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I do not believe there is any significant discrimination against the African American community in America any longer. The real issue is lack of opportunity, which may in part be related to uneven access to quality education in America. In America, funding for primary education is done at the local level. What this means is that poorer communities, which earn less, therefore generate less local taxes to fund their schools. Furthermore, residents of a poorer community cannot send their children to study in schools that fall into richer districts, so there is a defacto ghetoization of education.
The color that really matters is not whether you are black, white or brown, but rather the amount of green you have in your wallet. Due to the obvious historical factor, African American's tend to have less of it than most other communities and have been stuck in the vicious and interlinked cycle of poverty, crime and lack of access to good education. It is interesting to note that the incarceration rate of African Americans as a % of the population is higher in the US than it was during the Apartheid era in South Africa. Similar observations can be made about other minorities in America. The Asian community which generally emigrated to the US based on qualifications and merit are generally far well off than the Latino community, many of whom consist of less educated workers from say Mexico. Even within the Asian community one can have various nuances. The South Asian (aka
Indian) community, many of whom who could only immigrate to America based on their academic qualifications, ranks right up there at the top in terms of wealth, while the Vietnamese community who generally came here as refugees after the failed "liberation" of Vietnam don't do so well.
Regardless of some token examples of individuals from the African community who have "made it" through their dint of hard work, perseverance etc, it is a non brainer to conclude that if you were born poor, there is a higher probability you will remain poor. This is obviously very true in India too, though I suspect it would be less true in Scandinavian countries. America may be a classless society in theory, but in practice, with barriers such as lack of universal access to good education, the deck is clearly stacked against you if you are poor.
It is fair to conclude that the US system (and even more so the case for India), does not provide for an equitable access of opportunities. Some of the social programs initiated by the left in the 1960's failed because they fostered a culture of dependency, which subverted one's will to succeed. Likewise, the policies of the right with its focus on politically expedient polices of being "tough on crime", national security etc has meant that many basics such as education, infrastructure etc have had their priorities lowered. Furthermore, the fact that the extremist Christian right wing has subverted much of the right has resulted in today's debate on education not being about the lack of its equitable distribution, but rather on incorporating Biblical Christian beliefs of creationism into science education!
Mario Goveia <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>wrote:
> I have to assume from the context that you see some
connection between the Civil Rights Act of 1964,
which addresses civil rights, and the number of blacks
on death row and in prisons, which has nothing to do
with civil rights and everything to do with criminal
> activity that has been successfully prosecuted.
Mervyn Lobo <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Mario,
Blacks make up 12% of the population in the US. They
also make up 50% of the people in jail in the US. (See
the link to NAACP)
