Systematic Racism in America still exists today
By Kevin Nieves
Does systematic racism still exist in America today? There has been a lot of discussion lately in the last few years about whether this is still a common aspect of American life, but is it still a thing or not?
Racism can be found in education, when school districts with mostly black, native and latino students get less revenue than districts with fewer student of color. Systematic racism on employment is still prevalent as well, especially in the hiring process of many companies. Racism can show up in a lot of other ways too. For example, in health care, a belief that black patients feel less pain.
Of course, the criminal justice system has also been plagued by racism. In 2020, a study using a dataset with 100 million traffic stops across the United States found that black drivers are 20% more likely to get stopped than white drivers relative to their residential population. Once pulled over, black drivers are then one to two times more likely to be searched than white drivers.
These statistics represent a system that is racist, and therefore systematic racism. Systematic racism affects educational quality. For school districts with over five thousand students, funding is about $13.5 million less than other districts. This means fewer computers, fewer teachers and outdated textbooks. In schools with resources like gifted and talented programs, systematic racism is a problem. Lower quality of education and fewer resources affect where a student attends college, how many loans they need and if they graduate.
In education, the problem of race means that young people cannot even get a leg up and improve their future, because they cannot get the education they need to make it in modern society. It is not even their fault.
In employment systematic racism is well documented. It begins with the hiring process. Black Americans with white-sounding names receive about 50% more callbacks for their job applications. Even having a college degree does not help employment chances. Between 2010-2012 one study showed that while only 6% of engineering graduates were unemployed, 10% of black engineer graduates were unemployed. It is not fair for those who worked hard to get a degree and then cannot find a job or be able to start their career.
Systematic racism is healthcare is also still prevalent in American society. It can show up in odd ways, such as a belief that black patients feel less pain and therefore suffer unnecessarily. Studies show that black patients are significantly less likely to receive pain medication.
In the criminal justice system, the effects of systematic racism are extensively documented. Getting pulled over at a higher rate than white drivers and then getting searched at a higher rate as well means that race is a factor in policing. Then once in the criminal justice system, the race affects the outcome of the court system as well.
So, it is safe to say that systematic racism is still a huge problem in America. There are still many ways that racism has an impact on American society. It is not just one race that gets affected by this either. There are different races that also get pulled into racist practices. Therefore, this is a problem and it does exist.
Effects of Education Inequality
By Ryan Hernandez
Inequality in education is something that exists and haunts many school districts, even ours. Personal observations between the PHS and the academies has reinforced my belief about this topic. The purpose of this article is to bring more attention to it and hopefully prevent others from being affected by it in the future. It has been something that’s overlooked and not mentioned as much as it should be.
It is harder for those to obtain the same education, privilege and opportunities as others due to the wealth and racism issues. This goes a long way and as explained in the article, “To reduce income inequality in the United States, we must rethink how public schools are funded” (Maximillian Schenke, The Michigan Daily).
“We must fund public schools to lower wealth inequality,” it states “Predominantly white districts, which are often smaller and wealthier than districts with mainly communities of color, receive $23 billion more in funding nationwide.”
This causes a harder and unattainable goal for those in poverty, bigger schools and less funded places to achieve. Those who stay in schools who are funded more are more likely to get more opportunities, better jobs and lives than those who are not. It is for this reason that communities filled with people of color are funded less than predominantly white districts.
The pandemic as made these problems more evident and also created more problems that seem to be never ending. Issues arising from the pandemic has shown how many students were affected personally and academically.
In the article “The pandemic is widening educational inequality,” it states “In Britain in 2018, for example, children from disadvantaged backgrounds were twice as likely to leave school without basic qualifications in English and math as their wealthier peers.”
As someone who has seen this personally happen, it’s very true and alive till this day. I’ve had smaller cousins who did not have the right setting, education or resources and were forced to repeat a grade and some even several times because of how difficult it was for them. It is a lot harder for those who were smaller and younger to be taught in their own homes with noise and other distractions around them. This causes them to be held back, struggle and leave them disadvantaged.
For many the dream of going to college is a dream that will never come true. In the article “Is the cost of college worth it? Maybe not for the poor” it states, “The government must recognize that the higher education system now is not a cure-all for inequality and commit to providing better policies to help those in poverty in addition to offering more solutions to making college affordable.”
This shows and explains how college can also play into education inequality. Knowing that no matter how many loans, all the college education, and other work, that I am not guaranteed a good life in the long term, makes me question whether I should go or not. Knowing that those with degrees can make the same or even worse than those who have one.
As we all know and pretty much experience it, funding for schools are a problem. In the article “Educational inequality is a critical problem that must be solved,” it states, “This funding should be used to hire qualified teachers, purchase updated resources and technology, and provide additional support for students.”
This is something I believe in, because everyone deserves the same opportunity as everyone else. It is just infuriating how long this process takes.
Education inequality is something that needs to be worked on and further looked into more in our communities, states and country. It is an issue that has been long overdue to get the proper attention it deserves. Everyone deserves the right and better chances of succeeding in this life whatever it means to take it and get it.
Racism does not need to affect you
By Matthew Brocato
Racism is an outdated idea that has been around for as long as there have been people. However, in the United States today, it is not a part of the systems that make the country function.
Look at the recent interview of presidential candidate Tim Scott, currently a senator from South Carolina. He was grilled by “The View” hosts for not admitting that there is systematic racism in America. A polite man, he answered their attacks and stated how he was himself an example of the promise of American equality and that if he could do it, anyone could. He did not deny that there have been problems in the past, but that it is a modern America where anyone can succeed if they put in the work and dedication.
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has pretty much the same sentiment. He is a black man, that came from very humble beginnings, to become a supreme court justice of the United States. He is also against affirmative action because he believes that it creates more of the sentiment that it is supposed to account for.
People wonder in the real world whether someone got their job because of their skill and talent and hard work or because they are the right color. Need I mention our current vice president to highlight this concept?
If we look around this school, students should not be looking for a reason that the game is rigged and the excuse that even if they try that they will fail. There are no guarantees in life, but as an American in the twenty-first century, race is not the thing that will keep you back.
Look around this school. Are student working as hard as they can to achieve their dreams? Are there many things that students can do and programs that they can take advantage of, like tutoring in the morning and in the afternoon, extra help from teachers who care, and all the advanced placement and dual enrollment classes, not to mention the pathways that will give ANY student to the skills to succeed. All they have to do is sign up, show up and try.
I see many students who do not care about their own future as much as the teachers and guidance counselors around them about their own future. We as students of any color need to step up and take advantage of the opportunities that are all around us. So, before you blame others for your lack of success, look to yourself. There is always something you can do to make your own life better.
