Written by Michael Thervil
Dr. Cornel West photo by Al Jazeera
It's been said that the hardest thing anyone can do is to look in the mirror and be honest with oneself. And in this case this stoic realization applies to Black Americans. Black Americans, who were never meant to be a permanent class of people within America since they have been imported into the country via the transatlantic slave trade, have never been fully integrated into what it means to be an American. Sure there are Black Americans who are influential, rich and even billionaires; but these outcomes are truly exceptions to the rule rather than norm. In a country like America where the average Black American man earns roughly $42,000 a year compared to the $54,000 to their White American counterpart.
Backing our position here at VEDA Magazine, it was reported by the National Urban League that: “Black Americans are more than twice as likely to be unemployed than their white counterparts, with an unemployment rate of 10.2% for Black Americans compared to 4.4% for white Americans.” The report went on to publish the following findings: “Black Americans are more likely to be underemployed, with a rate of 19.2% compared to 8.1% for White Americans.” “The median wealth of a Black family is only one-tenth that of a White family.”
Even more than the perpetual wage and earning potential on average, Black Americans also have to deal with the heavily ingrained racial biases, bigotry, and prejudice not only within the social realm of American society but also within the criminal justice system of American society. Black Americans are likely than their White American counterparts to not only be charged with a crime even though they may share similar criminal histories, but it has been reported that their bails are set higher which means they are more than likely to be incarcerated in jail while awaiting trial, and even though they face a higher conviction rate, their jail and prison sentences also tend to be set higher.
Outside of being only 13% of the entire American population and making up nearly 35% of the prison population, Black Americans also have higher health disparities than their White American counterparts. It was reported by blackdemogrpahics.com that between the years of 1980 to 2016, the leading cause of death for Black Americans were heart disease and cancer. The reason for this is because in America when you earn less, it results in you having to eat cheap, unhealthy foods as a result of being economically poor. Another big health disparity Black Americans face is diabetes. In America, good, wholesome foods cost significantly more than the ultra processed packaged foods which are disproportionately found in Black Americans neighborhoods.
But there is some good news, even though there are more Black American Men that are in college and university than in prison, Black American Men are more likely to be unemployed than their White counterparts who often have either a lesser degree or no college experience. Another plus is that in America, Black Americans tend to excel in sports and entertainment above everything else. This is not to say Black Americans can be or aren't great doctors, teachers, attorneys, and even Congressmen. It's just that in America, that isn’t the norm. The list of disadvantages to being a Black American only gets longer and since that is the case there is no need to beat a dead horse.
However, the fundamental question is “What are or can Black Americans do to alleviate the embedded issues that they face in America?” and the clear answer is to simply leave. At this point in American History, there is no reason to fight the police and the criminal justice system, protest, walk up and down the streets with guns (pointless), or to even make speeches and be vocal about the systematic social issues that Black Americans face on a daily basis as all attempts to change the situation of Black Americans have eventually failed over the last 450 years since they have been imported into America.
Our advice to Black American, is to leave America. Illegals and immigrants are quickly replacing Black Americans as they are a cheaper source of labor. It’s safe to say that America has intentionally failed you and will continue to intentionally fail you and at this point it can be considered insanity to stay in America. Remember it's been said that the definition of insanity “is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results”. It is time Black Americans take heed to this definition and gain the courage to leave America.
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