OPINION:
District officials recently revealed that 6.5 percent of the city’s black men are living with HIV/AIDS, compared to 2.6 percent of white men. This is just one in a long line of disheartening statistics that show little progress has been made to rectify our nation’s racial disparities - particularly in areas like health care and education.
The economic crisis is likely to worsen these discrepancies. To prevent further deterioration, the president and Congress should move forward with bipartisan policies that will address these inequities in a way that benefits all Americans.
The extent to which many racial disparities persist is often overlooked. In the realm of education, minority students have long lagged behind white students. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 10.7 percent of black high school students and 22.1 percent of Hispanic students drop out before graduating, compared to only 5.8 percent of whites.
Worse, a large number of minorities don’t even make it to high school. NCES reports 6.9 percent of Hispanics over age 25 have received less than five years of elementary school education. That’s nearly six times the number of blacks who have had fewer than five years of elementary schooling - and more than 17 times the number of whites.
When it comes to staying healthy, minorities are also falling behind. Of the nearly 47 million people that the Census Bureau counts as uninsured, 25 million are minorities. Nearly 8 million of them are black.
Lacking health insurance often leads to more serious - and expensive - illnesses, as the uninsured tend not to take preventative health measures, like getting regular checkups. It’s no wonder, then, that black Americans are more likely to die in an emergency room after a trauma than white patients.
Blacks are also more than twice as likely as whites to have type-2 diabetes. And the problem is getting worse. According to the Centers for Disease Control, between 1980 and 2005, the prevalence of the disease increased by 69 percent among black females and doubled among black males.
These issues present a challenge for the current administration. Despite the symbolic value of President Obama’s landmark election, many Americans still feel that racial prejudice is widespread. A recent ABC News/Washington Post poll found that 74 percent of Americans think racism is either “a big problem” or “somewhat of a problem.”
However, addressing the problem could be politically difficult. A significant portion of Americans - 72 percent - disapprove of programs that give special treatment to minorities, according a Newsweek poll from last year.
Mr. Obama needs common sense, bipartisan policies that improve the country as a whole and address our nation’s social inequalities at the same time. On education, the president is already moving in the right direction. Historically, Democrats have allied themselves with teachers unions, sometimes at the expense of high-quality education.
Breaking from this tradition, Mr. Obama has expressed support for a merit pay system that rewards good teachers. After all, a public school system populated with subpar teachers will do little to remedy poor academic performance.
On the health care front, Mr. Obama has many options, but he should start by making sure that all Americans eligible for public health care programs take advantage of them. Twelve million uninsured Americans are entitled to enroll in government programs like Medicaid, Medicare and SCHIP but have neglected to sign up. Another 5 million uninsured Americans qualify for health insurance through their employers. Helping these folks get coverage would make a huge dent in the uninsured population.
Despite Mr. Obama’s inspirational election, race will continue to be a thorny political issue in the years to come. The president should work with Congress to address racial disparities through brands of reform that help all Americans.
Douglas E. Schoen was a campaign consultant for more than 30 years and is the author of “Declaring Independence: The Beginning of the End of the Two-Party System.”
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