class always believed that the health care system is only after their money. Additionally, African Americans were also known to be subject to discrimination. This situation started way before the Civil War when disparities existed between African-American and Caucasian. Although some changes have happened since the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed, inequalities still exist, and it is preventing African American from seeking help in the hospitals

As a first world country with an ongoing AIDS epidemic, the healthcare and welfare programs are vital contributions that provide necessary healthcare and lessen the experience of poverty for many African Americans who are living with a HIV positive diagnosis. Compared to many other Americans, those who are HIV positive require a greater amount of healthcare and public assistance. African Americans are hit especially hard by the ongoing epidemic. African Americans make up 12% of the U.S. population, yet account for almost half of new HIV diagnoses (CDC 2015). The current U.S. healthcare system focuses on reducing medical costs for the large and diverse population of the poor community, Medicaid, which makes up half of the federal spending on HIV. In line with national efforts, the government has undertaken a series of studies on the relationship of being African American living in poverty and his or her risk of HIV. Data has shown that the lower the income of an individual or household, the greater the HIV prevalence rate. For example, HIV prevalence rate for African Americans (1.7%) is more than 8 times the rate for their White counterparts (0.2%). There may be a possibility poverty may account for the ethnic disparities found in HIV prevalence rates amongst the overall U.S. population, 46% of African Americans live in poverty in comparison to the stark contrast of just 10% of whites. I begin by reviewing the link between being African American poor and the role HIV/AIDS