The Imperative to Address Systemic Inequities and the Disproportionate Impact on Youth of Color
/by Rashad D. Hawkins
There are several connected systemic issues that contribute to the inequity experienced in the United States of America. These issues of inequity disproportionately impact people of color. In order to practically address this issue, we need to build data driven systems and solutions that look at all of the components of systemic and individual racism.
The U.S. is experiencing growing levels of income and wealth inequity, which are contributing to racial and ethnic gaps in education outcomes. Studies show that the U.S. economic inequity has hit its highest levels since the 1920s. The rise in inequity has had the largest impact on communities of color.
“Children from poor families are two to four times more likely than children from wealthy families to have classmates with low skills and behavioral problems.”
In 2012, poverty rates among African Americans and Hispanics exceeded those of non-Hispanic whites by a ratio of nearly 3-to-1. Economic disadvantage in early childhood has strong associations with parents’ psychological distress and the emotional support and cognitive stimulation they provide their young children. Income gaps contribute to gaps in effective parenting and to parents’ psychological health, which lead to gaps in young children’s social, psychological, and emotional development, as well as to gaps in their later-life educational outcomes.
In addition to being more likely to be born into low-income families that reside in high-poverty neighborhoods and attend high-poverty schools with less experienced and effective teachers, children of color also suffer various forms of racial and ethnic discrimination in schools and in the justice system.
Student socio-demographic qualities are related to harsh school discipline. Children from poor families are two to four times more likely than children from wealthy families to have classmates with low skills and behavioral problems. Baltimore City has one of the nation’s broadest gaps in academic achievement between poor, black youth and their rich, white counterparts. Poorer students are more likely to be targeted by harsh school practices, while wealthier students more often receive mild or moderate consequences. Black students are generally given punishments that are more frequent and more punitive for less serious offenses, disparity can be seen with suspensions expulsions and even corporal punishment.
Youth of color are disproportionately impacted by “Tough on Crime” laws like that allow the automatic charging of youth as adults. These laws were created and expanded during the “Tough on Crime” and “War on Drugs” era of the late 80’s and early 90’s. These laws have been proven to be an ineffective way to deal with crime as all crime stem from issues of systemic inequity.
The collateral consequences youth face after being charged as adults makes it harder for them to progress in capitalist America. This is an issue because it makes their socioeconomic circumstances worse which in the long-run makes crime worse and maintains systemic inequity.
Rashad D. Hawkins is Founder/Director of BMore Awesome Inc., which works to address systemic inequity through the dynamic intersection of arts, activism, and entrepreneurship training and Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM) projects. His work mobilizes young adults to express their perspectives on issues that impact their communities while advocating to create change. These comments were provided recently to the Maryland state legislature, in support of legislation to address equity issues.
Hawkins will be the keynote speaker on Saturday, April 24 for 2021 at the Connecticut Civic Ambassador Summit, in an address “To the Leaders of the New Era of Community Organizing,” hosted by Everyday Democracy. For more information on this free event and how to register, please go to https://www.everyday-democracy.org/civicambassador.
