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Poverty In America Essay

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According to the World Bank, “47 percent of Americans live below the poverty line”.There have been many problems revolving around poverty in America for many decades. “What is poverty?” you may ask. Poverty takes place when a person lacks the financial resources and needs for a certain kind of lifestyle. There are many types of poverty such as situational, generational, and urban poverty. The causes of poverty in America could be linked to racism, classism, and unfair housing practices.

There is definitely a relationship between racism and poverty. Racial poverty is a form of social and economic inequality that disproportionately affects minority populations. When it comes to real important things such as homeownership and wealth in America, …show more content…

Residential segregation is any kind of housing discrimination that is provoked by gender, race, national origin, disability, or any other category. These kinds of practices can be exemplified in many forms such as denying a person housing related services or placing restrictive criteria while leasing to a tenant. Residential segregation is a serious issue that affects many people and communities all over America. Even though unfair housing practices are illegal under local, federal, and state laws, these specific practices often root from racism and inequity. Not only do these practices deny people from housing access they would normally be qualified for, but this can also have a wave effect on communities. This also causes people mostly of color to have a much scarce access to safe and affordable housing. For example, landlords may reject people's housing requests because of their gender, race, and immigration status. This may also cause the increase of rents or larger deposits for African Americans than Caucasian Applicants. This traps people in poverty because it makes it difficult for most people with melanated skin to find housing within their price range. Furthermore, besides denying housing, landlords may also discriminate in the services they provide for their tenants. They may provide fewer maintenance and quality repairs to African American tenants than to Caucasian tenants. This can ultimately lead up to unsafe living conditions and bother the ability of people to uplift themselves out of poverty. Practices of unfair housing can also lead to lack of access to services such as healthcare and education. For instance, if African Americans are coerced to live in impoverished and dangerous communities, their kids may not have access to a quality education. With this occurring it can limit their economic prospects.

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In the present era, the United States continues to face a major crisis of homelessness and evictions. Harry Truman’s national objective during the mid-1900s of ensuring “the achievement of a decent home and a suitable living environment for every American family” is still a dream for many Americans today. This issue caught my attention after reading Matthew Desmond’s book Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, where he explains the impact that evictions have had in African American communities. In the most segregated cities, it is common for poor families to be spending as must as 80 percent of their income in trailer parks and houses in poor conditions, where landlords may end up evicting their tenants instead of making reparations

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Based on this we can conclude that the mere image of being black is shattered and anywhere you go you will be judged as lower class. The fear created by the media make it seem like if you were to rent your home to a black descent, they’ll destroy your home or yet create a hostile environment and make it uncomfortable to other people. Another fear that sticks around with Africans Americans is that they “promote the gang lifestyle or are anti law enforcement” (Glassner 122). Though the realtor shuns African Americans from renting the homes they would not even rent/sale the home to a black family, even if they were well qualified, with higher incomes, and was willing to pay a higher down payment. From the book The Black Image in the White Mind by Andrew Rojecki and Robert Entman, they present us with white beliefs stating “the media conveys “problematic” images of African Americans even after decades of heightened awareness and vigilance to rid the media of stereotypes”.

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