Our American economy was built on the backs of Black slaves who were initially brought to America to work in the cotton, tobacco and sugar cane fields. America’s dilemma today is what to do with 40 million Black American descendants of those slaves who were shipped, as commodities, to American shores 400 years ago for their economic value yet whose heirs today are deemed of no value to America’s economic mission. While America might have once considered shipping Black Americans back to Africa, today that option is neither practical nor palatable.
Let’s imagine that when Black Americans mimic the actions of some White Americans-get a good education, steer clear of the criminal justice system, work hard and do everything that society says is necessary for one to succeed in America-their labor market value and family wealth would approximate that of similar Whites, right? Wrong! A University of Chicago study reports that resumes with White-sounding names like Emily and Brendan got twice as many call-backs for job interviews as resumes with Black-sounding names like Lakisha and Jamal, even though they had the exact same credentials. And a Pew Trust study shows the average White family has 13 times the wealth of the average Black family: $141,900 for Whites versus $11,000 for Blacks.
A Princeton University study reports that White felons are just as likely to be employed as Black people who have no felony convictions, so being crime-free does not give Blacks any advantage even over White felons. A recent study by Young Invincibles reports that White high-school dropouts are just as likely to have a job as Blacks who attend college, and they are wealthier than Black college graduates. And a college degree means nothing when it comes to employment discrimination. The Center for Economic and Policy Research reports the unemployment rate for Black college graduates is twice that of White college graduates.
If you are Black in America, being educated, hard-working and crime-free ensures nothing. Black unemployment and the deprivation of Black wealth in America are structural, systematic and intentional. Having one, two or ten college degrees won’t change the structural nature of Black unemployment, discrimination against even the best and brightest Black employment candidates nor the pernicious racial wealth gap.