Essay Sample on Poverty Among African Americans

Introduction

Though poverty affects a wide variety of people from different races and cultures, minorities such as the African Americans, encounter economic problems on the multi-dimensional scenarios. Poverty among African American communities is usually different from that of white people; in other words, it is always more concentrated and isolated. It goes out of the families to the entire neighborhood of the black community and as a result, it extends to schools, churches, and in the streets. Poverty among African Americans has always been attributed to income inequality and lack of employment. Concentrated poverty is becoming worse among the African America community because poor people are incr4asingly left behind; the forces that drive the above pattern include the systematic discrimination, policies that have for a long time concentrated public housing as well as the modern zoning laws that separate poor African Americans from wealthier communities.

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In most cases, African Americans born poor are less likely to move to the upper class than those in other races, specifically whites (Bryant-Davis et al., 23). The above case is attributed to different factors including neighborhood effects, educational inequalities, workplace discrimination, and access to credit, parenting, and the high rates of incarceration. In American society, race still plays a major role in differentiating between different communities. The way the community is structured, people find solace in their ethnic cocoons. Black-Americans, Asian Americans among other considered immigrants have been facing the brunt of racism as well as ethnicity. Whenever an incidence occurs, people who are the minority based on their ethnic background usually form the first category of suspects. People often feel that they are being treated unfairly because of their ethnic background.

One of the solutions to eradicate poverty among the African American community is to create well-paying jobs. To kick-start job creation, the government of the state in collaboration with the federal government should invest in more job-creation schemes such as starting the investment programs and boosting the national economy. There is also the need for the government to build the pro en replicas of subsidized employment to assist the long-term unemployment among the African American communities as well as other disadvantaged workers to rejoin the labor force (Hovick et al., 17). In most cases, African Americans usually play out in the landscape of job search, where the minority groups are often considered to occupy positions which are less attractive with lesser pay. People who believe to be of certain comparative advantage often despise others who may not enjoy the same privilege as for them. The ideological perspective that ties race and ethnicity goes beyond geographical borders. Based on what people identify them with, it shapes the understanding in the American context. To ensure the reduction of poverty among the African American Community, there is a need for the federal government to extend federal unemployment insurance to aids in the creation of jobs. As evidence, in the year 2014, the above approach led to the development of over two hundred thousand new jobs; therefore, directing this to assist African American communities will aid in the reduction of poverty which usually leads to crime. In the year 2013, Congress failed to expand the federal unemployment insurance, a situation that left over one million Americans including African Americans and their families without this essential economic lifeline.

Raising the minimum wage to the employed African Americans is also a solution to the poverty among African America community. While increasing the income more families will have enough cash to cater for education and afford good housing for their families. Additionally, with the increase in wage, there will be a reduction in concentrated poverty, a situation that will put African American in a good place towards moving out of poverty. The increase in minimum wage can aid in the reduction of social classes. The social classes often divide people based on material possession with the upper class being the people whom the society glories as being top echelons in the society, The second class refers to people who have high incomes, which is further associated with social prestige within the society (Hovick et al., 17). Then there is the Lower Middle class, who only gets the means to live and cannot make a substantial investment into assets. African Americans continue to suffer due to low incomes. Raising the minimum wage may, therefore, increase the family income, a situation which can further aid in the reduction of social problems. In the current societal set-up, Africans are suffering and they struggle for survival amidst the "radicalized" nations. Increasing the national minimum wage is a process that is well overdue. Raising the national minimum wage is an essential corrective measure that would ensure that the proportion of country's labor productivity gains are converted into higher living standards especially for the low-income earners. The increase in the minimum wage among the African American communities as well as other workers should be gradual so that African American workers can adjust slowly to the new standards of living (Hovick et al., 21).

Poverty among the African American community is attributed to the lack of affordable and high-quality child care. Lack of the above factors often acts as a major barrier for African American communities to achieve higher economic status or to reach the middle class. The poor African Americans who pay for the childcare out of their pocket spend close to one-third of their total income. Further, the national child care assistance one-sixth of the eligible children. Therefore, boosting investments in the head when it comes to the childcare development is one of the many solutions that can lead to the reduction of poverty among African American community (Hovick et al., 22). Furthermore enhancing education and reducing the criminality behavior among the African American children is one step towards achieving high social and economic status not only to the African Americans but also to the entire American society. Investing in preschool, home-visiting services for mothers and pregnant women, and high quality childcare for toddlers and infants can help more struggling families to acquire the childcare that they require for them to work and enhance the future economic suppleness of African American children (Hovick et al., 15). Finally, expanding the Medicaid will also ensure that every African American obtain medical services that are essential for their wellbeing, this will ensure that they put a lot of effort towards trying to achieve high social and economic status. Possessing a health coverage is an essential buffer against the economic consequences of injuries and illnesses. In most case, the unpaid medical bills are some of the leading causes of bankruptcy (Bryant-Davis et al., 23). Most studies link medical coverage not only to the improved health access, lower rates of mortality, and improved health but also to the reduction in the financial strains. The federal government in collaboration with the state governments should, therefore, put emphasis on the Medicaid to reduce poverty among American Americans.

Works Cited

Bryant-Davis, Thema, et al. "Struggling to survive: Sexual assault, poverty, and mental health outcomes of African American women." American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 80.1 (2010): 61.

Hovick, Shelly, et al. "Multiple health risk perception and information processing among African Americans and Whites living in poverty." Risk Analysis: An International Journal 31.11 (2011): 1789-1799.