“Racism creates a society where people don’t trust and respect each other. When it’s allowed to flourish, it lessens us as a people.” (Australian Human Rights Commission)
IMPACT OF SYSTEMIC RACISM
Disparities based on skin-color and national origin persist across wealth, health, education and beyond. Systemic racism means systemic: Impacting institutions, policies and outcomes across all aspects of Black Americans' lives.* The following charts graphically demonstrate the impact systemic racism.
Black women die 3 times more often than white women when giving birth
Pregnancy-related deaths per 100,000 live births
Services
SOURCE Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Black Americans are dying at a disproportionate rate from COVID-19
NOTE Percentages based on populations where outbreaks are occurring in the U.S. SOURCE Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
It’s reflected in overall longevity, too -- Black men and women live shorter lives
SOURCE Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Percentage of high school students who graduate on time
SOURCE National Center for Education Statistics. Rates adjusted for students who left or joined school after freshman years.
Percentage of students who graduate from 4-year college programs
NOTE Percentage of first-time, full-year students who graduated within 6 years of starting a bachelor’s degree
SOURCE National Center for Education Statistics
Black unemployment rate is among the highest
SOURCE Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2020 seasonally adjusted rate:
Four out of 500 Fortune 500 CEOS are black
SOURCE Fortune Magazine
Black median household income trails other races
NOTE Median household income data in 2017 dollars. Break in trend lines reflect the change in the
income question for 2013
SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau
Black homeownership rates remain lowest in US
SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau, first quarter, 2020
Black poverty rate more than double white rate
SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau, first quarter, 2020
Criminal justice
Black men are 2.5 times more likely to be killed by police than white men, according to a study from the University of Michigan, Rutgers University and Washington University. Bias has also been documented in plea bargains and sentencing. After decades of rising incarceration rates that followed the “get tough on crime’’ mandate of the 1980s, ’90s and early 2000s, the problem of mass incarceration is slowly declining, according to Pew Research data.
Inmates in federal and state prisons, 2007-2017
SOURCE: Bureau of Justice Statistics
Voices in Washington
According to Pew Research, African Americans view “political representation as a potential catalyst for increased racial equality.” However, voter suppression remains a critical issue. While there has been increased Black political leadership in the House of Representatives, the Senate only has three Black senators.
The ethnic makeup of the U.S. Congress: How it would differ if allocated as a percentage of the total U.S. population
SOURCE: Congressional Research Service; Census Bureau 2019 population estimate Visualization by Flourish
* Mabinty Quarshie, N'dea Yancey-Bragg, Anne Godlasky, Jim Sergent and Veronica Bravo, USA Today, “12 charts show how racial disparities persist across wealth, health, education and beyond,” June 20, 2019. https://www.usatoday.com
/in-depth/news/2020/06/18/12-charts-racial-disparities-persist-across-wealth-health-and-beyond/3201129001/
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