When you examine any of the quality of life indicators — whether it is the amount of wealth and the rate of employment, the quality of health or access to healthcare services, ghetto dwelling or equal access to quality housing, and access to quality education or the educational achievement gap — it seems that the darker your skin the worst you are by any of those measures.
Evidence abounds — too much to be summarized in this space. But findings from some well-respected research paint a compelling picture.
The first study released in 2010, conducted by the Institute on Assets and Social Policy at Brandeis University, poignantly and pointedly, confirmed the growing wealth gap between white and African-American families. The study shows that during a period of 23 years, between 1984 and 2007, when America enjoyed an unprecedented economic boom, the poverty and wealth divide quadrupled among blacks and whites. Middle-income white households gained far more wealth than high-income African-American households.
The study also reported that African-American families had more debt than assets, which resulted in a great percentage of African Americans with absolutely no assets to rely on during economic hard times. Thomas Shapiro, co-author of the research, said “Our study shows a broken chain of achievement. Even when African Americans do everything right — get an education and work hard at well-paying jobs — they cannot achieve the wealth of their white peers in the workforce, and that translates into very different life chances.”
The study lays the cause of the fourfold increase in the wealth gap directly at the feet of public policies that have been passed to benefit the wealthiest Americans, and the continuing discriminatory practices in the housing, labor, and credit markets. Shapiro, who has authored “The Hidden Costs of Being African American,” and co-authored “Black Wealth/White Wealth,” states, “A U-turn is needed. Public policies have and continue to play a major role in creating and sustaining the racial wealth gap, and they must play a role in closing it.”
Even today, the unemployment rate shows great disparities. While the overall rate is 9.1 percent, it is over 16 percent among African Americans. The unemployment rate among teens is 19 percent overall, but over 40 percent among African-American teens.
When it comes to education and academic achievement, the trend is just as disturbing. Many studies have been done, and continue to be conducted, but in the book, “Race, Class, and the Achievement Gap: The Promise of Student Potential,” the authors provide glaring disparities between White, Latino, and African-American students:
- One out of 12 White students can competently read from a science section of the newspaper compared to one out of 50 Latino students, and only one out of 100 African-American students.
- One out of 10 White students can complete multi-step, elementary algebra problems compared to one in 30 Latino students, and one in 100 African-American students.
- Seven out of 10 White students have mastered usage and computation of fractions, percents, and averages compared to four out of 10 Latino students, and only three out of 10 African-American students.
Unfortunately, this trend continues in the overall educational achievement gap. Upon graduation from high school, African-American and Latino students are performing at the 8th grade level of Whites in both reading and math.
A protracted history of segregation, poor quality schools, broken families, and poor economic conditions all are contributing factors to the poor educational outcomes.
When it comes to the overall state of health, the data is consistently clear. The morbidity and mortality rates are higher for blacks in most chronic (heart disease, cancers, diabetes, etc.) than that of whites. So are the death rates. This is not a surprise when one considers the inability to access quality healthcare or buy foods that promote health, and other activities that promote healthy outcomes.
While equating the color of skin to the level of discrimination and racism may first appear as a too simple or superficial comparison, one only needs to track the annals of history and how difference groups have fared and assimilated, and partaken of the American way of life. One must also look to the ravages and impact of the long institution of slavery on individuals and the family unit when it comes to African-Americans.
In addition, there continues to be socialization and perpetuation of racial stereotypes based on skin color. Nothing paints a more poignant picture than the results of a CNN study on children’s racial beliefs, attitudes, and preferences. To say the finding are alarming is an understatement. They are startling.
When kindergarten and middle school children, in schools geographically dispersed with comparative composition of white and black students, were asked about positive traits of children their age or in their class, or with whom they preferred to associate, the answers were frighteningly consistent:
- "White students selected lighter skin tones more than Black students when indicating positive attitudes and beliefs, social preferences and color preferences.”
- “White children tended to select darker skin tones than their Black classmates for the dumb, mean, bad, and ugly child.”
It was gut-wrenching to watch four and five year-olds select pictures of lighter skin tone children as being smarter, nicer, better looking; and then select children with darker skin tones to be dumber, meaner, bad, and uglier. The darkest skin tone picture was selected most of the time.
