What About Racial and Ethnic Inequality?
By Dartaja Carr
(Photo: Tech Goes Home Chattanooga)
As the 2020 election approaches, we must begin to think about the future and how we can better communities inside and outside the spectrum. When educating, supporting, or advocating for or with individuals who can’t do so themselves, we must reflect on the importance of justice, peace, and equality. People are currently and will be discussing numerous significant issues during the upcoming election, one of those issues being race and ethnic inequality. Racial and ethnic inequality has torn a hole through the fabric of American society, creating unjust systems, discrimination and racist biases, white supremacy, white privilege, and so much more.
The Difference Between Race and Ethnicity
Race and ethnicity are two similar but different concepts that relate to human ancestry. Race refers to a category of people who share specific distinctive physical characteristics or traits, such as skin color. Ethnicity refers to the state of belonging to a shared social or cultural group, such as black or African American.
The View on Racial Inequality
It is a well known fact that Americans, specifically people of color, know that being identified as white is an advantage in society. In fact, “Americans generally think being white is an advantage in society, while about half or more say being black or Hispanic hurts people’s ability to get ahead,” including being unable to receive access to excellent quality education and job opportunities. Racial and ethnic inequality exists in everything from housing to health.
Most Americans, regardless of their race and ethnicity, admit that the encounters between African Americans and criminal justice system & police, usually lead to the mistreatment or murder of African American individuals.
Facts and Examples of Racial and Ethnic Inequality
From 1877 to 1950, thousands of black men, women, and children were lynched, shot, skinned, burned alive, and bludgeoned. It was their form of a “justice” system.
In Louisville, Kentucky, police fatally shot Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, during a raid on her home while she was asleep. Six weeks after Floyd's death. About ten weeks after, the father and son duo chased down Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man, in a pick-up truck murdering him in the neighborhood of Glynn County, Georgia.
The deaths of these individuals unleashed a rage, fighting against police brutality and racism. It became the drive for uprisings across the country. Thousands flooded the streets, demanding justice and an end to police brutality.
Most of these murders are in the public view.
The “dehumanization” of Black people is a common factor in the recent incidents. In other words, people, white people specifically, weaponize black people because of the color of their skin.
Why Should You Care About Racial and Ethnic Inequality?
Are you aware that people of color, specifically Black people, are murdered by white individuals, and those white individuals are walking away free? Are you also aware that racial and ethnic inequality goes beyond slavery and oppression? Educators were teaching us how Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean and founded America in 1492. However, educators left out the part where he ordered his troops to kill thousands of Native Americans to conquer and colonize land that was not his to take. American education has shaped the minds of our Black and Brown youth to believe that racial and ethnic inequality does not exist.
The death of George Floyd sparked protests all around the world. People protested to push and fight for the issue of police brutality. People “characterized this pandemic as a pandemic of racism and white supremacy.” The murders did not end there. The death of Floyd was only one of many others that came before and after his death.
White people refuse to care about the black lives that are lost and the unjust justice system that allows murderers to walk free after committing a crime. They believe that the officers of the law are doing their jobs by serving and protecting. Who falls under this “protection?” Not Black people.
As the racial tensions spread throughout the world, “conversations about the need to dismantle white supremacy, defund police departments and toughen laws about race-related crimes rose to the top of national discourse.” The fight for justice is constant. We all know why racial and ethnic inequality exists. What are we going to do to change that? It begins by voting. At Leaders Igniting Transformation, we take pride in direct action, advocacy and change to better Black and brown individuals and communities. What about you?
