Jim Crow Still In Existence?

Most people would think that the Jim Crow days are over with, well think again. A new report, From Jim Crow Jobs to Employment Equity, released by the Center for Social Inclusion (CSI), shows that Jim Crow still exists today in the job market. In the market, six of the seven occupations with the highest salaries are overrepresented by whites, while three of the six lowest-paid occupations are disproportionately represented by people of color. Additionally, one in six Blacks and one in eight Latinos are jobless, compared to one in 12 whites.

Formally in effect from 1876 to 1965, Jim Crow laws introduced and supported the segregation of races and subsequently classes.The system relegated Black Americans to second-class citizenship and segregated their participation in social, civil and economic life, in addition to opportunities for education.

Today, the report says, the legacy of those policies persists. People of color still dominate low-skill, low wage occupations and are more likely to lack a college degree, the study reports. In addition, people of color have inadequate transportation, which in turn hinders them from reaching job centers far from their homes, and that many do not live where employers locate and where governments have failed to build public transit.

“If we are going to have the vibrant and healthy economy that our elected leaders promise, they need to guarantee increased wages and invest in infrastructure and education to create more equitable outcomes,” said Maya Wiley, executive director of CSI.