Pub. 1 2020 Issue 3

Kentucky Trucker 9 KyTrucking.net Rick Taylor, President/CEO Kentucky Trucking Association We need to acknowledge that systemic racism is real. Don’t sweep it under the rug just because it does not affect your life. Listen and learn, but be willing to speak up when someone acts inappropriately. families. Before the 2008 crash, people of color were disproportionately targeted for subprime mortgages. In 2010, the U.S. Justice Department investigated Wells Fargo and found they used unfair lending policies and used terms like “mud people” and “ghetto loans.” Neighborhood diversity continues to correlate with low property values across the United States. Historically, school funding is primarily dependent on property taxes. So, schools in lower-valued neigh- borhoods/black neighborhoods that were redlined would not have funding to properly pay teachers, buy supplies, fund extra-curricular activities, etc. This funding discrepancy resulted in lower student success and a reduced likelihood of students continuing their education. Additionally, legal segregation until 1954 (Brown v. The Board of Education) allowed many uni- versities to deny access to education based purely on race. In some states, it took many years to implement this decision. Owning a home and getting a good education is the easiest way for families to build wealth. Most Black families could not do either because of the real estate market and the lack of educational opportunities. This reality has led to a disproportionate distribution of wealth. The median household income for a Black family was $41,500 in 2018, 40% less than the $68,000 for a white family. This gap has remained relatively unchanged since 1967. A two-parent black family’s median wealth is $16,000, while a two-parent white family’s median wealth is $161,300. Studies have shown that black students who graduate from college are 50% less likely to get a job interview due to their Black-sounding name. The Black unem- ployment rate is twice that of whites, even among college graduates. Evidence of systemic racism exists in every area of life: family wealth, incarceration rates, political representation, health care and education. The biggest challenge is that no single person or entity is entirely responsible for it. Going forward, what can be done? We all need to be aware of our implicit biases. What prejudices do you have that you are not aware of? As explained, we need to recognize that slavery and Jim Crow laws still impact equal opportunity now. We need to acknowl- edge that systemic racism is real. Don’t sweep it under the rug just because it does not affect your life. Listen and learn, but be willing to speak up when someone acts inappropriately. I want to end this message with a quote from John Lewis. “We are one people, one family, the human family, and what affects one of us affects us all.” Thank you.