Wealth, Education, Social Gap: Can We End This Conversation?

This is going to be a short post...well somewhat short, but one that I hope has us all doing a bit more research on what we can do to make changes in our lives for generations to come. 

How many of you are aware that African American/Black people in the US have slipped further behind in education, social justice, and civic engagement than White people? I mean, if you are all like me, you know there has always been a wealth and education gap, leaving African American/Black families behind generationally. I don’t know about any of you, but being a parent and now a grandmother, this is beyond disturbing --- always has.

While reading articles, just trying to get an idea of what is going on, I came across one that states the above has been a growing issue, particularly focusing in on the past 17 years. Based on this article, the greatest part of our struggle is systemic racism, again something that many of us may already know. 

You are asking, why is she writing about something that we already know. In response to your question, this is just a reminder. A reminder that the median household income for African American/Black families is $43,862 and for White families, it is $69,823. We continue to be denied loans for homes and home improvements twice as much as White families which means, just in home equity, white households continue to lead in wealth, without a change since the days of civil rights. 

.To add, this article suggests that our women are 59% more likely to die as a result of childbirth and 31% more likely to die of breast cancer. Our men are more likely to die of prostate cancer.

Regarding education, although children in preschool are pretty much equal, schools that have more students of color are more likely to have unqualified teachers, fewer students enrolled in STEM classes, and they are less likely to graduate from college.

Further, we are twice as likely to experience threats or uses of force by police officers, three times more likely to be jailed after an arrest, and 93% more likely to be victims of hate crimes. 

So....is the data shared here accurate??? To be honest, I don’t really know. What I do know is that it came from a reputable source. I also know that this is the information we’ve been fed for YEARS! For the sake of realizing that it’s been the same song and dance for years, let’s assume all the data is true. In fact, let’s assume the numbers are not high enough.

What do we do???

Well, Queens, I do not have the answers --- BUT considering that we are the first teachers of our children, I do have some suggestions. 

Education starts in the home –

• From birth we should be teaching our babies that they are beautiful, powerful beings

• Teach our children about their heritage, from our African ancestors to those who suffered through enslavement; teach them that they come from a line of queens and kings

• Regardless of whether you are an entrepreneur or have a career in a company outside of your own, it is important to teach our children about ownership; about being an asset to others, especially if they are not interested in entrepreneurship; and teach them the importance of being a creator not just a consumer

These are just a few suggestions of many…Let’s do our part in our homes and in our communities to break through the barriers causing what I call the freedom gap.

Queendom rising….