African Americans and Poverty - Article Example

African Americans and Poverty

Introduction

The majority of stereotyping is built around people of color, particularly blacks, who are associated with poverty and inequality. This is not just a perception by many Americans. However, it is indeed a fact that the majorities of people of color still have limited access to employment, live in poor neighborhoods, have limited access to housing, and other relevant social services like education. These factors, therefore, tend to make it difficult for an average black American to stabilize from poverty. It is a worrying trend that a black person has twice the chance of living within the poverty line compared to the other average American. The fact that it is even harder for Black Americans to salivate themselves from the trends of poverty even at an older age is the primary concern for this research paper.

The job market in recent days’ demands much than just education qualifications. The limited access for jobs by black Americans can be attributed to the fact that employers feel that these individuals have not had a prior quality education. Furthermore, the majority of the available jobs now tend to focus on the individual character and personality of the person. These jobs tend to limit out people with color due to the stereotyping factor associated with the majority of individuals within these brackets being brought up in a poor environment. Poor upbringing has been seen to influence the behavior of individuals later in life.

This research, therefore, tends to highlight the reader towards understanding the various factors that limit an average black American towards equal access to employment and the impacts of poverty in their lives. The focus is put in outlining the significant concepts that surround the stereotyping that the Black American faces about having a successful life and alleviating themselves from poverty.

Employment

This is a significant concept when it comes to providing a stable life for Black Americans. Racial segregation is a major inhibitor towards making sure than an average black person in America accesses employment. It is a widespread opinion that work provides money that can be used to access relevant services within the economy. The ease at which one can access these products and services describes their purchasing power, and it is a major contributor to making sure one alleviates themselves from poverty. The limiting factor, in this case, is that the unemployment rate of blacks is much higher compared to whites. The unemployment rate of blacks has always been twice that of whites over the decades. These can be attributed to the fact that from the past decades, ' blacks have always been doing informal employments. Even though currently the unemployment rate for blacks has dropped significantly to 6%, it is still twice that of fellow whites around 3.1%.

Another primary concern is the fact that racial disparities exist even on different educational levels (Harris, 241). It is necessary knowledge that there is a change in job requirements in recent days, highlighting the need for higher education. Regarding the number of people that have achieved high school education, the unemployment gap within this section is very high. Educated blacks, in this case, have an unemployment rate of 8.5% while on the other hand, the whites have a rate of 3.9%. This clearly shows that a high school black kid has half the chance of getting employed after school compared to a white kid. This is, therefore, creating low participation of blacks within the labor force. It should be noted that increased levels of unemployment are causing other major social injustice activities like terrorism, drug abuse, and other major criminal activities.

Wages and Incomes

The statistics on the employment of a black person does not necessarily mean that they are not employed. Margins of Black Americans are employed within the job market due to the changed regulations by the current administration. However, the major concerning factor, in this case, is the amount of wages and incomes that these employees earn. The data available indicate that majority of black households only make a fraction of what other homes earn. The data shows that the majority of black families earn around $42,000 annually. This is approximately $22,000 less than the amount received by other households within the country and a further $29,000 less from what the average white family makes annually (Pedulla, 1477).

These disparities are sidelined towards the fact that black employees have a high chance of earning the minimum wage that has been set by the government. It is a significant factor that the majority of black employees work within the minimum wage and, at times, even below. Therefore, the minimum raise demand will benefit black Americans on a larger scale. The gender disparity within the black society is also a key element towards the difficulty in accessing a stable job. This is even higher because black women are even more disadvantaged than their male counterparts. This is evident by the fact that every employed black woman only earns a section of the dollar that the white man earns. This is also because black women face both racial and gender disparity and, therefore, a higher chance of inequality within the job market.

The debate over the limited wages and incomes within the black society has been around since the past decades. This is evident since the majority of black people used to undergo hard labor with minimal or even no pay. The backbone of poverty within black society can be attributed to the limited access to employment and minimum wages.

Housing and Home Ownership

The success of a person begins from his home as it is said that charity begins at home. The different characteristics exhibited by adult black men and women can always be linked to how and where they are brought up. Psychologists believe that the way an individual behaves as an adult is majorly attributed to the environment he/she was brought up as a child. Homes are also used to maintain the culture of a family. Cultural degradation is also an attribution to the fact that if homes are lost, then, in this case, the culture will eventually be lost. The statistics show that less than half of blacks have a chance of owning homes (49%). This is a small margin compared to 73% of other races. The limited access to quality housing is a factor towards the high poverty levels.

Some major factors are attributed to the fact that homeownership is limited to black society. Some of these factors include the fact that there is increased stereotyping about black neighborhoods. This is because people feel that black areas are insecure and, therefore, an uncomfortable place to live. In this case, houses within the black neighborhoods are valued less and hence cheaper. The other primary reason for the same is that majority of these areas lack various essential amenities like schools.

