Poverty in America Poverty has plagued the world for as long as anyone can recall, and it persists in America today. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 14.3% of the American population is in poverty. Minorities are at a disadvantage because of how easily they can be drawn or pushed into poverty. Poverty does not necessarily have a color, but minorities are often used as one. Poverty has become a major problem, which only grows every year. With all the factors that correspond with poverty, it is going to take hard work to eliminate poverty. By subtracting one factor at a time, poverty could end if people would be willing to put in the time, money, work, and attention that poverty needs.
Defining poverty can be difficult when even experts …show more content…
People create their own list of reasons on why someone lives in poverty, including, laziness, a choice of that lifestyle, free-riders, or they are of Black or Latino race. Unfortunately, statistics prove that a large percentage of the Black and Latino race in America fall under the poverty line. According to the 2007-2011 Census Bureau, 25.8% of the African American population, 23.8% of the Hispanic population, and 11.6% of the White population live below the poverty line. Clearly poverty affects everyone, but poverty hits certain people harder than others. Racial discrimination plays a huge role in the “color of poverty”. The higher chance of impoverishment effects minorities for many different reasons. Minorities will have the disadvantage in America because white Americans typically receive higher paying jobs over minorities in many situations. Poverty does not have a color, but minorities suffer disproportionately. The difference is when people think of poverty they see color. White Americans make up the majority of Americans, and whites do not want to see themselves in a negative category. This forces whites to imagine a colored poverty, automatically placing any other race in poverty (Lin
Defining poverty can be difficult when even experts …show more content…
People create their own list of reasons on why someone lives in poverty, including, laziness, a choice of that lifestyle, free-riders, or they are of Black or Latino race. Unfortunately, statistics prove that a large percentage of the Black and Latino race in America fall under the poverty line. According to the 2007-2011 Census Bureau, 25.8% of the African American population, 23.8% of the Hispanic population, and 11.6% of the White population live below the poverty line. Clearly poverty affects everyone, but poverty hits certain people harder than others. Racial discrimination plays a huge role in the “color of poverty”. The higher chance of impoverishment effects minorities for many different reasons. Minorities will have the disadvantage in America because white Americans typically receive higher paying jobs over minorities in many situations. Poverty does not have a color, but minorities suffer disproportionately. The difference is when people think of poverty they see color. White Americans make up the majority of Americans, and whites do not want to see themselves in a negative category. This forces whites to imagine a colored poverty, automatically placing any other race in poverty (Lin