THIS Is What Institutional Racism Looks Like - Linkis.com
There has been a lot of talk about institutional racism recently with most of the focus being on the strong and important #BlackLivesMatter movement, but that’s not the only way our society discriminates against people of color and sometimes we are lucky enough to get a first hand glimpse into other aspects of this blight on our country. Today is one of those days as the University of Pennsylvania study on the disproportionate impact of k-12 suspensions on blacks in southern states goes national in an NPR piece that breaks down the information for all to see.
The study focuses on 3000 school districts in 13 southern states
Schools in (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia) were responsible for more than half of all suspensions and exclusions of black students nationwide.
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If you’re going to need a driver’s license in Alabama, you’re most likely going to have to figure out a way to get to one of only four driver’s licenses offices in the entire state:
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said budget cuts will result in closing driver’s license offices across the state.
The agency said the cut will be in phases, with 33 offices closed during the first wave.In January 2016, a further 12 offices will close. By March, all but four offices in the entire state will shut their doors.
The offices that will remain open, ALEA said, are Huntsville, Montgomery, Mobile, and Birmingham.
This will no doubt have a devastating effect on lower-income residents. Considering 18.7% of residents live at “poverty level” and another 8.4% at extreme poverty levels, it’s another blow that will surely leave more people behind. Can you imagine a single parent needing to take an entire day—or even two days—to travel to a driver’s license office and then wait all day for their turn to take the test?