Cultural and economic aspects
Each community’s cultural and economic aspects have significant impacts on their financial status, education access, and social representation. These aspects affect the community’s lifestyles since they influence their social-cultural aspects and economic capabilities. Black people spread throughout the world through slavery, and they continue to face numerous challenges such as racism, inequality, and other forms of humiliation since the days of slavery. On the other hand, Jamaica is composed of black people transported to Anglophone Island to work as slaves through the Atlantic slave trade. Slavery contributed immensely to the low social-economic status of black people on the island. Throughout history, black people have faced numerous problems such as little economic prosperity, economic instability, poor social representation, and insufficient access to education. In this case, this paper will address the status of black Jamaicans and African Americans in the United States by evaluating their economic status, education access, and social representation. It will also provide a detailed understanding of African Americans’ heritage and cultural similarity with black Jamaicans.
Economic status and stability
Black Jamaicans are facing numerous financial problems like uneven distribution of wealth. It’s paramount to realize that back people were slaves for an extended period, which has made their descendants still economically underpowered. Slave societies encouraged severe inequality because black people are always the poorest country despite being the majority. This problem is still affecting modern black Americans because they still suffer from racial bias.
According to Robert and Linda (Pg. 2760), uneven wealth distribution has led to economic instability among several blacks on the island since it signifies low income. It’s critical to realize that low income translates to small investments; hence a majority of blacks have little money to invest in income-generating projects. Economic instability is a vital problem because blacks lack the necessary capital to venture into projects that will stabilize their financial resources. Jamaica being an island, is vulnerable to numerous natural disasters such as flooding and hurricanes. This problem has increased over the past few decades due to climate change. The economic stability of black Jamaicans is, therefore, destabilized by natural disasters. Unemployment is also a fundamental economic issue that is affecting blacks in America. It translates to low income and financial instability because the people’s saving capability is minimized. The island struggles with high public debt and weak economic growth, which has led to unemployment among the youths. Robert and Linda, (Pg. 2763), explained that social vices have also contributed to economic instability since they drain their minimal financial resources. Furthermore, the welfare ratio is exceedingly low for unskilled blacks in the country, which has played a significant role in determining their low economic status and instability. This aspect indicates that educated blacks are still not prioritized during recruitments in various companies.
On the other hand, African Americans are currently facing unemployment issues despite the numerous efforts by the United States government to create employment opportunities. The blacks’ unemployment rate was 16.8% during the great recession (Robert and Linda, Pg. 2764). This percentage reduced to half during the Obama administration. It’s critical to note that the current black unemployment rate of 6.6 % remains the highest among all American races (Mutz, Pg. (E4333). However, the current employment rate between the white majority and the black minority is 6.6% because there has been an increased demand for workers in the country. Wetts and Robb (Pg. 795). Eluded that black communities are still the lowly paid workers in America, and the median household income is close to $28,000, which is still low compared to their white counterparts. These figures indicate that racial unemployment gaps are still significant in the United States.
Moreover, a small percentage of African Americans are in the labor force. The rates of labor force participation are 62.6% and 63.4% for blacks and whites (Mutz, Pg. E4335). The disparities are attributed to stereotypes such as blacks are less inclined to seek employment than whites.
African Americans are also likely to earn minimal wages compared to their white counterparts. 2.4% of African Americans worked below the federal minimum wage in 2019 (Wetts and Robb, PG. 799). It shows that black people are still working at minimum payments in the United States. This aspect has contributed to their low economic status when compared to the white majority. Moreover, there exists a significant gap between educated black workers and white, educated white workers. This gap indicates that racial unemployment and low economic status among black communities are rampant. The economic mobility of African Americans is still small compared to the white majority’s movement. Moreover, black children are more downward mobile while nearly a third of African American children are raised in poverty. Only a single black youth in five blacks has a bachelor’s degree compared to more than one in white communities (Wetts and Robb, Pg. 781). This aspect is responsible for African Americans’ low economic mobility because it derails their movement when seeking high-income employment opportunities.
Education access and higher education
Jamaica’s colonial past provides significant insight to education access in the country because it was fashioned according to the British education system. According to Dinçer et al., (Pg.50), significant education access by the black majority was rampant after abolishing slavery in 1834, and independence achievement in 1962. However, modern development in education is attributed to the need to develop domestic responses to social, political, and economic pressures. It’s appropriate to note that the country’s low economic growth has limited the government’s resources that are required in investing in the country’s education system. There is also a high school dropout due to poverty-related issues such as the inability to afford transportation expenses and lack of sufficient funds. People even drop out of school to work in numerous informal sectors.
On the other hand, the cost of attending high schools are considerate among low-income communities despite being technically free. Parents are required to pay significant amounts of money for numerous items like teaching materials and school uniforms. Moreover, they are required to pay for examinations, maintenance, and registration. This aspect has limited education access among the poor communities in Jamaica. The Jamaican government has progressively increased funding for high school education. It has outlawed mandatory payments to increase the accessibility of secondary school education by all Jamaicans. It’s paramount to note that the black community is the most impoverished on the island; hence its education access is limited by low economic status and mobility (Dinçer et al., Pg.55).
