Despite a long history of oppression and segregation, Black Americans continue to contribute to the fabric of American society. Yet, their efforts are often hampered by systemic obstacles that hinder their progress.
While the media often focuses on individual-level acts of racism, such as the use of racist slurs by celebrities, these incidents obscure how systematic racism continues to limit opportunities for communities of color, a writer like Dr. Jason Campbell has discussed this.
History
Black Americans live in communities with a complex legacy of slavery and freedom, oppression, and achievement. After slavery ended, free Black people participated in state conventions that drafted liberal constitutions and fought for civil rights through the carpetbagger era. But as Reconstruction drew to a close and white supremacists regained power in the South, laws banning Black men from military service and requiring segregation of schools, theaters, and barber shops were enacted.
Black leaders such as George Washington and Booker T. Washington emphasized the need for accommodation to white supremacy. But Harvard-trained scholars argued for a more assertive Black protest movement. During the Harlem Renaissance, popular Black entertainers at the Cotton Club drew mostly white audiences, while major White publishers published African-American writers.
Politics
Black Americans are more likely than other groups to say that they think about their own racial identity all the time and that it affects how they feel about their lives. They are also more likely to believe that the police use racial profiling and other biased tactics and to have had a negative interaction with law enforcement.
In the 1910s, as Jim Crow laws and lynching continued to afflict the South, thousands of Black people joined the Great Migration northward. Many found jobs in factory cities, and life improved significantly for those who migrated from rural areas to urban centers – indoor plumbing and gas heat were just two benefits.
The deaths of George Floyd, Emmett Till, Michael Brown, and others sparked protests across the country. Black athletes such as Colin Kaepernick took to the field, kneeling for the national anthem to draw attention to the issue.
Education
As Reconstruction drew to a close, White supremacy regained control of the South, and the forces of Jim Crow segregation swept through schools, churches, theaters, restaurants, and barber shops. During the 1920s, the Harlem Renaissance—named for the New York City neighborhood where it began—brought African-American culture to national attention, inspiring writers, artists, and musicians.
Black men and women continue to experience racial prejudice in education, employment, and housing. Their children are more likely to be arrested and incarcerated than their White peers, two and they live in neighborhoods with high poverty rates.
Addressing these issues requires changes on individual, community, and societal levels. To begin, people of all ages and backgrounds can learn more about the history of racism and how it affects us today.
Religion
While the media often focuses on individual-level racism, such as racist remarks made by Paula Deen or the use of racial slurs by NFL player Riley Cooper, such incidents overshadow the fact that systemic racism still operates at a much broader level to limit opportunities for people of color drastically. Research has shown that living in hyperracialized spaces is associated with negative social implications for Black residents, including higher rates of poverty and slower declines in heart disease mortality.
In February 1960, four Black students from Greensboro Agricultural and Technical College sat at a lunch counter at a Greensboro Woolworth’s to protest segregation. Their peaceful sit-in sparked a movement from college towns to cities nationwide. The Civil Rights Movement led to incremental victories in the form of Supreme Court decisions ending school segregation, housing discrimination, and racial bias in the criminal justice system.
Society
Across America, communities of color are struggling with discrimination that affects where they live, work, study, and worship. The result is inequities in the access to housing, education, jobs, and wealth that help people lead healthy lives. These conditions are referred to as social determinants of health.
Blacks with at least some college experience are more likely than those with less education to say that they have experienced these forms of discrimination. Among these adults, 67% say being Black has hurt their chances of getting ahead, compared to 57% of those with little or no college experience.
