Introduction
In the United States, racial discrimination has been a significant issue for decades, particularly for African Americans. They have always had to resist and endure a system of resistance and bondage. African Americans have experienced economic, political, and social oppression. The system tolerated violence, and this resulted in the death of innocent black people since slavery started. Africans were seen as possessions; Black people were seen and viewed as commodities, making it familiar for black people to be mistreated and not be treated like other people. Understanding slavery is essential to understanding how African Americans are viewed in society today. African Americans are still viewed as a danger. They are treated with ridicule and exclusion. Making this connection is essential to bring a clear understanding of how racial discrimination continues to take place today and its adverse impacts on Black lives.
How slavery influence Black Americans’ lives today
Research suggests that the slave trade played a crucial role in how the continent was shaped not only in terms of economic outcomes but also in terms of social and cultural outcomes. During the ages of slavery, enslaved people were acquired through raids, warfare, and kidnappings. Research suggests that the different forms of violence and discriminatory treatment that enslaved people went through continue to impact the social, institutional, and economic growth of societies. The legacy of slavery continues to be felt even in society today. The events that led to the rise of the Black Lives Matter Movement have ensured that people do not forget the legacy of African-American slavery. In the public eye, there have been continuous debates over the reparations of Black people in the United States and how slavery is taught in schools.
Slavery persists in terms of police brutality. Ward (2022) highlighted the negative consequences of slavery. Slavery is linked to modern law enforcement, and there is a need for it to be further analyzed. In the United States, there is a rise in inequality when it comes to policing, where white people receive better treatment compared to black people. Ward (2022) noted that in areas where slavery was more dominant, there was more excellent discrimination and economic discrimination against black people. Slavery set the roots for more excellent discrimination and exploitation. Slavery also brought about inequalities in relation to health and education. Today, whites get better public education than blacks, better jobs, and better health care services. Ward (022) further noted that when paying close attention to public health, there are greater geographical and heart disparities in relation to heart disease, and this is partly attributed to slavery.
Whites enjoy a bunch of advantages; for example, they earn higher incomes, have higher homeownership, and have lower rates of opioid mortality. Nunn (2021) stated that the poor performance of Africa is associated with history, made up of 400 years of slave trade. To this day, black people face more police brutality, there are higher incidents of black people being killed by police, and there is generally increased brutality. The Black Lives Matter movement brought about protest after the death of George Floyd, whom some police officers killed. There were significantly fewer black people who were accessible than individuals who were enslaved all over the United States. In recent times, there have been five times more black Americans incarcerated than White Americans. This clearly illustrates that the effects of slavery continue to exist in our world today. Making it more challenging for African Americans to find a way to bridge the racial gap that exists to date.
Today, black Americans are likely to be in the lower class by society’s standards, and they suffer many disadvantages, making it harder for them to afford their basic needs. They are not given the same opportunities as white people; often, they complain of unequal and unfair treatment, which descends from the times when slavery was prevalent. Ribianszky (2021) stated that after black people were freed, they had to go and work to ensure they had to survive. They worked on the Mississippi River, one of the wealthiest cotton-growing places. Black people live in an environment that puts them under a dual criminal justice system that ensures they deal with heavier policing, violence when in prison, and even death at the hands of the government. With the discrimination and biasness that black Americans deal with, it is essential to realize how these issues have resulted from slavery.
Conclusion
After putting this issue under scrutiny, it is clear that racism has not been dealt with adequately. From the times of slavery, Black people had to fight to fit in society. The Black Lives Matter movement is another clear indication that people are yet to deal with the issue of racism. The effects or legacy of slavery is not something that will end overnight. It is expected to take a lot of time to get over racism and discrimination.
References
Nunn, N. (2017, February 27). Understanding the long-run effects of Africa’s slave trades. CEPR. https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/understanding-long-run-effects-africas-slave-trades
Ribianszky, N. (2021, October 14). How the experience of Black people freed from slavery, set a pattern for African Americans today. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/how-the-experience-of-black-people-freed-from-slavery-set-a-pattern-for-african-americans-today-167932
Ward, M. (2022, March 1). The legacy of slavery and contemporary racial disparities in arrest rates. Sociology of race and ethnicity | Sage Journals. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/23326492221082066
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