(upbeat music)
- [Narrator] President Lyndon B. Johnson
signed The Civil Rights Act of 1964
on July 2nd of the same year.
The act outlaws discrimination based
on race, color, religion,
gender, or national origin.
It also prohibits racial segregation
in schools and employment.
Just how far have we come in 56 years?
The improvements since
1964 are undeniable.
However, the inequality Black, indigenous,
and persons of color, called BIPOC,
remain part of the American fabric.
The challenges we face as a nation
extend beyond the boardroom
and include the classroom
and the courtroom.
According to The Brookings Institute,
white American households
have a mean net worth
of $171,000 compared to just
$17,150 for Black families.
This disparity cannot be explained away
by income, indebtedness,
or educational obtainment.
When a BIPOC child enters preschool,
they are behind their white peers
in language and math development,
with Blacks even further behind.
Preschool programs shrink this gap
by the time the students
reach the first grade,
but those gains evaporate
during primary education.
By high school graduation, non-whites
are two grades behind their
peers in equivalency testing.
Black graduates, 2 1/2 grades behind.
The challenges go beyond
equivalency in education.
A K through 12 Black
student is 380% more likely
to receive a school suspension,
and a gifted Black
student is 54% less likely
to be recommended to a
gifted/talented program.
When it comes to high school graduation,
success also sees a significant gap.
91% of whites graduate high school
compared to 86% of Blacks,
but just 66% of Hispanics
and 65% of Indigenous-Americans.
In the court room, BIPOC populations
face similar discrimination.
35% of juveniles arrested are Black,
despite making up only 15%
of the youth population.
Data collected since 2015 indicates
a Black suspect is twice as likely
to be killed by police
versus a white suspect.
56% of those serving life sentences
in the U.S. prison system,
the largest in the world, are Black.
The United States judicial system
is overwhelmed with 80% of cases ending
in a plea deal and never
even going to trial.
Between socio-economic,
educational, and judicial disparity,
the college and career-level
impact is dramatic.
72% of white students
that complete high school
goes on to an undergraduate program,
compared to 44% of Black students
and 50% of Hispanic students.
While 59% of white students
who attend college go on to graduate,
only 43% of Black women
and 35% of Black men do.
And that disparity is maintained
even among the elite universities.
By the time a BIPOC American
reaches the workforce,
they have a higher chance
of having a criminal record.
They are two grade levels
behind their classroom peers
and face a lifetime of
reduced opportunity.
These issues combine
to prevent the building
of generational wealth,
and the cycle repeats.
Hashtags of #BlackLivesMatter,
marketing campaigns,
and one-time donations
won't change these systemic problems.
Unweaving these threads from our fabric
will require a generational effort.
If we bring true equality
to American society,
everyone will benefit through less crime,
higher GDP, better health,
better productivity,
and a better standard of living for all.
This is the challenge of a generation.
