In order to end racism....

[Valentina327]

Good. Nothing I propose even remotely suggests that they should be close.

However the bottom needs to be higher in order for society to function. It needs to be enough to get by. And the tools to succeed, like education and healthcare, have to be provided at saturation levels, so everyone gets more than enough of them.

ETA: There was also a time when the middle got a much greater share of their productivity, and that would help the economy just as much.

I don't think it should be anywhere near close.

Why do you think they deserve so much more than the ones that have worked the hardest and longest?

Why do you think it would be close?

Honestly, what I think they need to do is pool all the school money and divide it evenly. It isn't right that kids that live in lower COL areas don't get the same foothold on life because their parents pay less in property taxes. It needs to be made even.

With that also should be a major campaign to get parents to commit to helping foster their child's education after school. School can only do so much. The parents have to participate in the home also to make sure kids start with a solid foundation. Being engaged, helping with homework, reading to them when they're little. That doesn't always happen and that's a big part of a solid start in life.

[Mamaof5]

https://www.jstor.org/stable/25781095 Usually that’s not the case. Segregation is still alive and well.

It's human nature to gravitate to and live among those most similar to us. We're more comfortable around those we have things in common with. How are people "put" anywhere? People make choices of where they live.

Not to mention the fact that people are encouraged to live segregated. POC are often put in poor neighborhoods with underfunded schools, etc.

Racism is ingrained into the fabric of American society. From neighborhoods, to schools, to jobs, to the justice system, etc. I doubt we’ll ever really get rid of it, at least in our lifetime. Affirmative action and similar programs attempt to address just a tiny bit of the problem.

It has nothing to do with not being willing to "bust your ass", it's about many people not being born into situations where they have any opportunity to "bust their ass." The kid who was born in a school district that is severely underfunded and overcrowded being they live in a low income neighborhood with low property taxes is not going to have the same shot at being accepted to those top universities as the kid born in the well funded school district whose parents can afford them every tutor and extra curricular that they would need.

[Anonymous 1]

91% of school funding comes from state and local governments. While you can reallocate that funding at the state level, the federal government has no power to take money from Florida and give it to North Dakota (and they shouldn’t).

Lack of parental involvement is one of the biggest issues in low income school districts, and one of the most effective ways to manage that is to provide after school homework support to students on free and reduced lunch. In many cases those parents can’t be involved because of time constraints, and in some cases because the parents themselves lack the education to actually help their children.

Good. Nothing I propose even remotely suggests that they should be close.

However the bottom needs to be higher in order for society to function. It needs to be enough to get by. And the tools to succeed, like education and healthcare, have to be provided at saturation levels, so everyone gets more than enough of them.

ETA: There was also a time when the middle got a much greater share of their productivity, and that would help the economy just as much.

I don't think it should be anywhere near close.

Why do you think they deserve so much more than the ones that have worked the hardest and longest?

Honestly, what I think they need to do is pool all the school money and divide it evenly. It isn't right that kids that live in lower COL areas don't get the same foothold on life because their parents pay less in property taxes. It needs to be made even.

With that also should be a major campaign to get parents to commit to helping foster their child's education after school. School can only do so much. The parents have to participate in the home also to make sure kids start with a solid foundation. Being engaged, helping with homework, reading to them when they're little. That doesn't always happen and that's a big part of a solid start in life.

[Anonymous 4]

Interesting responses. I think everyone acknowledges that there are disparities with health, wealth, and education in communities of color. The causes and solutions seems to be what is in dispute. Are these disparities caused by hundreds of years of institutional racism and should be addressed institutionally or are institutions racially fair and the continued disparity is caused by individual's lack of motivation and willingness to succeed?

I live in Appalachia in an area with a very low minority population. As a community/state, it is recognized that poverty, drug abuse, and poor health is indicative to our area and steps have been taken to try to improve that disparity - free community college for everyone in my county, expanded medicaid, expanded SNAP, and "drug court" so that people (often primary breadwinners in our community) don't go to jail for drug convictions but rather enter a program where they continue working and are presumably rehabilitated. And yet, in my admittedly very "Red" community, the idea of offering POC in both urban and rural areas any kind of assistance to reduce the disparity is seen as unfair and discriminatory.

[Anonymous 1]

My view is somewhat different. I actively support helping low income communities, but I think excluding non-black members of those communities from help and support is pretty disgusting. A poor Hispanic or white family is not less deserving of help and support because of skin color.

Interesting responses. I think everyone acknowledges that there are disparities with health, wealth, and education in communities of color. The causes and solutions seems to be what is in dispute. Are these disparities caused by hundreds of years of institutional racism and should be addressed institutionally or are institutions racially fair and the continued disparity is caused by individual's lack of motivation and willingness to succeed?

I live in Appalachia in an area with a very low minority population. As a community/state, it is recognized that poverty, drug abuse, and poor health is indicative to our area and steps have been taken to try to improve that disparity - free community college for everyone in my county, expanded medicaid, expanded SNAP, and "drug court" so that people (often primary breadwinners in our community) don't go to jail for drug convictions but rather enter a program where they continue working and are presumably rehabilitated. And yet, in my admittedly very "Red" community, the idea of offering POC in both urban and rural areas any kind of assistance to reduce the disparity is seen as unfair and discriminatory.

[leadfoot40]

Disagree. As long as their are people there will be racism. However at this point, the word racism has lost all meaning since its so over used

[Valentina327]

91% of school funding comes from state and local governments. While you can reallocate that funding at the state level, the federal government has no power to take money from Florida and give it to North Dakota (and they shouldn’t).

Lack of parental involvement is one of the biggest issues in low income school districts, and one of the most effective ways to manage that is to provide after school homework support to students on free and reduced lunch. In many cases those parents can’t be involved because of time constraints, and in some cases because the parents themselves lack the education to actually help their children.

Good. Nothing I propose even remotely suggests that they should be close.

However the bottom needs to be higher in order for society to function. It needs to be enough to get by. And the tools to succeed, like education and healthcare, have to be provided at saturation levels, so everyone gets more than enough of them.

ETA: There was also a time when the middle got a much greater share of their productivity, and that would help the economy just as much.

Honestly, what I think they need to do is pool all the school money and divide it evenly. It isn't right that kids that live in lower COL areas don't get the same foothold on life because their parents pay less in property taxes. It needs to be made even.

With that also should be a major campaign to get parents to commit to helping foster their child's education after school. School can only do so much. The parents have to participate in the home also to make sure kids start with a solid foundation. Being engaged, helping with homework, reading to them when they're little. That doesn't always happen and that's a big part of a solid start in life.

Right. That's what would be different about what I was suggesting. Leveling the playing field so to speak. Very true on the parents. If the lower income school districts had more money, which they would in the President Valentina plan, they could set up some extra after school programs for the kids who's parents can't/won't engage. Tutors, etc. I think an eye toward that outside of school involvement would improve things tons.