Inequality in Education and Law Reinforcement
All people in America expect to be protected equally and without bias arising from differences in race, social status, among other factors. The 14th Amendment of the American Constitution guarantees equal treatment. However, since it was instituted, law enforcement agencies have ignored it. The 14th amendment has mostly been ignored if the parties involved are Blacks and other minority groups.
About sixty years ago, the in Brown v. Board of Education held that there was inherent inequality in separate schools. The ruling should have been a wake-up call to society to institute equal education for Blacks and other minority groups. However, the situation is still the same up to now. Blacks and other minority groups continue to experience low quality of education. In fact, what exists now is de facto segregation, which means segregation that is not sanctioned by law. It is only the privileged who access education that prepares them for college. The rest of the population is left to suffer low quality of education.
Minority groups and blacks are treated unequally in education and in law enforcement. They are, therefore, not able to realize their potentials due to inherent injustice in the system.
Adam Miller, in his book Ticket to Exile, relays a personal account of his contact with racial discrimination. Miller’s experience occurred in the early 1940s. Mr. Miller wanted to pass a message to a white woman reasoned the best way to do so was through a written note. However, this simple incident led to a lot of complications. He recounts how a woman clerk asked him what he had handed over to the white woman. The white lady gave out the note and it was forward to a sales manager. The manager called a police chief leading to the arrest and detention of miller. It was his lawyer who removed him from custody. His lawyer tried as best as he could and managed to swindle him out of jail. The reason that he had to suffer all this turmoil was just because he had passed that note to a white woman. His simple attempt at communication led to being arrested.
Surely, the justification for his arrest was nothing else, but just pure segregation. America is a nation that boasts of freedom of its citizens, above all, other values. Therefore, it is ironical that corruption of this magnitude would take place in a government run law division. The people who have been mandated to take care of the citizens are the same ones abusing their rights. Such behavior should be vehemently condemned. The unfortunate news is that this behavior existed in South America for a long period. In fact, this sort of corruption at law enforcement divisions seems to have surpassed our national values. Some citizens continue to see themselves as “more equal” than others.
The passage of time has not led to decline in the instances in which minorities face segregation. Unlawful discrimination of Blacks and minorities still thrives in law enforcement agencies, more than sixty years after Mr. Miller had that unfortunate incident. Lynn Washington, a journalist with the Philadelphia Tribune expressed her concern that more blacks than whites were being arrested in Philadelphia. She adds that the findings on arrest are similar to ACLU finding which revealed the same trend nationally. It is interesting that the rate of usage of marijuana is the same among whites and blacks. It would, therefore, be expected that the rates of arrest for both Blacks and whites would more or less be the same. However, this is not the case as far more blacks than whites are arrested. This directly points to segregation, as there is no other justifiable factor.
The police show discrimination despite placed upon them to protect and offer services to the people. Officers were also involved in racial discrimination. An article titled Loot or Find: Fact or Fame provides some insight into how police officers participated in discrimination against blacks in the hurricane Katrina. Charmaine Neville was raped during evacuation in the Katrina accident. She did not receive help after the incident despite her numerous follow ups. She was discriminated against just because she was black.
It would be expected that the many injustices that occur in society form subjects of debate. However, that has not been the case. The government must at the fore front in fighting against racial discrimination in education and law enforcement agencies. Blacks and minority groups are the biggest targets of law enforcement agencies. They are susceptible to arrest and imprisonment. This increases crime which is inherited by future generations of minority groups. Law enforcement officials should wake up and smell the coffee. Gone are times when such discrimination is tolerated.
The stories of Adam David Miller and Charmaine Neville should not just be restated as sad tales. We should learn from them. The only reason we take a peek into history is so that we can look at where we went wrong and what we can do to correct any past mistakes. Everyone needs to take responsibility to end segregation. Our leaders carry the greatest responsibility; they should actively campaign against segregation in law enforcement. As for any leader that promotes this vice, we should exercise our democratic right and vote them out.
As regards the educational system, foundational changes would have to be made in the system. There should be an even spending distribution for students out of property taxes. This would greatly benefit the underprivileged students. More minority group students need to be educated to the highest levels attainable. This would threaten the status quo. There will be a ripple effect as these learned people will in turn insist on taking their children to the best schools since they would now be capable of doing so comfortably due to increased economic power. They would also spearhead the improvement of the quality of schooling in Black and Latino neighborhoods. The poor who have no opportunities will not go to war. Minority students will go for their goals in life due to availability of opportunities. This is because they would access the necessary facilities that they are currently lacking. They would be able to realize their potential in life and compete effectively with the rest of the white students.
Works Cited:
Miller, Adam David. Ticket to Exile. Berkeley, CA: Heyday Books, 2007. Print.
Washington, Linn. “Racial Disparity found in Marijuana Possession Arrests”, Philadelphia Tribune: 2. Dec 22 2013.
Kozol, Jonathan.“Still Separate, Still Unequal.” Rereading America. 9th ed. Ed. Gary Colombo, Robert Cullen, Bonnie Lisle. Boston, New York: Bedford / St. Martin's, 2013. p201-218.
Print.
Schaeffer, Adam.“They Spend WHAT? The Real Cost of Public Schools.” Policy Analysis. No.662: (2010)1-28. Print.
Arias, Donya C. “High Rate Of Incarcerated Black Men Devastating To Family Health." Nation's Health 37.2 (2007): 6. Academic Search Complete.Web. 22 May 2014.
Harris, Cheryl I. and Carbado, Devon W."Loot or Find: Fact or Frame?" Rereading America.8th Edition. Eds: Gary Colombo, Robert Cullens, Bonnie Lisle. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martins, 2010.422-436. Print.
