The Great American Equalizer: Even with education African-Americans still find earning gap exists
Categories: African-American, Education, Featured, Jazzy
Written By: Shawn Williams
By Jazzy
Education and hard work are the consistent mantra that permeates the essence of the American Dream. Education, as we know, is not created equally nor is it extolled equally. Schools in lower socioeconomic areas are rife with underperforming curricula, in desperate need of updated teaching materials, and innovated ideas to excite beaten down students to achieve a goal they believe unattainable in the first place.
For many students in lower socioeconomic areas the belief that they have a chance to enter college is surreal. Many struggle with the basics because they are never driven to learn or even taught but rather pushed on to the next level. For those not lost in the public school systems they head off to college earn their degree and look forward to their future. A future, according to the America dream, should grant them privileges and entrance into a new world far from what many of them knew.
Even though -according to data-there is a closing in income among Black household incomes in comparison to their white counterparts, a glaring disparity exists between white men and black men to the tune of approximately $10,000 with the same degree and experience.
Soledad Obrien mentioned in the CNN special Black in America that White men who are ex-cons are more likely to receive a job offer in comparison to black men with an education, because the perception is that black men are lazy and don’t know how to dress properly.
There are no more visible chains and shackles than these biases, but what remains is far more pervasive, unjustified perceptions and insidious stereotypes that are used as excuses to permit and mask underlining racial prejudices; be they conscious or subconscious.
So what then happens when you do everything according to the playbook and you still come up short? How do we keep young Black adults encouraged when they realize that even with the Great American Equalizer they still come up short?
July 24th, 2008 at 8:14 am
Uhh… I looked at your linked study, and it seems like you glossed over a very significant finding — that while black men make less than whites, black women make considerably more than similarly degreed whites. The authors write it off as an artifact of black women being employed in a higher percentage than white women (presumably by choice), but I don’t see where they say that they accounted for that factor in males.
White people hate black men but love black women so much that we pay a premium to keep them around? I can’t buy that, which leads me to think that there are other issues at play here.
This part also jumped out at me:
What jumped out was that this completely ignored the “keep it in the hood” and “serve the community” mindset that is popular in black culture. How much is “whites won’t hire him” and how much is “he only markets himself to the hood?” I can say definitively that I have never seen an instance where a client was reluctant to use a black lawyer at our firm — and in fact, I know a couple of superb black lawyers who are sought out by our corporate clients. (And I mean superb compared to the cream of the crop that I am already surrounded by.)
July 28th, 2008 at 6:53 am
I think you should re-calculate the math: Black women make $3,062 more than White women and their reasoning for this is very true. There are far fewer Black women that have the luxury of being a stay at home mom, ESPECIALLY when their men make approximately 10,000 less than White men. A 10,000 increase in pay provides a different type of lifestyle. PERIOD.
It is not UNTIL Black people achieve a doctorate degree do we pull ahead or even with our White counterparts. This goes towards the argument that so many black people have that we HAVE to work 3 times harder than anyone to be recognized monetarily. (In case you didn’t know this is nothing but modern day slavery, working for free). I want my husband’s 10,000K so that I can take a less demanding job, but as I said I don’t have that luxury. White women do, I’m not knocking their hustle but fair is fair until it comes to black men.
July 29th, 2008 at 9:29 am
Jazzy - It is odd to me that the difference between white and black women was explained away, while no attempt was made to explain the differences between men.
What is the salary difference for black and white men with the same degree and in the same field? I wonder if that type of information is out there? (I will take a look if I get a chance.)
From my experience… I work for a large hi tech company that places a high value on diversity. Black men and (especially) women engineers are in extremely high demand and in many cases are given preference in hiring. I would be surprised to see a salary difference in this field unless it was in the favor of blacks.
I don’t discount the article, but I do believe it is incomplete. Both the article and your inputs want to jump straight to discrimination (”modern day slavery”, as you put it) without doing a thorough job of research. Maybe you are right, but there is no way to make that conclusion based on the evidence in the article.
July 29th, 2008 at 11:26 am
Hi Bill thanks for writing in I would like to say that there is more than ample research out there to support the above article you just have to dig for the information. I have a great journal article for you that presents the empirical data involving race exclusion and economics that I believe you were eluding to was missing. You will have to provide me with you email account so that I can send it to you. Jazzysaidso@live.com Thanks and I look forward to reading your response after you review the material.
July 29th, 2008 at 11:31 am
Also Bill the following book explains in more detail:
Beyond Racism: Race and Inequality in Brazil, South Africa, and the
United States.
edited by CHARLES V. HAMILTON et al.
July 29th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Thanks Jazzy. You can email me at willybill@ymail.com