The Effects Of Inequality In American Society

In today’s society, people are defined by their ethnic, gender and class affiliations. For this reason, inequality and discrimination are factors in how minorities are treated in American society. John Iceland’s book, “Poverty in America A Handbook” discusses how even though the United States has the largest-industrialized economy; it has more poverty than any other country that has similar standards of living. Iceland focuses and examines why poverty is prominent to this day, what groups are affected, what defines being poor in America, and the causes and effects of the poverty. Michelle Alexander’s book, “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness” discusses the issues specifically related to African-American males and mass incarceration in the United States. However, Alexander mentions how the discrimination faced by African-Americans is similar to what minorities of other races face as well, as a result of inequality and discrimination. Together, these books examine the challenges, as well as

Racial and ethnic minority groups have had difficulty trying to access equal resources such as jobs, housing, education, and public assistance to this day. It is important to realize that many people in America struggle to have access to basic necessities, due to poverty. The higher the poverty rate, the increased rate of social and racial separation. For the purpose of understanding the dynamics of systemic inequality between John Iceland and Michelle Alexander; we look at what factors contribute to poverty and the possible solutions. Iceland gives statistics on why poverty rates are more prominent in minority groups, while Alexander talks about why minority groups; such as African-Americans have high poverty rates. Together, they both show how systemic inequality and discrimination stems from social and racial