Racism or Class Discrimination?
It seems as though minorities, especially African-Americans, have a disadvantage from the time they are born. According to Leondar-Wright, “The median white family has more than $120,000 in net worth (assets minus debts), while the median black family has less than $20,000.” There are many reasons why black families’ net worth is so much lower than white families’, but among the most obvious reasons is discrimination. Children from low-income families tend to have more responsibilities than those from middle or high-income families. These responsibilities may take away from time spent on schoolwork. For example, if a fourteen year old must work to help pay household expenses because his or her parents are having trouble making ends meet, it is highly possible that time spent working could be taking away from time spent doing schoolwork. Even if a student does not have to work while in school, it is still possible that his or her parents (if the student is lucky enough to live with both their mother and father) work hours that would render him or her responsible for extended amounts of housework. Either way, it is likely that a low-income, minority student must work much harder than a middle or high-income student to achieve the same academic status.
If and when African-American students are accepted into college, it is much...
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Cherry, Robert. “Institutional Discrimination” Discrimination
Cose, Ellis. The Rage of a Privileged Class. Harper Collins,1993
Leondar-Wright, B. (2004) Black Job Loss Déjà vu: Dollars & Sense, 253. Retrieved February 25, 2009, from https://learning.umassonline.net/webct/urw/lc26298.tp0/cobaltMainFrame.dowebct
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