Racial issues persist in the US, and they show no signs of being resolved in the prospect. One of the main indicators that racism still affects people is income differences between races. The implication of those can range from the feeling of unfairness to families being unable to sustain themselves. However, the reasons for the income disparities are not as simple as it may seem. This paper will focus on explaining why the difference exists and how racism influences it using an article.
A sufficient amount of time passed since the 1960s equal rights movement, yet the racial struggle remained unchanged. The black population’s median family income barely increased throughout the years, comprising slightly over 50% of the white population’s (Manduca, 2018). Considering the acquired freedoms and equal rights in many fields, the absence of any progress in income seems puzzling and, in a way, discouraging. It might imply that even amid the trend of more African American people receiving higher education and applying for well-paying jobs, institutionalized racism prevails and prevents the black population from earning more (Manduca, 2018). Overall, the income inequality between races does race some concerns about the staying power of racism.
However, while those fears are justified, the income gap has a different nature. It appears that it is not African Americans who remain poor; it is the white population that becomes richer (Manduca, 2018). The most affluent layer that comprises one percent seems to have an increase in their income, which affects the statistics (Manduca, 2018). On the one hand, it means that even those African Americans who also achieve a rich status can hardly influence the picture. On the other hand, it implies that some progress could have been made, but affluent people’s earnings overshadow it. Altogether, it appears that income inequality may still be related to racism, but in a specific way.
Some facts suggest that significant achievements occurred in the black population’s strife to earn more. At some point, the rise in their income was noticeable, but it was still calculated in comparison with the white population (Manduca, 2018). There was also an increase in college graduates among African Americans, and other positive trends manifested intermittently (Manduca, 2018). However, racist tendencies in employment persisted, and the black population’s class advancement is rather slow (Manduca, 2018). The positive was nullified by the wealth distribution that benefited those who were already rich and hurt the rest, middle-class people of all races and the poor alike (Manduca, 2018). Without that effect, the income increase for the black population would have been more pronounced (Manduca, 2018). In the end, it happened, and the result seems unfair despite the progress made.
Having uncovered the problem, one might want to suggest the solutions that would address the skewed distribution and racism. Society should strive to reduce discrimination in all fields, especially education and employment (Manduca, 2018). Removing barriers to the political sphere might also be beneficial for the improved representation of the black population’s interests. However, considering that the issue is not entirely racial, attempts should be made to reshape the country’s economy to suit the needs of other economic classes than the rich (Manduca, 2018). It is difficult to predict which task is more achievable or whether there exists an intrinsic link between racism and capitalism. Regardless, some measures that tackle both issues should be taken if the outcome is not perfect.
In conclusion, the income inequality between the white and the black populations continues to be a topical problem. Although African Americans achieved considerable results in bridging the gap, the wealth distribution affected the progress and made the overall shift negligible. The phenomenon does not have a racial bias, as everyone outside of the scarce affluent class was negatively impacted in the process. However, racism remains an issue in the fields that directly affect the black population’s income, so the efforts to combat it should not halt.
Reference
Manduca, R. (2018). Income inequality and the persistence of racial economic disparities. Sociological Science, 5, 182-205. Web.