(ThyBlackMan.com) For years, citizens of the United States have fooled themselves into believing they’ve overcome racial inequality. We voted a black president, and it was certainly a step in the right direction. But, inequality didn’t end overnight. Far from it, as police killings of young black men made the headlines. Not to mention that African-American mass incarceration continued throughout Obama’s presidency.
Yet, recent events in Charlottesville have left us in a position where we’re no longer able to deny that racism is rife. And, while it’s easy to point the finger at Trump, the Obama days should have taught us 
that this issue is larger than who’s in charge. If anything, the racial explosions of Trump’s presidency have the potential to make a much-needed change. Instead of pretending that we’re all one happy family, we now have to accept that racial divides are getting worse, not better.
But, what do we mean when we say racial inequality? As mentioned above, mass incarceration is a huge area of inequality, as are police shootings. But, to get a complete perspective, consider less spoken about issues, like the continuing pay gap between black and white individuals.
Black men still only earn 70 cents to each white man’s dollar. Worse, in 1979 the average black man made 80% as much per hour as a white man. Now, that rate has dropped to 70%. So much for things improving. And, that’s only the start. Take a look at sites like bloomberg to see more shocking statistics along the same vein.
And, when you consider the issue further, the pay gap is larger than just a literal hour to hour comparison. Statistics reveal that only 20% of young black people get the opportunity to go to college, compared to 40% of white. Hence, younger generations don’t have the same access to high paying jobs, making that gap even wider.
In many ways, racial divides like these are a vicious circle. Black individuals don’t have access to the education they need, and so settle into low earning jobs. Hence, they struggle to make ends meet. In some situations, they have no choice but to turn to a loan like the ones offered by CLC. When they can’t pay back such loans, many are drawn to sidelines and criminal activities, hence, mass incarceration of black individuals.
It’s enough to make anyone’s head spin. And, the real issue with a circle like this is that there often seems to be no way out. Which may well be why racial matters such as these have been unresolved for so long.
To stop this circle, it’s crucial we get to the root of the problem. Which is exactly what politicians and black activists have been attempting for years. The issue is, such individuals often look too deep into the matter. The root is often much simpler to detect than it seems. In this instance, denial may be where the issues begin. And, Trump’s presidency might just be the thing to uncover it.
Staff Writer; Larry Adams
