“Black people in the United States have been paying the price for their hair, skin color, and simply for being black. It is high time everyone pays attention to it as well.”
The struggle of getting the same privilege as the White Americans in the US is something that every black man and woman is aware of. There is no industry where we aren’t discriminated against. This blog is a small attempt to bring forth all those areas where black people suffer in our everyday life.
REDLINING – How Black People Are Still Sidelined From Home Ownership: The racial wealth gap has been a constant feature of life in the US. The Federal Reserve estimates that black families have a median net worth of 10 times less than white families. The national homeownership rate for white families is 73.7% for white families while it is only 44% for the black counterparts.
This redlining, which is defined as the practice of denying credit to residents of certain neighborhoods (minority), is still widening the longstanding racial wealth gap. The white rich homeowners are getting richer with more properties while the black population is still struggling to bridge that homeownership gap because of the collective inability to invest in their neighborhoods as compared to their white counterparts.
Even if a black family ends up affording a home in a white neighborhood, they still may face discrimination. There have been several incidents of appraisers devaluing homes owned by black people. One black owner even went on to test her theory by removing everything from her house that could have pointed towards her identity as a black woman. Formally getting low offers from the appraiser, the new appraiser appraised the home for a whopping $120,000 more than the first one. This is the extent of bias and discrimination black Americans live through every day.
GENTRIFICATION – White Rich Displacing The Black Poor: Like redlining, gentrification is still affecting black people and minority communities. Poor black people are forced to move to even poorer neighborhoods as white people in their bid to invest look for cheaper properties in black-majority areas. This results in fewer affordable neighborhoods with a shrinking number of areas available for black people and other minorities.
Though redlining and gentrification are similar concepts, it is high time to highlight them even more considering the increased stability minorities are facing due to the pandemic and the current incidents of discrimination against black people.
EDUCATION – Unequal Opportunities In Higher Education: Nearly 44% of the difference in test scores between white students and black students is a direct or indirect result of discrimination and injustices toward them. This drastic test difference can be attributed to access to resources, overcrowded classrooms, and other factors. With such a deficit after decades, it’s seemingly impossible to believe that it is accidental.
Black students are discriminated against. More than 55% of black people with college experience report people acting suspiciously to them in the college premises. Nearly 52% of people with college experience reported that people act like they aren’t smart enough when they are around them. With all this, black students still study and most of them work part-time to fund their education as well. There is more to it. A large number of young black people cannot even afford to join educational institutions. Then there is also a concept of white and black-only schools, which has been widening the education chasm now more than ever.
PAY DISCRIMINATION – Unequal Wages & Less Black People On The Top: Black people, especially women, earn way less than their white counterparts. The discrimination isn’t only in the wage, but the position and numbers in the organization as well. There is intersectional discrimination (for black women) at every step of the way. There are no inclusion and retention policies. The diversity in companies is still low.
After all this, black people still do their best to make their way to the top. Most of them are still concentrated on blue-collar jobs and low-wage positions. They work and work without getting the reward they deserve.
“These are some of the areas, the tip of the iceberg, and all the ways through which black people are still paying the price of being ‘black’.
