Racial discrimination is one of the principal social problems that exist in the United States of America and can be observed in various spheres such as education, employment, healthcare, and criminal justice. Surprisingly, despite the progressive changes in laws that came as the result of the civil rights movements that sought to eliminate discrimination against Blacks, the society remains a system that aids the continued persecution of Black people. This issue has been the subject of discussion and analysis for many years. Despite several attempts to close the growing racial divide, there are still numerous barriers in the way. Racial inequality in America is a historic injustice, a structural and classified issue which requires structural and systematic approaches as well as determination to eliminate it. 

The roots of racism in the United States of America can be traced back to such historical facts as servitude, apartheid, and prejudicial legislation. Many of the negative effects of slavery and the Jim Crow laws still manifest in the economic and social lives of Black Americans today (Althoff and Reichardt 7). Years after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was enacted, the government and society still witnessed pervasive racism in the areas of wealth building, housing, and employment. For instance, White families have $188,200 on average, whereas Black families possess a mere $24,100, meaning that inequality in access to economic resources remains a real issue due to discrimination (Perry et al. 3). Therefore, race-based wrongs that relegated African Americans to inferior standards of living are still perceivable today. 

There are several issues, but they all point to one common fact — systematic racism is still rife in large organizations. In the education sector, students in predominantly Black and Hispanic schools get fewer funds than their counterparts in White schools: This leads to low academic achievement and a lack of access to institutions of higher learning (Price and Angelino Viceisza 214-215). Moreover, studies show that police officers are racially discriminating and that the criminal justice system discriminates against Black and Hispanic people (Kovera 1143). This ongoing inequality perpetuates systemic disadvantages across generations. These institutional barriers translate to a lack of social mobility, leaving people in a cycle of poverty.

Economic disparity is one of the key components that have slowly perpetuated racist practices in society. There is a pay disparity, which means that Black workers earned 24.4% less per hour than typical White workers in similar jobs in 2019 (Wilson and Darity 10). The persistence of discriminatory hiring practices and fewer job opportunities with high wages are some of the factors that trigger this discrimination. In addition, one of the social determinants is the absence of cheap, quality healthcare, which affects people of color more, resulting in increased mortality and poor health. Mitigating these disparities involves enacting focused economic reforms and improving healthcare access for vulnerable people. Therefore, it calls for changes in overall economic and healthcare structures to address the issues that affect the Black population. 

To reduce racism, there is a need to work on legal issues to bring changes across the board. One important factor pertains to implementing stricter laws against workplace discrimination, in providing shelter and schools. Workplaces and universities should consider affirmative action because it has utility in eliminating the disparity in opportunities that some groups face. Besides, services, community policing, police use of force, prosecutorial discretion, and sentencing practices require criminal justice reform to address racial prejudices (Saunders and Midgette 218). It has been established that if effective programs like community policing and rehabilitation initiatives are adopted, they will drastically address the issue of racially disproportioned justice. Therefore, there needs to be overhauls in all sectors of society to address the issue of race and reach a point of equity. 

Education has a great perspective in addressing this issue and ensuring that the race issue is not perpetuated in society. There is a need to allocate more funds to poorly performing schools and diversify the curriculum to suit racial diversity in the student population. An increase in enrollment and completion probabilities is also possible with the help of mentorship programs and scholarships targeting the mentioned communities. Additionally, incorporating the consideration of race and prejudice in institutions of learning is useful in eradicating prejudice from society as early as possible. Namely, education for social justice is vital for establishing fair relations. Therefore, when people promote equitable education, they help break down barriers of discrimination and offer the disempowered people a chance to improve their lives. 

Generally, the problem of racial inequality in America can be attributed to the impact of historical decisions, ordinary discrimination, and financial division. In order to passionately address this issue at the center, there is a need to address the issue under the mantle of policy reforms, education, and economic enhancement programs. Through the possible solutions provided above, the United States can strive to become a color-blind nation so that color does not influence the chances of an individual achieving success. Despite the recent advancements, much more must be done, and significant changes in the structures of society have to be made for there to be a transformation in the treatment of Black individuals.

Works Cited

Althoff, Lukas, and Hugo Reichardt. Jim Crow and Black Economic Progress after Slavery. 2023.

Kovera, Margaret Bull. “Racial Disparities in the Criminal Justice System: Prevalence, Causes, and a Search for Solutions.” Journal of Social Issues, vol. 75, no. 4, 2019, pp. 1139–1164, https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12355.

Perry, Andre, et al. The Challenges, Solutions, and Opportunities for Prosperity.

Price, Gregory N, and Angelino Viceisza. “What Can Historically Black Colleges and Universities Teach about Improving Higher Education Outcomes for Black Students?” Journal of Economic Perspectives, vol. 37, no. 3, 1 Aug. 2023, pp. 213–232, https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.37.3.213.

Saunders, Jessica, and Greg Midgette. “A Test for Implicit Bias in Discretionary Criminal Justice Decisions.” Law and Human Behavior, vol. 47, no. 1, Feb. 2023, pp. 217–232, https://doi.org/10.1037/lhb0000520.

Wilson, Valerie, and William Darity. Understanding Black-White Disparities in Labor Market Outcomes Requires Models That Account for Persistent Discrimination and Unequal Bargaining Power. 2022.