Another primary consideration is the rate of mortgages that need to be paid by black Americans. The data available shows that an average black person pays higher mortgage compared to other individuals. This is also a significant factor that limits access to adequate housing within specific areas. The majority of blacks that needed to access mortgages were given at higher interest rates, and this made people shun away from accessing these loans. The limited access to housing has, therefore, limited blacks from living within their community and, consequently, the declining strengths in their culture.

Culture

The majority of African Americans within the United States derive their culture from their forefathers who were brought in as slaves. Their culture is not only derived from one line, but they also exhibit one primary streamlined concept about themselves. Therefore, the process of being black generally involves getting yourself to move through different cultures since there is no laid down culture that is celebrated by everyone. This can be linked to the fact that a section of the black Americans performs different cultures because their forefathers generally originated from various locations in Africa and other regions. This, therefore, gives a subsection of different cultures within the associated culture within the bigger picture.

It is a fact that African American individuals have something in common with the cuisine, religious beliefs, family setup, and finally, their political views. Their vast culture is rooted in their ancestors in time in memorial. An example included the fact that the majority of African religions believe in spirits that live within the society and environment. In this case, the majority of black Americans believe that the conservation of the environment is vital in daily coexistence. Religious beliefs are also outlined in Christianity. The majority of African Americans attached themselves to believing in religions like Christianity to give them hope for a better day ahead. The political views are majorly liberalism and democracy. They feel that people should be given equal opportunities to vote regarding the one-man-one-vote policy. Black Americans believe that this helps to manage social vices like racial profiling, higher rates of poverty, as well as racism (Kim 50).

Conclusion

Racial profiling of the African Americans within the country seems to be the primary concern by which they cannot access relevant services. The poverty gap that is drawn between blacks and other races needs to be reduced for a formidable living society. The stereotyping towards blacks should be a significant vice that can be kicked out of today`s society. Every organization out there should embrace the diversity that comes with today’s life. Accepting other people's opinions will help in peaceful coexistence. It is vital that as maintain one`s culture, people should always put an effort of viewing others beyond their race but focus on an individual`s character and personality. The world has allowed us to embrace each other`s culture and beliefs and also understand how others feel. It should not be a basic knowledge that blacks are associated with crimes, drug abuse, poverty, and other social misconceptions.

Another primary concern is the fact that racial disparities exist even on different educational levels (Harris, 241). It is necessary knowledge that there is a change in job requirements in recent days, highlighting the need for higher education. Regarding the number of people that have achieved high school education, the unemployment gap within this section is very high. Educated blacks, in this case, have an unemployment rate of 8.5% while on the other hand, the whites have a rate of 3.9%. This clearly shows that a high school black kid has half the chance of getting employed after school compared to a white kid. This is, therefore, creating low participation of blacks within the labor force. It should be noted that increased levels of unemployment are causing other major social injustice activities like terrorism, drug abuse, and other major criminal activities.

Wages and Incomes

The statistics on the employment of a black person does not necessarily mean that they are not employed. Margins of Black Americans are employed within the job market due to the changed regulations by the current administration. However, the major concerning factor, in this case, is the amount of wages and incomes that these employees earn. The data available indicate that majority of black households only make a fraction of what other homes earn. The data shows that the majority of black families earn around $42,000 annually. This is approximately $22,000 less than the amount received by other households within the country and a further $29,000 less from what the average white family makes annually (Pedulla, 1477).

These disparities are sidelined towards the fact that black employees have a high chance of earning the minimum wage that has been set by the government. It is a significant factor that the majority of black employees work within the minimum wage and, at times, even below. Therefore, the minimum raise demand will benefit black Americans on a larger scale. The gender disparity within the black society is also a key element towards the difficulty in accessing a stable job. This is even higher because black women are even more disadvantaged than their male counterparts. This is evident by the fact that every employed black woman only earns a section of the dollar that the white man earns. This is also because black women face both racial and gender disparity and, therefore, a higher chance of inequality within the job market.

The debate over the limited wages and incomes within the black society has been around since the past decades. This is evident since the majority of black people used to undergo hard labor with minimal or even no pay. The backbone of poverty within black society can be attributed to the limited access to employment and minimum wages.

Housing and Home Ownership

The success of a person begins from his home as it is said that charity begins at home. The different characteristics exhibited by adult black men and women can always be linked to how and where they are brought up. Psychologists believe that the way an individual behaves as an adult is majorly attributed to the environment he/she was brought up as a child. Homes are also used to maintain the culture of a family. Cultural degradation is also an attribution to the fact that if homes are lost, then, in this case, the culture will eventually be lost. The statistics show that less than half of blacks have a chance of owning homes (49%). This is a small margin compared to 73% of other races. The limited access to quality housing is a factor towards the high poverty levels.

Some major factors are attributed to the fact that homeownership is limited to black society. Some of these factors include the fact that there is increased stereotyping about black neighborhoods. This is because people feel that black areas are insecure and, therefore, an uncomfortable place to live. Read More