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#justicesystem The prison industrial complex is a term used to describe the overlapping interests of government and industry that use surveillance, policing, and imprisonment as solutions to economic, social, and political problems. The prison industrial complex has been criticized for perpetuating systemic racism in the United States. Source The disproportionate arrest and conviction of Black people in the US is one of the examples of systemic racism in the criminal justice system. Angela Davis, a prominent scholar and activist, has written extensively on the subject of the prison industrial complex and its impact on communities of color. Source The prison industrial complex has also been linked to the exploitation of prisoners for profit, which has led to the rise of private prisons and the use of prison labor. Source The prison industrial complex is a complex issue that requires a multifaceted approach to address. Some of the proposed solutions include reducing the number of people in prison, investing in education and job training programs, and reforming the criminal justice system. Source The Prison Industrial Complex and Modern-Day Slavery At its core, the prison industrial complex refers to the ways in which government and industry look to policing, incarceration and surveillance as solutions to socioeconomic and sociopolitical problems. Put another way, it’s a symbiotic relationship between police departments, court systems, probation offices, transportation companies, food service providers, and many others; all of which ultimately benefit from maintaining incarceration. In theory, the goal of the justice system is just that: justice. However, the prison industry is deeply rooted in slavery and has, some argue, modernized state-sponsored slave labor. Benefiting from the Prison Industrial Complex Under the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) The workers are not only cheap labor, but they are considered easier to control. They also? Tend to be African-American males. Companies are free to avoid providing benefits like health insurance or sick days. They also don’t need to worry about unions, demands for vacation time, raises or family issues.

#housing Racism in city planning is a topic of growing concern. Urban planning and laws influencing urban and regional planning have perpetuated institutional or systemic racism in our cities, suburbs, and other communities throughout the country. The history of city planning and zoning laws in the US is rife with examples of racially discriminatory policies that enforced racial segregation. Source For instance, local zoning laws enacted in the early 20th century were created to enforce racial segregation. After the Supreme Court ruled against the constitutionality of zoning laws that targeted black Americans in 1917, local governments responded by creating exclusionary zoning laws that achieved the same objective without being overt in their racist intentions. Source Urban planning has played a crucial role in shaping institutional racism we see today. From redlining and exclusionary zoning enforcing racially segregated neighborhoods to racial discrimination in the housing market, urban planning has been instrumental in perpetuating institutional racism. Source

#housing Homelessness is a growing problem in the United States, and research shows that Black and Native people are overrepresented among the homeless population compared to their proportion of people living in deep poverty. This is largely due to long-standing historical and structural racism, which has created and perpetuated homelessness. African Americans represent 13% of the general population but account for 37% of people experiencing homelessness and more than 49% of homeless families with children. The disproportionality in homelessness is a by-product of systemic inequity: the lingering effects of racism continue to perpetuate disparities in critical areas that impact rates of homelessness. Source From slavery to segregation, African Americans have been systemically denied rights and socioeconomic opportunities. Other minority groups, including Indigenous and Latinx people, share similar histories. The disproportionality in homelessness is a by-product of systemic inequity: the lingering effects of racism continue to perpetuate disparities in critical areas that impact rates of homelessness. Source The most striking disparity can be found among African Americans, who are more likely to experience homelessness than non-minority groups. Other minority groups, including Indigenous and Latinx people, share similar histories. Source Poverty is a strong predictor of homelessness, and Black and Latinx groups are overrepresented in poverty relative to their representation in the overall population. Segregation and rental housing discrimination are also root causes of the current wealth gap between White households and households of color. Source

#housing According to a research paper by Elena Vesselinov, titled “Members Only: Gated Communities and Residential Segregation in the Metropolitan United States”. The author examines the link between gated communities and residential segregation using the American Housing Survey for 2001 and Census 2000. The author hypothesizes that gating and segregation are defined by similar mechanisms, thus reinforcing urban inequality in U.S. cities. The results, however, indicate a more complex relationship. On the one hand, there are common mechanisms behind the two processes: the pursuit of higher property values, fear of crime, and fear of increased social heterogeneity. An increase in percent recent immigrants leads to higher levels of both segregation and gating. On the other hand, factors such as region, percent black, percent Hispanic, percent college graduates, and functional specialization affect the two processes differentially. Although segregation is less pronounced and declining in the U.S. urban Southwest, gated communities are much more prominent there. Source On the one hand, there are common mechanisms behind the two processes: the pursuit of higher property values, fear of crime, and fear of increased social heterogeneity. An increase in percent recent immigrants leads to higher levels of both segregation and gating. On the other hand, factors such as region, percent black, per cent Hispanic, percent college graduates, and functional specialization affect the two processes differentially. Although segregation is less pronounced and declining in the U.S. urban Southwest, gated communities are much more prominent there. Source

