Racial inequality in the United States is a widespread issue that affects a significant portion of the population. It continues to have an adverse impact on society, as hostility remains between different ethnical groups. Historically, the issues of Black people were given much less attention from the governmental initiatives, criminal laws were ignoring any incidents regarding minorities, and racism against them was socially acceptable (Braik, 2018). This essay discusses the history of racial inequality, how it affected Black people, and its current status.
Racism in the United States was prevalent in the past to the point of absurdity. Aside from a generally hostile attitude in society towards Black communities, the governmental policies reinforced these negative beliefs (Katznelson, 2006). A series of statutes that were called Jim Crow laws promoted racial segregation at the beginning of the twentieth century and significantly slowed down any pro-equality initiatives (Katznelson, 2006). The current state of ethical prejudice reveals the effects of prolonged ignorance towards Black communities. Instead of resolving the issue, the government has involved the criminal justice system in covering the extent of the impact of disparity, to the point of putting police officers in charge of monitoring schools with predominantly non-White students (Cole, 2020).
In conclusion, the resolution of racial inequality is a necessary step for a better future for the United States. The long-lasting effects of the past policies and societal inequalities led to a significant gap between key performance indicators between U.S. citizens of different races. The majority of studies that assess inequality rates in the United States focus on the performance of minorities in society, taking into account their earnings, education, and other factors (Valdez & Golash-Boza, 2017). It is essential to focus on promoting initiatives that will increase raise these statistics among underrepresented communities to a national level.
References
Braik, F. (2018). New deal for minorities during the Great Depression. Journal of Political Science and International Relations, 1(1), 20. doi:10.11648/j.jpsir.20180101.13
Cole, D. (2020). The skin we’re in: A year of Black resistance and power. Doubleday Canada.
Katznelson, I. (2006). When affirmative action was white: An untold history of racial inequality in twentieth-century America. W. W. Norton & Company.
Valdez, Z., & Golash-Boza, T. (2017). U.S. racial and ethnic relations in the twenty-first century. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 40(13), 2181-2209. doi:10.1080/01419870.2016.1262052