Introduction
Segregation was first developed in the Northern states before the Civil War. During this time, American society was distinctive in its hierarchies and deference. The government, at every level, forced Americans to live apart throughout their history (McGhee 169). Furthermore, the intensity with which the color line was drawn was preposterous and ferocious. Color restrictions were imposed on where black people live and work, buildings they access, and the sidewalks they use (McGhee 169). Moreover, the economic disparity set the boundaries between minority populations and Whites, with Blacks being labeled as inferior and servile (McGhee 169). The paper aims to highlight how the marginalization of the black community by the government has significantly contributed to everyone paying for the cost of racism.
Denial of Transformative Support
The reconstruction reforms following the civil war ought to have ceased segregation. However, the Blacks were excluded from the transformative assistance granted to white nationalities (McGhee 171). Redlining blocked the Blacks from receiving mortgage loans and improving their homes (McGhee 82). Private developers received government subsidies to create modern suburbs with the contract containing conditions of ‘Whites Only’ (McGhee 81). Moreover, black people were denied the benefits of higher education that propelled a generation of men into professional careers. The wholesome benefits elevated the social status of the Whites while seeming natural and innate, and their access to wealth and prestige was deemed out of hard work and racial superiority.
Redlining of Black Neighborhoods
The United States government created the Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC) following the Great Regression of 1993. The role of HOLC was to purchase mortgages that were in foreclosure and refinance them (McGhee 80). Mapping was done on the investment risk of individual neighborhoods where the primary criterion was the race of its residents. Consequently, this resulted in redlining practices since black residences were identified with a red shading to warn investors from lending (McGhee 80). In the 1970s, dwellers of the redlined neighborhoods who included some white working-class united to demand access to credit and economic investments in their community (McGhee 82). However, this was countered with the issuance of hideous and expensive subprime loans with high-interest rates, which saw the expansion of the Bank of America and the shrinkage of wealth in middle-class American families by more than half.
The Rising Cost of Education
Brown and black students previously contributed a sixth of the students in public colleges. Currently, four of them are black for every ten students, resulting in a drastic cut in the money spent per student in public colleges. The need for a college degree qualification to get a middle-class job left Americans no choice but to enroll (McGhee 42). As of 2017, most colleges relied on student tuition dollars for operations. The cost of a college degree has nearly tripled since 1991 due to the rising levels of student debts (McGhee 42). An investigation on the increasing cost of fees established a link to the decreasing commitment by the government to public funding. Federal loans are issued to students instead of the free federal grants that were previously given. The compounding interests incurred are, on average, thirty-three percent more than the loans borrowed (McGhee 42). Moreover, many learners continue paying high percentage interest on private loans.
Segregation of White People
A mirage of the segregation of the white people has been on the uprise; this is a diverting statement since the white majority alienated themselves from black people while forcing the Indigenous Americans into reservation (McGhee 168). Segregation is typically a problem for those on the exterior, meaning the best is reserved for those on the inside. Historically, government subsidies supported wealth accumulation for those within the white spaces at the expense of those in the periphery (McGhee 168). However, the repercussions of segregation are borne by both the white and Black citizens. In addition, the growing multiracial community has led to increased financial and developmental costs for segregation.
Conclusion
To conclude, the ripple effect of racism and segregation of black people trickles through generations and is borne by all. Despite the white people valuing diversity, they rarely live it owing to the ideology that the detached is of higher quality. The degradation of public amenities, particularly public schools, creates a preference for private schools, which are hardly affordable to most Americans. In addition, the high cost of mortgages has dramatically reduced the number of homeowners among American citizens, both white and black. Finally, the rising cost of living imposed by high taxes reduces the living standards among all races.
Work Cited
McGhee, Heather. The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together. Profile Books, 2021.