Where and how did such young children form these beliefs and preferences? As they grow older, become more educated, will these beliefs and preferences follow them into the workplace? Will they affect their choice on where they choose to live, work, and with whom they choose to socialize?
Are people of darker skin hues more discriminated against?
How can this cycle be broken?
What do you think?
Comments
Inside Racism
The title can speak for itself in several ways. There is a Darker too Lighter skin racism that goes on in the African American society. Most darker skinned individuals feel that their lighter skinned counterpart is treated better when it comes to jobs, partnership, or general life events as a whole. Far as comments about this particular article the information was very shocking to me but then again the topic is about race in the world. it really could get a really good read on but it some what add more information to basket full concerns that I have.
Racism and Discrimination
I agree with this article that those with darker skin and hues are discriminated more. There are may reasons for this, mainly those that deal with public policies. I feel that the main reason that those with darker skin colors and hues are discriminated against is the passing of beliefs and values of those with lighter skin colors and hues. Unfortunately, I believe that the values and beliefs of those children who discriminate will follow them as the grow up. Unless, these children become more socialized and educated in cultural competency. This cycle can be broken, but not over night. I believe if parents become more culturally competent themselves they will be more likely to pass it down to their children. Also, if young children are socialized with children of different races there is a less chance for racism to begin.
Breaking the Cycle
No doubt that whites are portrayed as the smarter and better in our society. There is too many factors that play a part in forming this belief that making strides to eliminate the problem is going to take generations. Everything in society adds to the feeling that whites are the superior race. People believe what is in media, education, movies, and hearsay, to narrow the problem down to one thing and working out a plan to dispose of the education gap is going to take a national effort to change a number of mediums.
Closing The Gap
The gap that exists between whites and blacks and their success is an unfortunate part of our society. Many efforts have been made in order to tear down walls and establish programs that will help close that gap but the ignorance of a few will always exist and always, ultimately, shut those efforts down. I believe that in order to enact change, policies must be implemented that do not focus on breaking down those ignorant walls but rather focus on snuffing them out with persistence. I'm talking about coming up with a way to make white or black a non-factor when it comes to learning or earning and at the same time, leaves no room for any prejudices or discrimination. Though I don't have a magic bullet that would set such a thing in motion, I think too much time is wasted trying to change the opinions of people who have no interest in changing. I will always be an advocate for uninhibited equal opportunity for all races but I don't think it will come from examining how young children see their classmates. I believe instead, it will come from decisive action and a take what you want attitude. In a democracy such as ours, success is out their for anyone who will stand up and take it. If that is to be afforded to everyone, those of us who believe in the experiment must create policies that do not keep people in stuck in a cycle of failure, but rather provide them with a path to whatever life they want for themselves.
Change
Overall I agree with this article because I do believe that students with darker skin do have more challenges. But we do have to do something to break the cycle and make a change. People shouldn’t have to bring themselves down just because of the color of their skin. They should have to same opportunities as everyone else. We see that many times people with lighter skin tend to have more money, like the article said. They have the option to have a babysitter, nanny or have a parent stay home to help their child. Whereas, generally speaking, but not always, a parent who has darker skin may need to work more than one job to make ends meet. When it comes to the fact of education, teacher education varies state by state. Each district sets its own expectations and obviously the better the school district the better the education.
Agreed
The numbers do not lie. It is true in every aspect. Most African American children are born into families where one or even both parents did not finish college compared to the majority of white children who parents do finish school. Funding for education has been a big problem to why African Americans and Hispanic Americans are reading and doing math at a slower pace. Schools who are well funded tend to have boosters who donate to the school. the darker your skin will decided weather or not you get the job. Sometimes knowing someone will not get you the job either. The fact is, most whites are afraid of darker skinned people being in charge. Along with racism this will always be a problem.
The Gap Between The Poor And The Wealthy
All my life I have heard the saying, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Reading this article only reaffirmed that the world is a more advanced version of the wild, because it is survival of the fittest. The period of 23 years between 1984 and 2007 the study shows the poverty and wealth divide quadrupled among black and whites, and I think this divide will continue to grow.
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