The Black Disadvantage in the United States

Economic benefits are at the center of white privilege. Dating back to slavery, the majority of labor was provided by African Americans from which both the North and the South benefited and is one of the founding source of economy. Yet, African Americans and other minorities still struggle to get their slice of the American pie. Poor and working class whites strongly object to the idea of white privilege, stating or pointing out what they consider the obvious, that not every white person has wealth and power. Other benefits enjoyed by white people, including one which W. E. B. DuBois called the "psychological wages of whiteness." (Williams, 2004) This refers to that age old membership in the privileged group, even for whites on the bottom rung, confers a social status and recognition which is denied to all but the most powerful members of oppressed groups. The history of racial oppression in American is not disputed. However, what is disputed is whether and to what extent, four hundred years of oppression continues to harm African Americans and other minorities and their life chances unjustly. Looking at the way benefits and damages are allocated in the U.S., for example wealth, income, equality of our court system, treatment from the police, access to colleges and universities we see white privilege. As a group, white people have more income, wealth, political representation, status, power, and social reinforces of their human dignity and self respect than any group in

There has been a constant fall in unemployment amongst black people. Society and their stereotypes about black people have a lot to do with it. Discrimination is also a reason. Millions of African Americans live in communities that lack access to good jobs and good schools and suffer from high crime rates. African American adults are about twice as likely to be unemployed as whites, black students delay their white peers in educational completion and achievement, and African American communities tend to have higher than average crime rates. These issues have been persistent problems. I chose to write on this issue because I am a black female that will be seeking employment and I am concerned about the wellbeing of my future.

The poverty status in the last 12 months for all families, White alone is 8.3%, Black alone is 30.4%, American Indian and Alaska Native alone is 37.8%, Asian alone is 16.5%, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone is 30.8%, some other race alone is 35.9%, and two or more races alone is 32.0% (U.S. Census Bureau, 2017). (ADD NEW STUFF FROM CQ ALMANAC FOR VOTING AND CONSTIUENTS)

Along with racism’s effect on the economic status of communities, it also impacts African Americans in other aspects of the financial realm. As Peggy McIntosh explains in her essay, “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Backpack,” she, as a white person, “can count on [her] skin color not to work against the appearance of financial reliability” (McIntosh). Thus, institutionalized racism still makes it more difficult for Blacks to become financially stable compared to whites. According the Pew Research Center, the net worth of a white person was 13 times greater than that of a Black person in 2013, even though slavery had been abolished nearby 150 years prior (Fry, Kochlar). Likewise, in 1970 about 4 percent of whites and 62 percent of Blacks

Economically, African-Americans are still far behind compared to white people in the south. In the Jstor journals, Kenneth Ng and Nancy Virts write about a study on the income

Is this the equality the Americans promised in the Constitution? African Americans are less likely to even graduate from college than Caucasian Americans and black households on average earn $18,094 less per year than white households. The inequality is seen in the job area, income per household, and even in criminal bases. Polling by the Pew Research Center, on the other hand, shows that nearly nine in 10 blacks say discrimination still exists. One in three say they have experienced it within the past year; that number rises to one in two when it comes to the workplace or the voting booth.

Poverty affects millions of people living in the united states, poverty is measured by the amount of money needed to support the basic needs of a house hold. Poverty is measured by the SSA low-cost food budget assuming 1/3 of the budget is spent on food. The people with the highest percentage of poverty is shown to be Hispanic female households with no spouse present. The vast majority of people in poverty are women and children but in recent years the numbers of women considered poor have raised. Percentage rate is the percentage of poor in different counties. Looking at graph that maps Americas diversity shows that the highest poverty rate is in the South the Midwest has the least. I would assume that has to do with the weather, warmer weather

Racial differences in socioeconomic status (education, income, occupation, health) are well documented. For example, black people have a higher death rate from cardiovascular diseases, breast cancer, and diabetes compared to the rest of the population. In addition, black people are less likely than white people to receive optimal care for their health conditions. Furthermore, black people are three times more likely to live in poverty than white people, and their median household earnings are significantly lower than whites. Slavery, Jim Crow laws, and other forms of discrimination are directly linked to African Americans socioeconomic statuses. Legal racist practices made it harder for African Americans to accumulate wealth (Gaskin, Headen, & White-Means, 2005).

In 2008 black male workers only made 74 cents to every dollar made by a white worker with equal education. This is a significant issue because it creates a self reinforcing system that puts a large portion of the population at a disadvantage. Although the poor economic situation for African Americans in the U.S. may not be as prevalent as it was in the 1930’s, there still exists a significant gap between wages earned by white and black workers.

2. The 2012 U.S. poverty rate of 15.0 percent is 2.5 percentage points higher than poverty rate was in 2007. (U.S. Census Bureau)

Though social problems affect a wide variety of people from all races, classes, and cultures; minorities, specifically African Americans, encounter social problems on a multi-dimensional basis. Poverty, employment rates, discrimination, and other social problems strike African Americans in such a way that it is nearly impossible to separate them; each individual has different background, socially and physically, that would determine in which order his or her social problems need to be solved. Impoverished blacks in the inner city may have difficulty finding or keeping jobs, while others may have jobs, but face troubles with work discrimination that prevent them from moving upward .Underemployment, workplace inequalities, and unbalanced

(Newman and Pedulla, 2010). This number is twice as much as whites. Even if they had a job, many African Americans work for the low quality jobs. This means low levels of income relatively whites. And also nearly 50% of the wage differences between blacks and whites result from the racial discrimination. (Greene and Rogers, 1994). So, we can say that discrimination of wages between blacks and whites play a key role to determinate the income status of blacks. Also underemployment is serious as unemployment for many Americans especially for African Americans, because generally they work in that kind of positions. In March, almost 6 percent of workers had worked part time involuntary jobs. (Newman and Pedulla, 2010).

This report also voices that Blacks and Hispanics exceed the nation average. A single mother household is where poverty remains the highest.

According to (www.blackdemographics.com),” 32% off African Americans do not obtain a high school diploma.” The unemployment rates are diverse when dealing with the African American population. According to Dodson (2009), “African Americans have an unemployment rate almost double that of the overall population.” African American women have a greater opportunity for employment through the federal, state, or local government than African American men. A high percentage of African Americans are primarily employed in a management, professional, and related occupations. The poverty levels of African American have increased since 2009. The head of households in an African American family is usually run by women. The majority of American families are single women raising children as a single parent. In certain situations, this can lead to the women to relying on public assistance for support. Some African American women live in section eight housing in which the government pays the majority of the rent. She may also receive food stamps or a government assistance check.

Today many people believe that we have obtained racial equality. However there are multiple reasons and statistics that contradict those arguments . For decades African Americans has been deprived of basic rights, “If America had racial equality in education and jobs, African Americans would have two million more high school degrees…(Raines)”. There are many drastic racial gaps from education to owning property. Throughout America’s history blacks have been limited, when it comes to education, property, and other things. If people truly believe that after four hundred years of enslavement and limited rights, can be fixed within one generation they are wrong. The African American community has faced