#employment Even accounting for education, Black men are significantly more likely to have low-income jobs in the service industry than White men. Similarly, women are likelier than men to have low-income jobs in education, nursing, or child care fields. The labor market’s devaluation of careers historically held by women has damaging implications for people of color and White men as well. Data shows that all workers in women-dominated careers suffer from lower earnings, including Asian, Black, Hispanic, and White men.

#employment #education Does affirmative action work? What is affirmative action, then break down the numbers. Affirmative action, also known as positive action or positive discrimination, involves sets of policies and practices within a government or organization seeking to include particular groups based on their gender, race, sexuality, creed or nationality in areas in which such groups are underrepresented — such as education and employment. Historically and internationally, support for affirmative action has sought to achieve goals such as bridging inequalities in employment and pay, increasing access to education, promoting diversity, and redressing apparent past wrongs, harms, or hindrances. In some other jurisdictions where quotas are not used, minority-group members are given preference or special consideration in selection processes. In the United States, affirmative action in employment and education has been the subject of legal and political controversy. In 2003, the Supreme Court of the United States, in Grutter v. Bollinger, held that the University of Michigan Law School could consider race as a plus-factor when evaluating applicants holistically and maintained the prohibition on the use of quotas. Affirmative action encompasses women as well but for this break down only race will be used. This analysis will focus on the two most important aspects of AA. Employment and Education (college) HISTORY: Affirmative action was initiated by the administration of President Lyndon Johnson (1963–69) At the time, a Harris poll showed that 70% of American citizens approved of the Act. But in a 2022 Pew Research poll, 74% of people responded that race or ethnicity should not be a factor in college admissions. When admissions offices began admitting more Black students, white applicants claimed they were the victims of "reverse discrimination." The first legal challenge came in 1971, just two years after schools began adopting affirmative action policies. (He won) EDUCATION: Colleges and universities began to consider race as a factor in admissions in the late 1960s to diversify student bodies. These policies aimed to accept more students of color who had historically been excluded from colleges and universities. However, affirmative action in admissions only applies to selective institutions. As of 2022, nine states have banned affirmative action, with other states reversing (Texas) or failing to pass (Colorado) the measures. Initially, affirmative action encouraged employers to hire marginalized people. Presidents LBJ and Nixon both passed executive orders to end race discrimination in hiring. Soon, colleges voluntarily adopted similar policies to combat racial discrimination. In 1969, many elite universities admitted more than twice as many Black students as they had the year before. This change was directly linked to the civil rights movement. But the legal system did set limits on affirmative action. The Supreme Court forced many schools to change their affirmative action policies. The Supreme Court declared this type of quota system an unconstitutional violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment and outlawed the practice. While college admissions offices could not use racial quotas after 1978, they could still consider race as one factor among many others. In 1996, California voters approved Proposition 209, which banned affirmative action at public colleges and universities. Since 1998, when the amendment went into effect, the number of Latino/a and Black students "has not kept pace with the diversity of students in California K-12 schools or with the overall California population," according to the UC Board of Regents. In 2020, Californians voted on a ballot measure that would repeal the ban and once again allow affirmative action in college admissions. The measure failed by a wide margin. In 2007, the Supreme Court prohibited public high schools from using race as a "tiebreaker." In 2014, the Supreme Court upheld a Michigan ban on affirmative action at state universities. As of 2022 whites have the greatest number of college graduates but Asians who study abroad have the biggest share in terms of graduation rate. In America, 59.1% of college graduates are White or Caucasian. 25% percent African American. 13.1% of college graduates are Hispanic or Latino. worldpopulationreview.com White and Asian Americans are far more likely to hold a college degree or earn one than Black, Hispanic or Native Americans. Feb 20, 2023 In 2020, the average Black-to-white student graduation rate gap at the top dozen public universities without affirmative action was 10.1%. The average gap at the top dozen public universities with affirmative action was 6%. Despite setbacks, the overall college population from a minority perspective has increased diversity by over 57%. (Ed.gov, 2017) EMPLOYMENT: Nearly 97 percent of corporate senior executives in the United States are white. Only 5 percent of all professionals are black though blacks comprise 12.7 percent of the work force. Hispanics hold only 4 percent of white-collar jobs but make up 7.5 percent of the work force. scu.edu A recent study of 94 Fortune 1000 companies revealed that only 2.6 percent of the surveyed firms' executives were minorities. scu.edu March 11, 2021, Although Black employees comprise 14 percent of all US employees, the Black workforce at the managerial level is just half of that: 7 percent. At senior-manager levels—vice president and senior vice president—it declines further, to 5 and 4 percent, respectively. mckinsey.com › 5.9% of all chief executives in the U.S. are Black, while 85.7% are white, according to 2021 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. ccnbccom The most common ethnicity of managers is White (67.0%), followed by Hispanic or Latino (15.5%), Asian (6.4%) and Black or African American (6.3%). zippia.com Asian managers have the highest average salary compared to other ethnicities. Black or African American managers have the lowest average salary at $58,313. White men may have lost power, but they continue to be the dominant group in the corporate elite — they held 96.4% of the Fortune 500 CEO positions in 2000, and they held 85.8% in 2020. Moreover, since most of the seats lost by white men were lost to white women, and white women make up 6.8% of those who are now CEOs, whites still make up 92.6% of the Fortune 500 CEOs. Only 1% of the Fortune 500 CEOs are African-Americans, 2.4% are East Asians or South Asians, and 3.4% are Latinx. whorulesamerica.ucsc.edu Unemployment by race: 2021 Black or African American: 8.6% American Indian and Alaska Native: 8.2% Asian: 5.0% White: 4.7% So does Affirmative Action work? Yes. But barely. Even with AA, African Americans still own the lowest statistics in what it was created for...employment & education. Other Sources: Source: justgreatlawyers.com Source: research.com Source: bestcolleges.com Source: hechingerreport.org ›

