Nothing but the truth about systemic racism

Written by: @thesurrealartist // Illustration by: Lil Kool

Fact: Blacks in the US earn less than whites and are much more likely to go to prison. This stems back as far back as the 1800’s and was born out of the slave trade. Blacks have had an early disadvantage in westernized society as exemplified in events stemming from slavery such a the special field orders of the civil war guaranteeing all freed slaves forty acres and a mule. This order was ultimately annulled by President Andrew Johnson. Unfortunately for Black people, there's been no chance to recover, much less have a level playing field with White America. Systemic disadvantages are certainly measurable and there is data to back it up. Let us have a closer look at America's systemic racism.

Black Lives Matter

Anyone agreeing with the disproportionate injustice statistics towards Black people would undisputedly agree that that is a true statement. Black lives do indeed matter. No more or less than any other group's lives, nonetheless the statement that Black lives matter is in itself a true declaration. One that no one should find issue with, except for people who genuinely do not care about and/or would even rather bring harm to Black people. Racism against Black people has many faces in the United States and around the world. While skin colour discrimination is rather difficult to measure, socio-economically it can be calculated and a percentage can be provided by measuring data about hate attacks, job application deferrals, imprisonment, health care, mortgage and loan acceptances and so on. The structural disadvantage of Black people can still be measured in many other ways: on average, the lives of Black people are shorter, they are poorer and less healthy than White Americans. Let us take a closer look at some of the most pressing issues impacting Black lives in America.

Deaths in Police Custody

Black people in America are three times more likely to be killed by police than whites and since 2015 US police officers have shot close to 5,400 people. According to news reports, most of the people were armed but as we know even carrying a butter knife or having a lighter in your hand can be used descriptively as a weapon in a police report. Reports are often skewed in a way that benefits the police officer who has committed the assault, or in George Floyd's case, the murder. Of the almost 5,400 people 45 percent were White, while Blacks represent 23 percent, meanwhile Blacks only constitute a mere 13 percent of the US population while Whites make up well over 60 percent. If it hadn't been for video recordings of these gruesome murders, many of them would just fade into history unbeknownst to the general public. As sad as it sounds, George Floyd is not a ‘one-off’ as the police like to label these incidences every once in a while. He was another unarmed Black man unassumingly about his day until the moment a cashier suspected him of using a counterfeit bill. An allegation that turned out to be false and yet cost him his life when police officer Derek Chauvin decided to rest his knee on George's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. George also had two more officers sitting on his back and legs while a fourth tried to block the view so that pedestrians would not be able to see or record the criminal act. Accomplice to murder is certainly a crime and all officers will face the justice department in due time. I want to emphasize the justice department, and not justice, as justice is not to be simply ascribed to a government body or to any agency for that matter until justice has truly been served. All perpetrators are yet to stand trial for this heinous act.

Fiercer punishments for Black people

According to studies, Blacks are also much more likely to be stopped and frisked by police. This stems from a 1968 court ruling that grants police officers to stop and frisk citizens, bypassing probable cause. In other parts of the US it is known as the ‘Terry stop’. The problem with this is it is purely based on suspicion and is highly subjective of racial profiling. A fact to consider is there were 93 million traffic stops that were analyzed from 2001-2017 by Stanford University, the study concluded that 20% of the drivers were Black. Oftentimes these are bottomless allegations such as "looking like a suspect" or someone that is "out to make trouble" or even just being not in the "right community." The Stanford University study also revealed that relative to their share of the residential population, Black drivers on average are pulled over more by the police than White drivers. With that being said this creates scheduled frisking of the general black public and will of course lead to higher arrests. Therefore will drive up the percentage of inmates from Black communities, something called the school-to-prison pipeline. Black youth are disproportionately targeted by police and have their criminal record ruined early on. Once a felon they also lose their right to vote and therefore can no longer vote for the change they'd like to see in their communities, and since they often cannot afford the types of lawyers Donald Trump or Richard Nixon were able to hire, their voices are forever silenced by the very government that promised to bring change and liberation. 

As per the NAACP, there are five times more Blacks in prison than Whites. Outlandish numbers for a marginalized minority. It is estimated that over one-third of all inmates is African-American. As per the time of writing this article, the total Black population in America is 13.4%, 16.7% is Hispanic, 60.4% is made up of the White population. Look at the population numbers and other studies even if you want, it all leads to the overall picture of over-policing where the Black community is concerned. But that is a whole other topic up for discussion.

Unemployment and Income 

 Blacks in the USA earn on average only three quarters to what Whites earn for comparable jobs and studies show that the economic power of the Black family has dwindled over the years. At this time one in five Black people lives below the poverty line of $26,000 for a family of four as per the EPI (Economic Policy Institute) and is estimated to have a household income of $0 by the years 2053. Albeit, Blacks have the strongest purchasing power in the country at over one trillion dollars, they will have virtually vanishing from the economy. 

What has to change

While the aforementioned examples only represent a drop in the ocean and many institutions such as hospitals, emergency, and the justice department and banks, as well as the government at large are responsible for the current circumstances, it is important not to give in and create space for ideas to overcome, overrun and re-establish the system. A system that was not only "not meant for Black people" but actively was and still is "against Black people."

The death of George Floyd has sparked protest all over the world. Amongst many nations, the original protest from Minnesota seemed to have caught on in places like Germany, Brazil, Japan and Uganda. The world is tired. Tired of the injustice towards Black people by the richest and most powerful country in the world. Unfortunately, former President Donald Trump failed embarrassingly at addressing the importance of mutual understanding and instead rallied the American public to stand in arms against the movement of equality and equity for all. All the riots and spikes in coronavirus cases prove this point without a doubt. Current president Joe Biden has not prevailed in this area as Trump’s successor.

In the age of information ignorance is bliss, and we all carry the responsibility to use our platforms, no matter how small to support, highlight and oust incidences of injustice. Social media platforms have allowed for traction of the BLM movement and has in co-operation with other organizations made the general public aware of the misfortunes of its most marginalized groups.

We all must ask ourselves how can I contribute? How can I be apart of the solution? Perhaps, more importantly, how do I address the topic to friends and family who may be ignorant to what's been going on? It is important to take the time to sit them down and "have the talk." One reason is that it will allow for both sides to speak and understand. That is and must be the first step toward greater understanding and tackling the injustices and imperfections in the current system. There is no overnight cure for racism. Racism is taught and therefore can be untaught. The long-term solution will be based on discourse and not by arson or theft. The recent destitute upheaval and destruction of racist statues sends a powerful message but is not the long-term solution to economic equity and judicial equality for Blacks in the United States and other colonial places. What we must understand is that it starts with us. We have to be the narrators of our stories. A story spanning much longer and much deeper than what we are currently being told by the same system that has oppressed us for hundreds of years. Let us remain vigilant in our endeavour and not succumb to the pressure of the heel of injustice.