De Facto Segregation In America

One of the most famous lines of the Declaration of Independence is that “all men are created equal…”, yet American society does not always treat people as though they are all equal. America’s roots come from the fight against oppression, yet as our country continued to grow we became the oppressors. Although America has tried to write some of its wrongs from the past there are still traces left behind. The effects of segregational laws and sketchy housing practices have carried on to hurt minorities in America. Segregational laws have been eradicated, but the societal sigmas created from the laws continue and have created a process of De Facto segregation in American society against all minorities. During the times when segregational laws

By not providing loans to certain areas those areas continued to be impoverished. Without loans people were stuck in low income areas and could never claim a better stake in the American society. Escensilaly “redlining” kept people from obtaining the American dream that non-minority groups had the opportunity and means to obtain. The poverty of the area is not only is seen in the state of the housing, but also in the public facilities provided. In an article, in the Atlanta Backstar, Taylor Gordon states that “The lack of access to quality education in black neighborhoods is apart of a vicious cycle that leaves many people in the Black community struggling to fight off poverty”(Gordon, 1). Without a strong educational background and strong familial support the dream of higher education dies for many people in those areas. When one does not have a higher education degree or certificate it is difficult for one to be competitive for jobs leaving them with labor intensive low paying jobs. Many like to think that America is superior to other countries because we have a fluid class system, but in fact we also have bars that keep people from moving classes especially bars against those in the lower

Minorities have had far from an easy ride in life especially in America. The past policies of America to segregate individuals by law and press them by the practice of “redlining” may no longer be around, but both policies have left traces of their effects in American society even decades later. The American public is often oblivious to their own actions of segregating people in their lives and oblivious to the obvious reasons for the large minority population in the lower class. Once Americans can take responsibility for their actions and actual follow their own words of equality America can become a country that minorities and non minorities can be proud to live