Racial Inequalities

Words: 1283
Pages: 6

Introduction
Racial inequalities, in all its forms and disguises, can be felt in a magnitude of ways—through the lack of resources found in racially segregated neighborhoods, through the racial disparities that force minorities to obtain a lower quality of education compared to their white middle class counterparts, or through the disproportionate rates of unemployment that hunt racial minorities due to the increased demand for workers with a higher education and skills. However, what if these three forms of racial inequalities were taking place simultaneously, creating a never-ending cycle of poverty and disadvantage for low-income racial minorities? Unfortunately, this appears to be the reality for many people of color residing in segregated
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As was explained by Golash-Boza, “Racial segregation often means concentrated poverty, which in turn leads to underresourced neighborhoods with poor public schools, and high unemployment rates” (2015:281). In other words, because public schools rely heavily on local property taxes for funding, when you have segregated neighborhoods with a high poverty rate and low property values, then the funding for the neighboring public schools will be severely affected. This lack of funding, undoubtedly, leads to a low-quality education and a lack of educational resources, which, unfortunately, discourage or disqualify public school students, primarily those of color, from pursuing a higher education. As can be assumed, because these students weren’t given the full opportunity to acquire higher education degrees and credentials, their labor market options become severely limited, which can lead to unemployment. Thankfully, however, in an effort to dismantle this structural cycle poverty and disadvantage, PONG proposes to target the education system and demand a funding reform, so as to ensure that the youth is given a chance to break this …show more content…
As was mentioned in the previous section, in an effort to dismantle structural racism, PONG seeks to accomplish four main projects—creating a holistic afterschool program, conducting in-school mobilizing workshops, forming a rigorous petition campaign, and, if needed, organizing a nation-wide student walk out. As a response to the lack of resources, programs, and services to the youth in the low-income and racially segregated neighborhood, PONG aims to provide a safe and welcoming space for students using the holistic afterschool program in order to be able to provide the necessary help, resources, and guidance that are often lacking from these disadvantaged neighborhoods. As for the in-school workshops, PONG will dedicate a substantial amount of time and effort in not only educating the public school youth on contemporary racial inequalities, but also in mobilizing them to be politically active and involved in social and racial justice matters. By having public school students, community members, activists, and organizations at the forefront, PONG will aim to gather enough signatures for their petition campaign so as to allow the numbers to speak for themselves and influence our government officials into adequately funding our most disadvantaged public schools.