US Still Struggles with Its History of Racial Economic Problems
2020-06-16
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1The death of George Floyd as he was put under arrest by four police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota has fueled anger over race issues in the United States.
2Reactions like the protests this month in many American cities seem to have taken place before.
3In 1967, conflict between African Americans and police in Detroit, Michigan and other U.S. cities resulted in deadly and destructive violence.
4And in 1992, people in African American neighborhoods in Los Angeles, California took to the streets in anger because of a police incident.
5On April 29, a jury found four Los Angeles police officers not guilty of beating Rodney King, a black man.
6Video of the beating had appeared soon after the arrest.
7In the days of violence that followed, more than 60 people died and the National Guard was brought in to return order.
8Some experts say that economic problems have joined with other problems like the spread of the new coronavirus to harm African Americans.
9"We've got a perfect storm," said Cecelia Rouse, professor of economics and public affairs at Princeton University.
10She told the Associated Press that COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, is creating economic harm for African Americans.
11Health experts suggest that African Americans are more likely than whites to die of COVID-19.
12They are more likely to work in lower-paying service jobs.
13Many of these jobs in restaurants, movie theaters and other service businesses have been lost because of the measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
14"People are mad..." said Monica Lewis-Patrick, president of the community group We the People of Detroit.
15She said the U.S. cannot call itself "the wealthiest nation in the world and still have these major inequities and disparities...based on race.''
16After the civil unrest of the mid-1960s, the United States Congress passed the Fair Housing Act.
17It was meant to end housing discrimination.
18Two years ago, Margery Turner of the Urban Institute researched the effects of the act on its 50th anniversary.
19She wrote that African Americans and other minorities continue to face discrimination although the clearest examples of it have decreased.
20Turner noted the separation of communities by race continues.
21She said the average white American lives in a neighborhood that is 75 percent white and eight percent African American.
22The average black American lives in a neighborhood that is 35 percent white and 45 percent black.
23The current economic recession resulting from business closures tied to the coronavirus is very troubling for African Americans.
24That is because they had appeared to be making gains after the Great Recession of 2007 to 2009.
25The unemployment rate for black Americans reached a record low level last year.
26Black wealth, severely limited by the financial crisis of the late 2000s, had recently grown at a higher rate than white wealth.
27Some politicians and other leaders want to reduce the economic difference between black and white Americans.
28They are calling for policies they say will help African Americans.
29These include paid sick leave, a higher federal minimum wage, and possibly additional direct payments like those the U.S. government recently sent to most taxpayers.
30The U.S. Census Bureau reports that from 1968 to 2018, the average yearly earnings for black households rose 37 percent from around $30,000 to around $41,000.
31Earnings for white households grew 31 percent, from around $51,000 to just under $67,000. But, black households still earn less than white households.
32The income divide remains wide although African Americans have increased the level of education they receive.
33The Economic Policy Institute reports the number of black Americans that have completed high school hit 92 percent in 2018, and 23 percent finished college.
34However, black Americans are still more than two times as likely as whites to be poor.
35The official poverty rate does not include the effects of government programs such as food assistance and Medicaid.
36In addition, the unemployment rate for African Americans has been around two times higher than the rate for whites.
37In February, researchers at the Brookings Institution reported other reasons for the wealth divide.
38They noted African Americans inherit far less money than whites.
39In addition, those who become top earners are more than whites to lose the wealth they have gained.
40The study said, African Americans also are more likely to provide financial help to friends and family.
41I'm Pete Musto.
1The death of George Floyd as he was put under arrest by four police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota has fueled anger over race issues in the United States. 2Reactions like the protests this month in many American cities seem to have taken place before. In 1967, conflict between African Americans and police in Detroit, Michigan and other U.S. cities resulted in deadly and destructive violence. 3And in 1992, people in African American neighborhoods in Los Angeles, California took to the streets in anger because of a police incident. On April 29, a jury found four Los Angeles police officers not guilty of beating Rodney King, a black man. Video of the beating had appeared soon after the arrest. In the days of violence that followed, more than 60 people died and the National Guard was brought in to return order. 4Some experts say that economic problems have joined with other problems like the spread of the new coronavirus to harm African Americans. 5"We've got a perfect storm," said Cecelia Rouse, professor of economics and public affairs at Princeton University. She told the Associated Press that COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, is creating economic harm for African Americans. 6Health experts suggest that African Americans are more likely than whites to die of COVID-19. They are more likely to work in lower-paying service jobs. Many of these jobs in restaurants, movie theaters and other service businesses have been lost because of the measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus. 7"People are mad..." said Monica Lewis-Patrick, president of the community group We the People of Detroit. She said the U.S. cannot call itself "the wealthiest nation in the world and still have these major inequities and disparities...based on race.'' 8After the civil unrest of the mid-1960s, the United States Congress passed the Fair Housing Act. It was meant to end housing discrimination. Two years ago, Margery Turner of the Urban Institute researched the effects of the act on its 50th anniversary. She wrote that African Americans and other minorities continue to face discrimination although the clearest examples of it have decreased. 9Turner noted the separation of communities by race continues. She said the average white American lives in a neighborhood that is 75 percent white and eight percent African American. The average black American lives in a neighborhood that is 35 percent white and 45 percent black. 10The current economic recession resulting from business closures tied to the coronavirus is very troubling for African Americans. That is because they had appeared to be making gains after the Great Recession of 2007 to 2009. 11The unemployment rate for black Americans reached a record low level last year. Black wealth, severely limited by the financial crisis of the late 2000s, had recently grown at a higher rate than white wealth. 12Some politicians and other leaders want to reduce the economic difference between black and white Americans. They are calling for policies they say will help African Americans. These include paid sick leave, a higher federal minimum wage, and possibly additional direct payments like those the U.S. government recently sent to most taxpayers. 13The U.S. Census Bureau reports that from 1968 to 2018, the average yearly earnings for black households rose 37 percent from around $30,000 to around $41,000 . Earnings for white households grew 31 percent, from around $51,000 to just under $67,000. But, black households still earn less than white households. 14The income divide remains wide although African Americans have increased the level of education they receive. The Economic Policy Institute reports the number of black Americans that have completed high school hit 92 percent in 2018, and 23 percent finished college. 15However, black Americans are still more than two times as likely as whites to be poor. The official poverty rate does not include the effects of government programs such as food assistance and Medicaid. 16In addition, the unemployment rate for African Americans has been around two times higher than the rate for whites. 17In February, researchers at the Brookings Institution reported other reasons for the wealth divide. They noted African Americans inherit far less money than whites. In addition, those who become top earners are more than whites to lose the wealth they have gained. The study said, African Americans also are more likely to provide financial help to friends and family. 18I'm Pete Musto. 19Paul Wiseman reported on this story for the Associated Press. Pete Musto adapted it for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. 20_______________________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22inequities - n. things that are unfair 23disparities -n. noticeable and often unfair differences between people or things 24wealth -n. the value of all the property, possessions, and money that someone or something has 25minimum wage -n. an amount of money that is the least amount of money per hour that workers must be paid according to the law 26inherit - v. to receive money or property from someone when that person dies