The racial injustice in the United States’ judicial system, specifically in the realm of drug related crimes, is astounding. In two studies by the Bureau of Justice Statistics it is clear where the injustice lies.
One study shows that Black Americans make up 49% of arrests for drug sales compared to White Americans, who make up 50% of arrests. Drug possession arrests consists of Black Americans making up 36% of arrests compared to White Americans being 63% of arrests. Helping to put these numbers into perspective, the study shows that only 16% of Black Americans actually sell drugs compared to White Americans being 82% of sellers and only 13% of Black Americans actually use drugs compared to White Americans being 84% of users (The Racial Disparity in U.S. Drug Arrests, bjs.gov).
This shows that even though Black Americans do not make up even a third of the population that use and/or sell drugs, they make up half of arrests in drug related cases compared to White Americans. The second study reaffirms the disproportionate ratio, showing that 36,688 Black Americans were arrested in the 2012 fiscal year compared to 20,664 White Americans (Drug Offenders in Federal Prison: Estimates of Characteristics Based on Linked Data, bjs.gov). Below is a chart displaying the demographics of offenders.
This is an issue that is ingrained in our society, to be harsh and unmerciful towards Black Americans while being lenient and gracious towards White Americans, who make up more of the population and therefore are involved in more drug related crime.
This video by Learn Liberty explains more in depth the factors behind the systemic injustice that leads to higher minority incarceration rates.
References:
Langan, P. A., Ph.D. (1995, October 1). The Racial Disparity in U.S. Drug Arrests. Retrieved from https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/rdusda.pdf
Taxy, S., Samuels, J., & Adams, W. (2015, October). Drug Offenders in Federal Prison: Estimates of Characteristics Based on Linked Data. Retrieved from https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/dofp12.pdf
Upon reflecting on this semester, I came across an incredibly overt example of systemic injustice that wasn’t obvious to me at first. My first week at school had been packed with online zoom interviews having to do with the Fisher Fall Career fair as well as recruitment for business fraternities on campus. Looking back, I realized that every single one of the conversations I had was with a person of my own race. I talked to men and women that were white. The fact that there were no people of power that were able to represent any other race reveals yet another example of privilege I have access to on a daily basis. As a white person in America, I ALWAYS have the ability to expect the company of a person of my race. This privilege is not available for people of other races. As young, amenable individuals, it is important for everyone to be able to have an influence that they can relate to, and a lot of times, this relate-ability depends on the comparison of gender, age, and especially race. This concept relates to Deming in Lisa Ko’s The Leavers, as he is forced to grow up in a community that was predominantly white and had little experience with diversity. Deming feels the inferiority tied to the concept of the “other”, and is unable to relate to the people around him, inhibiting him from having the motivation to become the best version of himself. Without a relatable role model, Deming was stripped from the opportunity to step up in his community without feeling like everyone around him was implicitly making assumptions and judgments about his race or appearance. The fact that people of other races don’t have a connection with someone like them proves that this institutional racism is embedded as a normal occurrence within society. Placing white people as the primary people of power may dishearten people of other races, leading to an even more prevalent disparity among races. This ongoing process truly proves how systemic this racism actually is, and reveals its ability to prevail in our society today.
This article calls attention to racial injustice in the workplace. Additionally, it provides many resources to other sources that inform about systemic racism in our country.
https://ocs.fas.harvard.edu/diverse-populations
If you would like to learn more about systemic racism, this video provides information on the issue in an easy-to-understand format.
https://youtu.be/YrHIQIO_bdQ