Inequities in Higher Education, the Judicial System and the Health Care Industry

The United States was founded on the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence states according to Best (2014), “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” (para. 2). An individual’s facial features, skin color, or place of origin should not regulate benefits, burdens, or responsibilities they must encounter. Everyone should be allowed constitutional rights and an equal ability to accomplish great things. Unfortunately, people are still experiencing inequality based on biases, prejudices, and stereotypes. Racial inequalities have developed in society ranging from discrepancies in educational opportunities, incarceration rates, and health. In order to change, we must be able to value individual and societal growth by understanding and coming together as a community and disregarding inhumane opinions. This will give Americans a chance to start over after misfortunes that they have faced.

Why do Most Blacks Experience Inequities?

The main problem is the damaging belief that blacks are hazardous and a threat. This leads to various acts of ethnic and racial discrimination. In schools all around the country, there have been numerous reports of black students describing the discriminating or offensive verbal, emotional, psychological, and physical behaviors by their peers. Instructors have also given lower scores and used more severe disciplinary actions with African American students than with their White classmates. According to Hope (2015), “Experiencing discrimination has been shown to have a range of deleterious effects on Black youth. This includes undermining academic achievement and psychological adjustment and increasing problem behaviors.” (p,85)

There has also been an explosive number of growing incarceration rates in the United States that have led to debates centering on race and ethnicity. When comparing existing imprisonment rates classified by race, the studies show that the possibility of an African-American going to prison is seven times higher than a White American. According to Jackson (2014), “An estimated 1 of every 15 persons (6.6%) will serve time in a prison during their lifetime, and the lifetime chances of a person going to prison are higher for African-Americans (18.6%) and Hispanics (10%) than for whites (3.4%).” (p, 227). There is a strong connection between the variation of income and penalties that affect African-Americans. With unemployment cultural tensions related, it caused the penal population to increase (Jackson, 2014)

In the United States, racial and ethnic inequalities in health care have been recognized as well. There have been directed examinations on how social science is interconnected to discrimination. Structural racism studies have shown how constant

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