United States citizens are multicultural. They include people of different ages, religions and cultures. The minority population, however, is more vulnerable to poverty than that of the majority. Green, 2017. Non-Hispanic Whites is the largest and most populous group. Because of institutional and historic favoritism, non–Hispanic whites have a lower risk of poverty because they have greater access to healthcare, work, and mortgages. Black people are most vulnerable to poverty due to their highest rates of unemployment and homelessness (Ware 2016, 2016). This could be due to slavery’s historical injustice that blacks were denied the opportunity for advancement. Jim Crow laws, which were imposed segregation on blacks in order to deny them the right to own homes and go to decent schools, led to a significant gap in the United States’ poverty. Opportunities for leadership in today’s workplace are denied to minority workers. There is also a large economic gap between white and black families. Schaeffer (2020) reports that the median black household income increased by $23,000 between 1970-2018. From 1970 to 2018, the median gap in salary between minorities of color and those from white backgrounds grew five percent each year, to 61%. The huge income gap demonstrates that minority groups are more likely to be poor due to economic disparity, low representation in senior leadership and harassment at work.
In the United Kingdom, Poverty is a Problem and There’s Diversity
Blacks are less likely to be poor than the rest of the population in the United Kingdom. Research by Center for Social Justice (2020) revealed that 19% of all white households lived in poverty. This compares to 32% for mixed-ethnicity families, 39% for Asian-British households and 46% for Black ethnic groups. This study shows that while black communities in America and Britain are less likely to become poor than others, white communities have more advantages. Ethnic imbalances are also apparent in the education sector. White Britons are more likely to be awarded high marks than Asians or blacks. American Indians and blacks follow whites as the largest population. 76% are employed in Whites, while 75% of Indians work and 66% of Blacks. Low employment rates can lead to lower incomes and less purchasing power which makes them vulnerable to poverty. Black people are more at risk due to systemic racism, historical injustices, and discrimination. There is a history in the United States of both black slavery and abuse. This has created a sense of superiority and inferiority. A significant disparity exists in the median income of different ethnic groups. The median hourly pay for white British workers over 30 is higher than that of employees from other races (Center for Social Justice 2020).