The black people have always been suffering from oppression throughout history, starting from the period of colonization and until nowadays. Although society seems to be awakening from ignorance and the Black Lives Matter movement made a massive shift in people’s minds, there are still numerous problems and struggles that black people have to deal with daily.
One example is the recent article Black Unemployment Rises In Jobs Report Despite More Job Seekers (2021), which that shows even though the demand for workers is rising, black people’s unemployment rate also rises and not getting lower. Business leaders claim that it is all because of the coronavirus consequences and the shortage of a well-qualified workforce. Although referring to Franck, Kimball, Rattner (2021), “black workers with an associate degree saw an unemployment rate of 6.9 percent, while the jobless rate among white high school dropouts was 5.8 percent”. Hence, those arguments are only an undercover for discrimination.
There is another case that illustrates the absurdness of situations and possible tension that black people often experience. According to Spoccia (2021), “the white woman called 911 on the black birdwatcher, claiming he threatened her life in the previous year”. Rarely some of the population can expect that kind of treatment in everyday life.
Those two stories are perfect examples of what black people have to through just because of racial prejudice. They highlight and depict the reaction of white society to black people and the issues they face daily. Most of the time, the privileged segment of the population ignores those facts and justifies acts of discrimination.
A skilled black person with a degree cannot get a job, while at the same time, some white man with less professional knowledge has higher chances to receive an offer and start working. It seems that many white people unconsciously perceive black people as someone suspicious, dangerous and strange. Therefore, the white population can expect crime or violence due to social stereotypes and prejudice. Consequently, instead of solving the problem, they start calling the police and start acting themselves aggressively. There are still many issues to work on, and modern society only begins to realize the actual position of things.
References
Franck, T., Kimball, S., Rattner, N. (2021). Black Unemployment Rises In Jobs Report Despite More Job Seekers. NBC News.
Spoccia, G. (2021). Central Park Karen Still Claims She Had Good Reason To Call Police On Black Birdwatcher. Independent.