Nearly 41 years ago in his last speech before being assassinated, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. assertively said “we as a people will get to the promised land.” Many African-Americans today consider the election of Barack Obama a direct testament to what King was talking about, therefore feeling that Blacks have “arrived” and that we are now at the promised land.
While believing that we’ve arrived is subjective and totally reliant on an individual’s own thinking, it is safe to say that Blacks today have evolved in ways that many of those before us thought were impossible. However, as great as we are and considering all that we’ve accomplished, it’s important for us to not rest on our laurels and become complacent with the way things currently are because disparities still exist and Dr. King’s dream — as paramount as it was, is still unfulfilled.
There continues to be inequities regarding Blacks and our white counterparts, however, I’m confident that in time (hopefully less than 41 years), the playing field will be level and we’ll all be treated in a positive, fair and consistent manner.
In an attempt to expose some of the inequities that continue to exist and hopefully inspire some sort of solution-process, I’m listing a few items that I think remain at the top of the “unequal” list.
Aspects of King’s dream that remain unfulfilled:
Economy
Though times are hard for all people, regardless of race, Blacks have suffered the brunt of economic woes far longer and more significantly than our white counterparts. A study completed by the US Census Bureau showed that Black families were poorer than white families by nearly 20 percent. The same study showed that Black female-headed households are more than four times as impoverished than white households.
Data also shows that Blacks working in the corporate field are more likely to be paid less than whites with the same amount of experience and education.
Education
The goal of President George Bush’s “No Child Left Behind (NCLB)” Act was to ensure that all children, regardless of race or socio-economic status would receive a quality education free of disparities. It sought to raise school standards and provide more options and flexibility for parents to place their children in different schools. Unfortunately, since its inception in 2002, NCLB has been unsuccessful in its efforts as more children, particularly minorities, are victims of the widening achievement gaps.
Health care
Blacks are at the top of the list in regards to health care disparities. Studies have shown that Blacks (even those of us fortunate enough to have health insurance) are given fewer treatment options than whites. Data also shows that the manner in which doctors actually treat (behaviorally) their Black patients differs from whites.
Until Blacks are no longer the majority of those affected by cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and HIV/AIDS, we will still have a long way to go before we reach the health care mountaintop.
Criminal Justice
I’m all about accountability, but fair is fair and reality speaks volumes. The reality that we’re living with today is that Blacks are receiving harsher prison sentences for the same crimes that whites commit. Be it the unfair sentencing policies regarding the distribution of crack and cocaine, or the rate in which people are incarcerated for non-violent crimes — it’s been proven that time after time, Blacks get the raw end of the deal.
Consider this: every year thousands of Blacks receives the death penalty for crimes they did not commit. Only because of organizations such as The Innocence Project are some of those individuals eventually set free. Since its inception, the Innocence Project has helped exonerate 227 people. Of those 227, 138 were African-Americans, 62 Caucasians, 19 Latinos, one Asian American, and seven whose race is unknown. This startling fact alone, is evidence of the constant racial inequities of America’s criminal justice system.
