racial justice facts

We've come a long way, but we still have a long way to go.

Health Care:
The National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ) reports that 64% of Americans believe racism is a problem in health care - 20% say it's a major problem. (www.nccj.org )

The NCCJ reports that 60% of African Americans say that race or ethnic background affects getting routine medical care. (www.nccj.org )

In 2001, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that 10% of white Americans did not have health insurance compared to 19% of African Americans and 33.2% of Hispanics. (www.nccj.org)

Heart mortality rates for adults ages 25-64 are almost twice as high among African Americans as whites. Source: The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation (www.kff.org)

Education:
The National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ) reports that 68% of Americans believe racism is a problem in education - 20% say it's a major problem. (www.nccj.org)

More than one in four Hispanic youth drop out of school, and nearly half leave school by the eighth grade. Source: Focus Adolescent Services (www.focusas.com/Dropouts.html)

Of the 43% of children of color attending public schools, more than half are poor and more than two-thirds fail to reach basic levels on national tests. Source: Milton S. Eisenhower Foundation (www.eisenhowerfoundation.org)

The average African American student is 3½ years behind the average white student in math, nearly 4 years behind in reading, and 5½ years behind in science. Source: Telling A Different Story of Racism in America by Stephen and Abigail Thernstrom.

The Workplace:
The National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ) reports that 70% of Americans believe racism is a problem in the workplace - 23% say it's a major problem. (www.nccj.org)

In 2003, the median U.S. household income for all races was $50,984; for Asian households it was $60,803; white non-Hispanic households, $54,522; African American households, $38,354; and Hispanic households, $37,314.  Source: U.S. Census Bureau - Income in the United States: 2003. (www.census.gov)

Law Enforcement:
According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), studies in several states show that African Americans and Hispanics were being stopped for routine traffic violations in excess of their representation in the population. Source: ACLU Letter to the Senate 2/19/04. (www.aclu.org)

African Americans and Hispanics in Texas were significantly more likely than whites to be searched following a traffic stop by Texas law enforcement agencies in 2004.  Source: Texas Criminal Reform Commission 2/2004