#whiteprivilege #education Study documents key ways that white (and sometimes Asian) students have an advantage in admissions over Black and Latinx students. Laws that barred Black students from enrolling at colleges and universities are long gone. But what about other systems in the college admissions process that, whether by intent or not, favor white students? Art & Science Group, which advises colleges on their enrollment strategies, wanted to explore the issue. Today, it is releasing a study of the views of high school seniors that documents significant advantages of white students (and sometimes Asian students) in the admissions process.

#hatecrime #education A new GAO report says hostile environments – including bullying, cyberbullying, harassment, hate speech, hate crimes and physical attacks – are increasing in public school systems. Black students in Utah’s Davis School District have been called the n-word more than 200 times since 2015. They were told by white and other non-Black students that their skin was dirty and looked like feces, taunted with monkey noises and had their hair pull ed. School officials in the district knew, but they ignored complaints from students and parents, disregarded witnesses who corroborated the mounting harassment and took no corrective actions, according to a Justice Department investigation released in September.

#education Nationwide, 8.1% of white and 12.7% of Asian American children in public schools are considered gifted, compared with 4.5% of Hispanic and 3.5% of Black students, according to an Associated Press analysis of the most recent federal data.

#sports #ai A.I. mode is only available when you have access to the new Bing. Racism in sports has been a prevalent issue throughout the world, and in particular racism towards African Americans has been especially severe over the course of the history of sports in the United States and around the world. Sports often amplify issues of race and politics. However, there are some positive signs of change.

#sports Now that MLB has been integrated for 72 years (about half its history), it is appropriate to ask how black players have fared — not so much in their achievements on the field, which are obviously impressive, but in receiving equal recognition for their accomplishments in the Hall of Fame. There are two aspects to this question: Among players who made their major league debuts on or after April 15, 1947, are black, Latino, and white players with comparable on-field accomplishments equally likely to win election to the Hall of Fame? Does the number of Negro League players chosen for the Hall of Fame in 1971–2006 represent a fair ratio to the number of white Hall of Famers who debuted before April 15, 1947?

#sports The charts above tell a remarkable story. Consider that the year of the first Super Bowl (1966), there were no black quarterbacks in the AFL or NFL. When Tom Brady was born (1977), there had never been an NFL game where both teams started black quarterbacks. And when Brady was drafted, there had never been two black quarterbacks to face off in an NFL playoff game. Now, on the day that Brady is retiring, it’s a noteworthy sign of progress that we are just days away from the first Super Bowl featuring two black quarterbacks (Mahomes and Hurts). It has been a remarkable journey for black quarterbacks in the NFL, one that started over one hundred years ago.