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The following article aims to introduce the wrongful treatment the black community have been faced with in the past.

※Quotes will be used in its introduction.

Note this article is based on personal opinion and does not promote any particular point of view.

Racism should be eradicated, yet the black community are still being treated in a discriminatory manner.

It is an important subject matter to ponder and think about how to better its outlook.

Injustice Towards the Black Community

Introduction of cases of unfair treatment towards the black community below.

Unfortunately, it is the case in many circumstances that the difference between coming from a Caucasian or African American background can lead to an immense difference in how people are treated.

Stop and Frisk Datay

Stop and Frisk data annually investigates the number of people in New York that have been subjected to police stops and street interrogations.

Results demonstrate the fact that Black and Latin communities are the overwhelming targets of these impediments.

An analysis by the NYCLU revealed that innocent New Yorkers have been subjected to police stops and street interrogations more than 5 million times since 2002, and that Black and Latinx communities continue to be the overwhelming target of these tactics.

Reference : “Stop-and-Frisk Data – ACLU of New York”

The rundown of the reports thus far are as follows:

	Total Number	Innocent	African American	Latin	Caucasian
2016	12,404	9,394（76%）	6,498（52%）	3,626（29%）	1,270（10%）
2017	11,629	7,833（67%）	6,595（57%）	3,567（31%）	977（8%）
2018	11,008	7,465（70%）	6,241（57%）	3,389（31%）	1,074（10%）
2019	13,459	8,867（66%）	7,981（59%）	3,869（29%）	1,215（9%）

Survey Conducted by National Partnership

According to a survey conducted by National Partnership, despite having the same income and level of education, Black women are 3 to 4 times more likely to experience pregnancy related deaths than Caucasian women.

Black women are three to four times more likely to experience a pregnancy-related death than white women.

Reference : “Black Women’s Maternal Health – nationalpartnership”

There are social and health system factors that are responsible for this.

Due to racism and discrimination, Black women are more likely to face obstacles, such as barriers in obtaining medical care.

Black women are more likely to be uninsured, compared to Caucasian women.

For these reasons, Black women tend to face an increased probability of chronic health conditions and preventable illnesses, due to not receiving adequate prenatal care caused by racism.

Survey Conducted by The Sentencing Project

According to surveys conducted by The Sentencing Project, people of the Black community are more likely to be arrested than Caucasians.

Furthermore, when arrested, they more likely to be convicted as well as experience a longer prison sentence.

The Sentencing Project states the following:

African Americans are more likely than white Americans to be arrested; once arrested, they are more likely to be convicted; and once convicted, and they are more likely to experience lengthy prison sentences. African-American adults are 5.9 times as likely to be incarcerated than whites and Hispanics are 3.1 times as likely. As of 2001, one of every three black boys born in that year could expect to go to prison in his lifetime.

Reference : “Report to the United Nations on Racial Disparities in the U.S. Criminal Justice System – sentencingproject”

In addition, the United States Sentencing Commission has also found the following results:

Criminals of African American decent are more likely to receive a longer sentence than Caucasian criminals.

In this way, unfair arrests and interactions between police and the Black community is a question that has been long pondered.

Investigation into the Mistreatment of the Black Community Regarding Work

A survey conducted in the United States has also discovered the unfair treatment of the Black community with respect to employment.

The study “Are Emily and Greg More Employable Than Lakisha and Jamal? A Field Experiment on Labor Market Discrimination” revealed the correlation of callbacks for job hunters and their race. It showed a 50% higher chance of receiving the call for Caucasians over people of the Black community.

Additionally, the comparison also exhibited that Caucasians were twice as likely to be employed and on average, earning 25% more.

Moreover, a study published by the Economic Policy Institute uncovered the fact that this gap in employment rates still existed when both candidates were of similar academic background and abilities.

Black workers are twice as likely to be unemployed as white workers overall (6.4% vs. 3.1%). Even black workers with a college degree are more likely to be unemployed than similarly educated white workers (3.5% vs. 2.2%).

Reference : “Black workers endure persistent racial disparities in employment outcomes – Economic Policy Institute”

As statistically proven above, the Black community continues to be treated unjustly, facing more obstacles when hired, yet fired without difficulty.
 

Efforts to Eliminate Unfair Treatment of the Black Community

Efforts are being made globally to eliminate the unfair treatment of the Black community.

Below are the main initiatives currently in movement:

• UNICEF
• SDGs
• Initiative taken by Stanford University

UNICEF

UNICEF pronounced the 21st of March, the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, annually.

UNICEF declares that all children have the right to grow up without any form of discrimination, including racism.

Moreover, a prosperous movement using #FightRacism on social media successfully involved the general public in 2021.

A protest with participants ranging from teens to those in their twenties took place on the 21st of March to voice their opinions on racial discrimination.

On the streets, groundswells of youth – mostly teens and twenty-somethings – came together to protest against racial injustice. On social media, they mobilized participation, calling on their peers to speak out, and to stand up for the equal rights of all.

Reference : “Youth standing up against racism – united nations”

Through means of social networking, it has created the opportunity and environment for the young generation to get involved with and deepen their understanding of racial discrimination.
International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination should remain advocated and upheld.

SDGs

Among the SDGs adopted at the United Nations Summit in 2015, initiatives against racial discrimination were also ratified.

The 10th goal of SDGs is “Eliminate inequality between people and countries.”

An introduction to initiatives particularly related to racial discrimination will be summarized below:

By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.

Ensure equal opportunities and end discrimination

As for the other initiatives taking place, there are large efforts being made between countries.

With the international enactment of SDGs, many companies are recognizing what they stand for and many are hopeful for a review of employment in the future.

Initiative taken by Stanford University

Stanford University has also addressed the mistreatment of the Black community.

The recent acts of violence perpetrated against Black communities has led many to question racism and racial injustice embedded in American society. Stanford scholars have been looking for ways to reduce racial disparities and how to create meaningful change.

Reference : “Stanford scholars examine racism, social change and how to build a more just future – Stanford News”

Complex and arduous questions were raised concerning inequality:

• Why are Black Americans repeatedly targeted by the police?
• What can be done to stop further atrocities against minority communities from occurring?
• As some protests against these deaths turn violent, are political protests and demonstrations an effective way to instigate change?

Stanford University has launched the “The Stanford Open Policing Project” to collect more transparent and evident data.

On a typical day in the United States, police officers make more than 50,000 traffic stops. Our team is gathering, analyzing, and releasing records from millions of traffic stops by law enforcement agencies across the country. Our goal is to help researchers, journalists, and policymakers investigate and improve interactions between police and the public.

Reference : “The Stanford Open Policing Project – The Stanford Open Policing Project”

In addition, Stanford researchers are constantly contemplating the effects of racial injustice and how to reduce inequality.

Reevaluation of Injustice to the Black Community

Human rights have long been an immensely significant issue, yet the unfair treatment of the Black community continues to exist to this day.

Despite various efforts, the reality remains unchanged; unjust treatment of African Americans is still prominent in American society.

It will undeniably take a lot to completely eliminate racial discrimination, but a change in consciousness would be a good start.

To protect and promote human rights for all, we should reconsider and better our understanding of human rights.