Despite the government’s increased funding, low participation rates among blacks are still witnessed due to high unemployment, low wages, and wealth disparities. Furthermore, the low participation rates are typical in impoverished rural regions that are composed of black communities. Kinkead-Clark, (Pg.37) noted that elementary education access is almost universal because the net enrollment rate is 97%, which is higher than in upper secondary education since the participation rate is 60%. However, Jamaica is still trying to produce one high school graduate in each family. This aspect shows that high school education access is still insignificant in the island. Cases of brain drain are also prevalent in Jamaica and especially among females. Most female graduates seek greener pastures in countries like Canada and the United States. However, the low number of university graduates indicates low higher education access in the country.
On the other hand, education access among African Americans is still affected by racial disparities. It’s critical to note that education access opportunities among the blacks have been affected by inequality because the white majority communities take all chances. College-level education access to black Americans was enhanced after the civil war. They were practical skills-oriented, and they concentrated on agricultural elements. It shows that the black community faces educational issues that are similar to other minority communities. Such problems include inadequate funding of instructions serving the black minority and huge student achievement gaps.
Moreover, 72% of blacks aged 25 years and above have a high school diploma, which is low compared to 85.5% of whites (Assari, Pg. 107). Education access disparities are also evident from the fact that only 14% percent of blacks have a university degree than 27% of whites with similar qualifications (Dinçer et al., Pg. 63). Furthermore, the issue of achievement gaps is still rampant among the black community. The black communities perform systematically different from other races’ performance.
African Americans’ education access is also affected by cultural competencies and diversity in learning institutions. This aspect means that black children are still discriminated against by their teachers based on their cultural issues; thus, it affects their academic performance. Education access among blacks is also affected by inadequate resources and inequality because some black male students are still unnecessarily placed special education (Kelly, Pg.5). It’s also critical to note that the number of black students pursuing advanced courses is significantly lower than in other races.
Kelly, (Pg.7) eluded that poverty and racism still affect education access among black communities. Attendant social and economic demerits are crucial factors that lead to low educational achievement among blacks. Furthermore, blacks are exposed to legal and illegal aspects that deny them their fundamental right to education due to the rampant racism in the country. Two-thirds of children from the black community attend schools that are predominantly black, but they are underfunded and located in central cities. It’s contrary to schools attended by students from white neighborhoods. The schools also serve a high number of students, and they have fewer resources compared to those serving predominantly white students. This aspect compromises high-quality education access among the black minority.
Moreover, education access is also compromised by inequitable systems because the schools are lowly funded, thus inflicting significant harm on the black communities that are economically disadvantaged (Kelly, Pg.7). High education access among the black minority is also affected by the fact that the schools are located in poor urban districts. It shows that students from poor backgrounds are concerned because they cannot meet the educational expenditure related to transportation costs. The black minority is also affected by the fact that the schools cannot offer high-quality education because the low funding translates to limited or no facilities (Kelly, Pg.10). Such schools cannot afford to employ qualified teachers; hence the blacks’ access to high-quality education is compromised.
Social acceptance and representation
Jamaica’s social inequality is attributed to social-economic classes and perceived racial homogeneity (Linda and Roman, Pg. 2619). Race contributes significantly to the country’s social acceptance of the black community’s social-cultural aspects. However, years of schooling and household amenities are racially categorized based on an individual’s skin color. The understanding provides insights as to why blacks are usually discriminated against by other races in Jamaica because their social-economic welfare is wanting. The societies are characterized by long-held assumptions that an individual’s social inequality determines whether they will be marginalized or not (Linda and Roman, Pg. 2622). In this case, black people are racially marginalized because they are primary victims of social inequality. Most citizens have embraced the idea that racial mixing is negatively attributed to the country’s racial discrimination. It shows that black people are still not accepted socially by other races due to social inequality. However, the black community is represented in music and sports by numerous artists and athletes. On the other hand, social representation seems to favor the black people in Jamaica because they are the majority. This aspect has translated into adequate social representation in various fields.
According to Cross Jr, (Pg. 129), Africa Americans are represented in numerous aspects such as music, sports, politics, and media since they are integral social representation platforms. They are represented in media via various black writers, actors, and media personalities. Blacks are also represented in politics by various politicians like Barrack Obama. He was a crucial figure in propelling the social acceptance and representation of black people. However, cases of racism and discrimination are still rampant, and it prevents some black Americans from realizing the full potential. Their civil rights movements are transparent platforms for social representation because people like Marcus Garvey represented their interests. He was an instrumental figure in educating other races on the rights of the black minority. The black lives matter movement has also increased social acceptance. Moreover, African Americans are socially represented through anchoring, objectivities, and naturalization (Linda and Roman, Pg. 2627). The social acceptance of African Americans, among other races, has increased over the years, but police brutality and various forms of racism are critical aspects that have affected social acceptance.
In summation, the aspects of unemployment and income disparities are similar in Jamaica and the United States, but black Americans are a bit advanced. They are also economically stable compared to black Jamaicans. However, cases of racism and discrimination in employment are prevalent in both countries. Blacks in both countries are still exposed to economic instability compared to other races; hence instances of racism and discrimination similarly affect blacks. Moreover, education access to blacks in both countries are affected by racism and economic disparities. They are also socially represented and accepted in both countries, but racism and social inequalities undermine their efforts. In this case, black Jamaicans and African Americans maintain similar cultural heritage and cultures even though there are significant differences due to variations in social-economic aspects of booth countries.