Two Americas: The Inequalities Between White and Black Citizens
In the United States, it isn’t unusual for children to know the Pledge of Allegiance before they know how to properly read. The Pledge signifies the unity of America; our “one nation, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all” (Wyman). But for children of color—particularly black children—there isn’t just one America; rather, they learn early on that white Americans lead very different lives than they. Black children grow up learning in early childhood education programs that are less instructionally supportive of than their white counterparts (Quitana et al 29). As they progress into adolescence, they become aware of their racial identities along with the racial biases many …show more content…
They endeavored to properly prepare young children for their primary school years, although in recent years they have been found to be very limited in whom they benefit (Quintana et al 21). For example, ECE programs are not always publicly funded nor regulated by state education departments. In addition, some programs don’t take into account a lack of one or more parental figures or a possible need for childcare (22). Although these limitations would seemingly affect all races equally, 55 percent of black children live with only one parent, which puts them at a severe disadvantage when it comes to such limitations. In contrast, only about 20 percent of white children live with …show more content…
However, the system’s envisioned idea of racial neutrality has not been—and cannot, at this point in time be—achieved. There are four key aspects of the inequalities experienced between black and white people: 1) most race-neutral policies have disparate effects on black people, 2) practitioners of the criminal justice system are often unintentionally influenced by racial biases, 3) certain segments of the system are underfunded, and 4) some policies intensify socioeconomic inequalities (Ghandnoosh 3-4). As previously discussed in this essay, there already exist broader, societal disparities between white and black citizens, and these pre-existing discrepancies help contribute to the inequalities found within the justice system. For instance, black people are already significantly more likely than white people to be in poverty, so underfunded programs within the system won’t benefit black people as often as they’ll benefit white people. Additionally, policies that require heavy fines, parole, or other restrictive punishments will disproportionately affect black people. And, although we would hope that criminal justice officers would be unbiased, they’re often are not (Jones). In fact, according to Nazgol Ghandnoosh, “Studies of criminal justice outcomes reveal that implicit biases
In the United States, it isn’t unusual for children to know the Pledge of Allegiance before they know how to properly read. The Pledge signifies the unity of America; our “one nation, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all” (Wyman). But for children of color—particularly black children—there isn’t just one America; rather, they learn early on that white Americans lead very different lives than they. Black children grow up learning in early childhood education programs that are less instructionally supportive of than their white counterparts (Quitana et al 29). As they progress into adolescence, they become aware of their racial identities along with the racial biases many …show more content…
They endeavored to properly prepare young children for their primary school years, although in recent years they have been found to be very limited in whom they benefit (Quintana et al 21). For example, ECE programs are not always publicly funded nor regulated by state education departments. In addition, some programs don’t take into account a lack of one or more parental figures or a possible need for childcare (22). Although these limitations would seemingly affect all races equally, 55 percent of black children live with only one parent, which puts them at a severe disadvantage when it comes to such limitations. In contrast, only about 20 percent of white children live with …show more content…
However, the system’s envisioned idea of racial neutrality has not been—and cannot, at this point in time be—achieved. There are four key aspects of the inequalities experienced between black and white people: 1) most race-neutral policies have disparate effects on black people, 2) practitioners of the criminal justice system are often unintentionally influenced by racial biases, 3) certain segments of the system are underfunded, and 4) some policies intensify socioeconomic inequalities (Ghandnoosh 3-4). As previously discussed in this essay, there already exist broader, societal disparities between white and black citizens, and these pre-existing discrepancies help contribute to the inequalities found within the justice system. For instance, black people are already significantly more likely than white people to be in poverty, so underfunded programs within the system won’t benefit black people as often as they’ll benefit white people. Additionally, policies that require heavy fines, parole, or other restrictive punishments will disproportionately affect black people. And, although we would hope that criminal justice officers would be unbiased, they’re often are not (Jones). In fact, according to Nazgol Ghandnoosh, “Studies of criminal justice outcomes reveal that implicit biases