By: Luisa Fernanda Fonseca Romero
Do you have any idea that, for every 6 dollars received by whites, a black person receives 1 dollar? These numbers represent the inequality that exists in the United States, also these show that whites still prevail in the midst of a 21st century society. This can be seen not only in the common society but also in different studies done by the Institute for Economic Analysis in Washington where they found that "whites have on average six times more wealth than blacks and Hispanics (US$632,000 vs. US$103,000)" this situation represents the huge wage gap that still exists in the American culture.
Firstly, black people represent 14% of the United States in comparison with the white community that belongs to 60% of the population, this according to data from several censuses of 2019. Although the black population gradually over time has fought for their rights in the midst of a white supremacy, even today in the United States for some people blacks deserve less and therefore do not have the same treatment, an example is given by the Office of Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education, as the population of black youth and children "are suspended and expelled three times more than their white peers (16% vs 5%) in schools" and also emphasize that girls tend to be even more suspended than those belonging to other races; This makes it clear that although little has been achieved in getting the black population to complete basic education, even so, inequality and culture make it clear that many continue to think of blacks as lesser.
At the same time, another situation that represents the inequality that blacks receive can be seen in hospitals, more precisely with pregnant women; there was a case that became known in 2020 where a father denounced that due to hospital negligence his wife died when she was only 26 years old; In addition to this, a former nurse, Kathy McFadden, also denounced that several cases she collected from the hospitals where she had worked, showed the discrimination and white supremacy that still exists in American society; these situations and the numbers reported by media such as NPR Radio where they reveal that "African-American women are three times more likely to die in childbirth than white women. In New York, the risk is even eight times higher" show that even health professionals are exposed to discrimination based on skin color.
In short, the black community has fewer opportunities in all aspects of society. First, the wages that blacks receive are clearly not at all equal to what whites receive, so they do not have the same opportunities. Second, health in general is not the same and the recurrent deaths due to lack of care for black mothers shows the racism that many Americans still possess. In conclusion, the purpose of the American society this year is to change the mentality of racism with the proposals of the new government, since it seeks to educate the population so that the new generations accept the other communities and leave aside the racial inequality.
Reference:
Tusee Media. (2020, 13 junio). ¿Cuál es la composición de la población de Estados Unidos según su raza?Tuseemedia.com.
https://www.tuseemedia.com/internacional/2020/06/15/poblacion-estados-unidos-raza/
BBC News Mundo. (2014, 25 noviembre). 5 cifras para entender la desigualdad racial de EE.UU.https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias/2014/08/140814_eeuu_desigualdad_racial_ferguson_misuri_tsb
A. (2020a, diciembre 2). El racismo en Estados Unidos llega hasta las salas de parto. France 24. https://www.france24.com/es/la-selecci%C3%B3n-de-arte-en-espa%C3%B1ol/20201202-racismo-eeuu-salas-de-parto-maternidad-discriminacion
El Diario. (2019, 22 abril). Un 65% de la población de EEUU considera que las opiniones racistas son más comunes desde la elección de Trump. ElDiario.es. https://www.eldiario.es/desalambre/pew-research-racismo-donald-trump_1_1161372.html
Comments