Race & Ethnicity

Racial Inequality

There are inequalities across a broad range of topics.  In education, housing, income, and much more, minority races and ethnicities face inequalities that are rooted in things such as racism (specifically systemic racism) and racial discrimination.

Racial inequality is caused by racism, prejudice, stereotypes, bias, discrimination, history/policy/institutional practices, and experiencing social disadvantages. We will further examine some of these key concepts below. 

What is racism?

Racism is the systemic oppression of a racial group or groups to the social, economic, and political advantage of another.  Systemic means that racism is not just about individual attitudes or beliefs, but operates across a set of interconnected societal processes and institutions.

As a society we have began to expose the unacceptable nature of explicit racism, but a more subtle kind in the form of colorblind ideology still permeates society. Colorblind ideology is the idea that if we ignore race and racial issues, racism will not exist. These ideas show up in individual ideology, but more importantly in legal practices that fail to challenge societal racism. 

What is racial discrimination? 

Racial discrimination is the unequal treatment of persons or groups on the basis of their race or ethnicity. An individual can act in a discriminatory manner by refusing to do business with, socialize with, or share resources with people of a certain group. Discrimination is a problem in topics such as employment, housing, healthcare, legal systems, and environmental issues.

Individual 

The negative interactions between individuals and their institutional roles or as public or private individuals based on individual characteristics. 

Examples: implicit bias, stereotypes, prejudices

Organizational 

Organizational discrimiation could also be more commonly related to workplace discrimination. It is discrimination based on age, race, gender, religion, national orgin, gender identity, etc within a workplace or organization by an employer or higher up. 

Examples: processes, structures, and policy practices within an organization; interactions within the criminal justice system, felonies restricting people from obtaining jobs 

Societal 

The sustained inequality of individuals on the basis of illness, disability, religion, sexual orientation, race, or any other measure of diversity. 

Examples: legacy of historical discrimination; state policies and practices

What are some of the social outcomes that are impacted by race? 

People of color face higher levels of unemployment. This is the direct result of racially discriminatory practices and further contributes to many other inequalities such as income, wealth, and housing. For example have you ever considered the impact that your name has on whether you get a job callback? A study conducted by Bertrand and Mullainathan (2004) found that "white" names had a 50% greater callback rate than that of equally qualified black applicants in Boston and Chicago. A similar study was done at Harvard by DeCelles (2017) who concluded that "minorities who 'whiten' job resumes get more interviews."

Now we will specifically look at how race and ethnicity impact life in Dayton. To begin with, the Black unemployment rate is 13.1% in the Dayton metro area. This is more than twice the rate of their white counterparts (Laird and Turay Jr. 2021). By exploring the sources below, it will become evident that race/ethnicity impact all of the other topics covered in this website so be sure to check out each of the other pages to view more information.

Race & Ethnicity in Dayton

In 2019, there were 1.41 times more White residents in Dayton, OH than any other race or ethnicity. Based on this data we must further explore the question: how does race/ethnicity impact other outcomes and opportunity?

Opportunity in Dayton

The Opportunity Atlas shows which neighborhoods offer children the best chance to rise out of poverty based on factors such as income, race, and gender. Black children in Dayton have some of the lowest opportunity scores in the country. 

In all, it is clear that race is one of the most influential predictors of opportunity. Below, we have identified some key news articles from the Dayton Daily News. The first article examines how Dayton-area Black residents lack access to the same opportunities as white residents. Unfortunately, this segregation was not accidental and has had a major impact on generations to come. The second article offers a glimmer of hope as experts identify the fixable nature of racial inequity. This is a tall task, but with the launch of the Dayton Daily News' project entitled "The Path Forward: Race and Equity," concrete steps are being taken to promote equity.  

What can you do?

It starts with you! At the individual level work to address the biases, stereotypes, and prejudice that you may encounter. This can be best achieved by continuing to educate yourself about the inequalities that plague society, especially through the eyes of people of color. There are tons of great books, movies, and podcasts that will help you to explore the complicated history of inequality, but also empower you to make a difference. NPR has compiled a list that will help you start this learning journey: https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2020/06/06/871023438/this-list-of-books-films-and-podcasts-about-racism-is-a-start-not-a-panacea 

Additionally, we have linked some local resources and grassroots organizations that have started the work on the ground. There are also further resources about race and ethnicity that will help you to understand why the continued fight for equity and justice is so important for all of us to take part in.