Why is African-Americans' situation still so bad?

Introduction
The blacks were first introduced to America as slaves to the white man. Working at cotton farms and such under low living and working conditions they struggled to keep alive. Families were split apart when family members were sold to different families to serve and work for them. Their terrible conditions inspired “Blues”, music form in were they escaped their everyday struggle and hardships.

Separate, but “equal”
The civil war (1861–1865) ended slavery, but did it end the prejudice? In 1870 the Constitution granted blacks voting rights with a new 15th amendment.
The segregation did not improve the blacks conditions, and they were not treated equally. Schools for Afro-Americans received less public funding than Caucasian’s schools. This is what created the ghettos (or so called projects) were colored people were forced to live in a certain area. This is what created the infamous ghettos in New York, Detroit and Los Angeles. (Compton, Bronx, Watts & Bed-sty etc.) Wealthier Afro-Americans were allowed to move out of the ghetto and into suburbs. This created an economical collapse for many of the ghettos. They became zones of abandonment, below-average wealth, poorly maintained housing, and high crime. One of the earliest studies of this phenomenon showed that a quarter of all black children were born to unmarried woman. In addition the number of black welfare cases were rising while unemployment was falling. This study, called the Moynihan Report warned that the conditions would only get worse in time.

Present time
Today the ghettos still stand and it seems the author of the Moynihan Report was right. A new study carried out in early 2006 shows that 72 percent of all young black males are without High school education and unemployed. This is an even higher number than before. The crime statistics are not better. Six of ten black males who are in their middle thirties without a high school education have been to jail. In a report by William M. Rodgers III who’s a professor in economy shows that more money is being spent on maintaining the prisons than on higher education. There are about 37 million African Americans in USA this equals 14 percent of the population. There are 5 million black males in the age 20-39. It is they who dominate the crime statistics.

Still Struggling
The low skill manufacturing jobs that existed in the ghettos, were moved to the suburbs. This isolated blacks economically in the ghettos. Due to lack of marriageable employed men for mothers to marry there are more out of marriage births. New studies shows that a good half of all black males aged 20-30 have children out of marriage. Sociology studies show that children need the family structure and parents to teach them how to act and interact with people around them to fucntion in society. Since most blacks don’t wont settle for low paid jobs, and thus new immigrants (Pakistanis, koreans etc.) take these jobs instead of them, since they pay more than what they would do in their home country. Hoping to do better than their parents blacks disdain these jobs and end up working outside of the legitimate economy.

A news article in the norwegian newspaper Dagbladet tells the story of Curtis S. Brannon (28) Who quit school in tenth grade and started dealing drugs. He got four children with three different mothers and has been in prison several times. He says that he is going to set his life straight and that he’s tired of being in prison. He tells the journalist, optimistically, that he hasn’t been in jail for six months. This is the “typical” black male, who I describe here as being failed by society.

African-Americans are being treated unjustly by the judicial system and police. There are many stories of how police officers have arrested lawful citizens for no particular reason. One of these stories features Dewayne Thomas (27) who was walking home from the grocery store as he was approached by the police. They arrested him, and Dewayne was charged for blocking the sidewalk. Dewayne has got a charge for possesion of crack and has therefore not the same rights to vote, no right to receive scholarship, education or basic welfare rights as a roof over his head. Discrimination and racism is still very alive, though not formally, but in everyday life. There’s still evidance of discrimination towards blacks in schools, work places and in prisons.

Conspiracy?
If a white man is charged with possession of cocaine or heroine he will get a fine. If a Black man is charged with possession of Marihuana he’s likely to end up in prisons. It is a fact that there are much stricter regulations and punishment for possession of weed than coke. Why? Cocaine, heroine and such are the rich man’s drug. Crack, weed etc. is for lower classes. This is one of the reasons why minorities dominate prisons. Also a black man would be arrested for wearing the wrong clothes if police stopped him. So why do they fill up the prisons with minorities? The keyword is modern day slavery. Inmates in prisons work in chain gangs and work without pay to “make it up” to the society.