Introduction
Racism against the Blacks has continuously soared in the American population. Incidences of racism that have been reported range from individual prejudice to institutional racism. Today, the Americans hold divergent views based on the racial discrimination against the people of color. Some of the Americans believe that most Black Americans have been afforded civil rights and that their lifetime in the US has improved. However, majority of this population still claim that Black Americans are unfairly treated especially in public service premises such as schools and hospitals. Through Paul and Elder’s critical thinking approach that stipulates that one’s thinking can be improved by skillfully taking control of the structures, the extent and impact of racial discrimination in healthcare, criminal justice and education systems can be deciphered (2020). Principally, racial discrimination against the Blacks has impacted mental and physical health systems, diminished students’ morale in schools and heightened wrongful convictions in most American prisons.
Racism Against the Blacks
The main cost of racial discrimination in the healthcare system is health inequity among the American population. Cave et al. (2020) points out that the current impact of health segregation against the Black community is lower life expectancy, reduced vaccination against influenza and strain on mental health. According to their research, Black males and females experienced lower life expectancy than that of their white male and female counterparts. Along with reduced life expectancy, the vaccination rate against flu for the Black Americans is around 60% compared to that of the whites which is 70%. While vaccination and life expectancy may present situations of racial discrimination impacts, a strain on mental health among the Black Americans also plays part. Discrimination against the Black people was found to increase the levels of anxiety, stress and depression which collectively increased health complications for this group. Unequivocally, reduced life expectancy, lowered flu vaccination and mental health challenges are the main health-related costs of racial segregation against the Blacks.
The presence of inequity in schools and institution of higher learning has costed students diminish their learning morale, which has increased the number of dropouts. Quillian et al. (2020) highlights the effects of inequity in early years of schooling, which include inappropriate punishment leading to injuries, increased suspension and increased examination failures among the Black boys. According to this research, African Americans were punished twice as much compared to the white students. Additionally, there are high suspension rates among the Black American students compared to their peers (Carson et al., 2010). Generally, frequent punishment and suspensions culminate to increasing the number of African American dropout in school.
Similarly, there have been many reported cases of criminal injustice which is an indication that racial discrimination menace is still a pressing matter to date. The most commonly reported are cases of police brutality. The people of color have suffered at the hands of the police through physical attacks and unwarranted arrests. One of the famous incidences of police brutality was the case of George Floyd who died at the hands of a white policeman. The world was filled with rage as a result of the discrimination against Floyd that led to his demise. As a result, the world developed the slogan “Black Lives Matter” to help fight against such criminal injustices (Graham et al., 2020). It can be noted that the people of color have faced different kinds of criminal injustices from inequitable access to resources around them to the limited access to employment. Institutions that should protect the rights of the people of color have turned against them, denying them justice.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the fight against discrimination can be attained if the government could stand firm against the injustices faced by the blacks. The impact of discrimination being experienced goes further to influence how socially people interact. It all begins with practicing equality in the distribution of resources from health care facilities to education systems. Combating racial discrimination would reduce cases of deaths due to police brutality and thus improve safety among the blacks.
References
Carson, N., Cook, B., & Alegría, M. (2010). Social determinants of mental health treatment among Haitian, African American and white youth in community health centers. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 21(2 Suppl), 32.
Cave, L., Cooper, M. N., Zubrick, S. R., & Shepherd, C. C. (2020). Racial discrimination and child and adolescent health in longitudinal studies: A systematic review. Social Science & Medicine, 250, 112864.
Graham, A., Haner, M., Sloan, M. M., Cullen, F. T., Kulig, T. C., & Jonson, C. L. (2020). Race and worrying about police brutality: The hidden injuries of minority status in America. Victims & Offenders, 15(5), 549-573.
Paul, R., & Elder, L. (2020). How to Improve Student Learning: 30 Practical Ideas Based on Critical Thinking Concepts and Principles.
Quillian, L., Lee, J. J., & Honoré, B. (2020). Racial discrimination in the US housing and mortgage lending markets: a quantitative review of trends, 1976–2016. Race and Social Problems, 12(1), 13-28.