Michael got a ticket because of the car accident but, because he lost his job, he is unable to pay the fine. A warrant is issued, and Michael is arrested.
The cards are already stacked against Michael. Black adults are imprisoned at five times the rate for white adults. Plus, according to the U.S. Sentencing Commission, black males receive sentences 13.4 percent longer than white males, and black males are 23.4 percent less likely to receive a probationary sentence compared to white males.
Michael is in jail. Two years pass.
Michael was brutally attacked by another inmate his first week in jail. Even though by all accounts Michael did nothing to provoke the attack, both he and the other guy were charged with felony assault. Michael has been released from prison but now has a felony on his record. He has been unable to find steady work since getting out.
Even though U.S. unemployment rates are at near-historic lows, the disparity between the unemployment rates of black and white workers has remained consistent for over fifty years. Since the U.S. began collecting unemployment data in 1972, the black unemployment rate has consistently been twice as high as the unemployment rate among white people. Although there have been moments the gap has tightened, it’s basically been a two to one ratio for over five decades.
To add insult to injury, even if Michael finds a job, low wages remain a major problem. Overall, black Americans make 76 cents to white people’s dollar.
Michael was recently diagnosed with non-diabetic kidney disease.
The Atlantic magazine reports that “across the United States, black people suffer disproportionately from some of the most devastating health problems, from cancer deaths and diabetes to maternal mortality and preterm births. Although the racial disparity in early death has narrowed in recent decades, black people have the life expectancy, nationwide, that white people had in the 1980s – about three years shorter than the current white life expectancy. African Americans face a greater risk of death at practically every stage of life.”
“In Baltimore, a 20-year gap in life expectancy exists between the city’s poor, largely African American neighborhoods and its wealthier, whiter areas. A baby born in Cheswolde, in Baltimore’s far-northwest corner, can expect to live until age 87. Nine miles away in Clifton-Berea, the life expectancy is 67, roughly the same as that of Rwanda, and 12 years shorter than the American average. Similar disparities exist in other segregated cities, such as Philadelphia and Chicago.”
Michael and Angela are out of options. They move into a government housing facility in a very dangerous, high-crime neighborhood. Their son, James, is now four years old. It’s time for him to head to school.
In 4th grade math, there is a 32-point score gap between white and black students (51 percent to 19 percent) and a 25-point score gap between white and Hispanic students (51 percent to 26 percent). In 8th grade math, there was a 31-point score gap between white and black students (44 percent to 13 percent) and a 24-point score gap between white and Hispanic students (44 percent to 20 percent).
Only 37 percent of 4th graders and 36 percent of 8th graders performed at or above the Proficient level in reading. Only 9 percent of fourth graders and 4 percent of eighth graders performed at the Advanced level. In 4th grade reading, there was a 27-point score gap between white and black students (47 percent to 20 percent) and a 24-point score gap between white and Hispanic students (47 percent to 23 percent). In 8th grade reading, there was a 27-point score gap between white and black students (45 percent to 18 percent) and a 22-point score gap between white and Hispanic students (45 percent to 23 percent).
Fifteen years pass.
Meet James, a black man who lives in Austin, Texas. One of James’ earliest memories is hysterically crying while trying to revive his father, who collapsed from kidney disease. His dad died two days later.
His mother was devastated by the loss but was pregnant and had to support her family. James knew his mom had become a prostitute, and men would come and go all day and night. A couple of them had been nice to him, but those didn’t seem to last very long. The others would beat him, mock him, have sex with his mother in front of him, burn him with cigarettes and force him to try marijuana at the age of seven.
Once in a while, his mom would ask him to deliver little packages around their decrepit apartment complex, instructing him to bring back the money he was given in return. His best buddy lived next door and they would leave really early on summer mornings and roam around the neighborhood until well after dark. After wheezing most of his life, the school nurse determined James had acute asthma, but he never got the proper medication to ease it. When he was sixteen, his mom was diagnosed with a deadly heart condition, so James dropped out of high school to work full time to support her.
James’ life has been difficult to say the least, but things are turning around! He recently got his GED, received a small pay raise at work, and married the love of his life, the very beautiful Kimberly. James and Kimberly just had their first child, a perfect baby boy, and they are ready to buy their first home. Everything is looking up for James!
Let’s take this journey with James and Kimberly. The first stop is house hunting….
