Study Confirms Institutional Racism

The Economic Policy Institute has a new paper out which looks at median hourly wages since 1979. The study's focus is on the changes in the wage-gap for African Americans over the last 35 years as it documents that African Americans continue to be paid less than their white counterparts. This discrepancy exists across both gender and education level.

The push for educational attainment has not decreased the wage gap for African Americans, although, as with all groups, college educated workers make more than those without a degree. According to the report, "Black college graduates have higher wages than African American high school graduates, but significant wage gaps between black and white college graduates have grown and persisted. It is wrong that as a society we send a message that you must get a college degree to obtain economic security, yet even then you will experience a sizeable earnings disadvantage. This erosion in opportunity started in the 1980s, but little has been done to address it."

The study also shows that this wage discrimination exists even among experienced workers:

The study reaches a number of conclusions which included collecting more fine-grained data but also has some specific political recommendations. "[W]e have to address the broader problem of stagnant wages by raising the federal minimum wage, creating new work scheduling standards, and rigorously enforcing wage laws aimed at preventing wage theft...We also need to strengthen the ability of workers to bargain with their employers, a right that has been substantially weakened since the 1980s through, for example, laws passed by state legislatures that restrict public employees’ collective bargaining rights or the ability to collect 'fair share' dues through payroll deductions. We need to push back against the proliferation of forced arbitration clauses that require workers, as a condition of employment, to give up their right to sue in public court. We need greater protections for freelancers and workers in 'gig' employment relationships."

Sadly, there are still people in this country who continue to deny that institutional racism continues to be a problem in this country. Data like this soundly refutes that idea and just shows how far we still have to go in order to have true equality in this country for African Americans. And the same discriminatory issues exist for women as well.